However...
If you'd like a few details, read on I suppose...
Honestly, I'm still struggling with the tablet concept. Maybe I'm just too old and set in my ways, but I've always preferred a physical keyboard to interact with my devices. Still, for the sake of progress, I'm going to try a few different input techniques while I write this review.
That was why the Microsoft Surface always seemed like the perfect solution to me; a tablet with its own keyboard attached as the cover. Such an elegant concept. Sadly, so poorly executed in its original incarnation back in 2012. Fantastic idea, but everything was just so underpowered - processing power, storage, operating system, content... there wasn't really anything useful to do with this undeniably cool, but not very practical thing.
So I kind of forgot about Surface after that... which was a massive mistake, because the Surface Pro 4 is so close to perfect I can hardly believe the progress that's been made in just 4 years or so.
This device couldn't be more compact. I swear it's only as thick as it is to accommodate its single USB slot. It's super light too. I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating all these features already, but I literally slipped it into a spare slot in my laptop bag and couldn't even tell it was in there. The magnetic attachments are first rate - both keyboard and power adapter. Both of these pretty much find their own way into place. The effective but simple design is encapsulated by the fact the keyboard doesn't just connect, it connects with a slightly raised spine, resulting in a more ergonomic, sloped position for extra comfort when typing.
What a great keyboard it is - backlit physical keys with an almost mechanical, bounce-back response. Home, End, Delete and Backspace keys are all there - the split Up and Down arrow key takes some getting used to, but I've just about mastered it.
The trackpad had me a little stumped at first, then I figured out the concealed left and right click buttons at its base and it's been plain sailing ever since.
I'm not sure what Microsoft's theory is behind the soft, felt-like finish to the cover/keyboard surrounds. It seems like it might be less hard-wearing than good old dependable plastic. In saying that, I've been using this thing for a while now and I can't detect any sweaty palm prints yet. What's more, it feels real nice. Yes, this keyboard is a pleasure to use - maybe too good; Microsoft will never get me to swap to tablet mode with an accessory that works this well. I admit, I did experience one or two brief dropouts in keyboard connectivity, but not frequently enough to seriously impact my experience in any way.
Amazing screen. Again, a bit too amazing. As with many high-def displays these days, some programs don't actually function very well in such high resolution. Some titles and buttons appear tiny in older applications. Talk about first-world cyber problems. Because the Surface Pro 4 is a tablet as well as a laptop, it's a touch screen of course and I found I could make surprisingly accurate cursor placements using just my finger.
For even finer details you can use the Surface Pen. I found this purpose-designed stylus to be more useful as a drawing device than a writing implement - which is okay with me as my writing is atrocious. In saying that, you can choose to write your documents instead of typing them, that option comes up when you choose your keyboard layout. After a few sentences I chose to go back to my trusty keyboard. The pen might be mightier than the sword, but it would take a really special device to understand my handwriting.
For even finer details you can use the Surface Pen. I found this purpose-designed stylus to be more useful as a drawing device than a writing implement - which is okay with me as my writing is atrocious. In saying that, you can choose to write your documents instead of typing them, that option comes up when you choose your keyboard layout. After a few sentences I chose to go back to my trusty keyboard. The pen might be mightier than the sword, but it would take a really special device to understand my handwriting.
There are 8MP rear facing and 5MP forward facing cameras. I found the images clear enough but this is never going to be your go-to camera... and nor should it. Those people who hold up tablets to film video or snap pics at concerts should be taken outside and shot. The Surface Pro 4 video camera shoots in 1080HD using stereo mics, which is a nice touch.
An unexpected feature was facial recognition to log in. This works very well and very quickly. A pleasant surprise as I hate passwords.
An unexpected feature was facial recognition to log in. This works very well and very quickly. A pleasant surprise as I hate passwords.
What really blew me away while I was using the Surface Pro 4 was the sheer power of this thing. It really is, as Microsoft claims, "The tablet that can replace your laptop." No matter what I threw at it, there was more than enough power to perform all the tasks I wanted, including audio production.
The other thing that really appealed to me was the connectivity, both wireless and physical. I had no WiFi or bluetooth issues whatsoever. It's so good having a real, live USB port (one's never enough of course, but that's why they invented USB hubs) I had to look it up, but I eventually discovered the very-nearly invisible microSD card slot - super useful. Still a pain dealing with a combined headphone/mic jack, but an $8 splitter cable from TradeMe soon fixed that. I'm just going to say it; all these different interfaces make this beautiful machine about 1000 times more useful than an iPad.
Perhaps the only area the Surface Pro 4 comes up short is battery life - here the website claim of 9 hours of video playback is definitely too good to be true. I assume to achieve this, you'd have to disconnect any other accessories and connections (keyboard, mouse, WiFi etc) Don't get me wrong, the battery lasts hours, just not sure about a whole day. On the bright side, the power adapter and cable are pretty tiny, so not too much of a pain too carry around and as I mentioned earlier, very easily connected.
I really can't be more direct than I was in the title - at the top end of its product line, you can buy the Surface Pro 4 with an i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a whopping 1TB solid state drive. What more could you possibly need? And it all fits in an A4 envelope. Don't buy anything else. Get one of these.
I'm in love.
Click here for more information on the Microsoft Surface Pro 4
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