Review: Microsoft Surface Pro 4 – hybrid tablet takes on Apple and Lenovo
The gloves are off as Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 faces heavyweight competitors in the tablet market including Apple’s iPad Pro, and while certainly packing a punch with new features, can its price be justified?
The Surface Pro 4 is a tablet computer, albeit one that Microsoft claims can make conventional laptops a thing of the past. With these so-called hybrid laptops – tablets with detachable keyboards – the software giant hopes to finally crack the computer hardware market.
But competition is heating up in this space. Apple has the iPad Pro, and Lenovo’s IdeaPad Miix700 is almost the Surface’s doppelganger. While I find the Pro 4 a perfectly well-designed mobile office, it is not easy justifying its premium price tag.
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Like all hybrids, the Surface Pro can be used with a lightweight keyboard that doubles as a snap-on protective cover. Its metal, 150-degree kickstand takes up more space than a similar-sized laptop when it is propped up. But apart from when you are flying economy, it’s not really that big an issue. I like the full-size, backlit keyboard which, when placed on a hard surface, has a slight give because of how thin it is. Some reviewers have complained about the “flimsy” keyboard but I find that it makes typing quite comfortable.
