The Surface Pro 4 and New Surface Pro will be sharing shelf space for a while, so, if you want a Microsoft tablet, it may be hard to decide which one to get. Based on what we know, here’s why we prefer the 2016 model.
1) Lower Price: Since Microsoft is trying to sell through the remainder of its Surface Pro 4 stock as quickly as possible, you can grab last year’s tablet for insanely low prices at the time of writing. While this is a timely example, Ebay currently has an i5 Surface Pro 4 with an included Type Cover and Surface Pen for just $660. To get that in the new model, you’re paying $1,230 at minimum. While we’re not retail masters, it’s safe to assume you’ll probably see sales like this all summer long.
It’s also worth noting that the New Surface Pro costs more even compared to the MSRP of the Surface Pro 4. Unlike the 4, the new version does not include the Pen in the box. That omission won’t be a deal breaker for everyone, but it still drives the price potentially higher.
2) The Spec Increase Isn’t That Great: The major improvement between the Surface Pro 4 and New Surface Pro is its updated Kaby Lake processor. It certainly has some marked advantages in its i5 form especially, but, its perks are mostly circumstantial. The CPU was largely designed around 4K video streaming, so, if you’re just browsing the web, you’ll have a fairly similar experience on either product.
The Surface Pro line has been primarily suited for accessing productivity and business-related tasks quickly. Stuff like word documents and websites will load fast enough on either SKU.
3) All The Accessories Work: A few years back Microsoft pledged a deal with businesses to make sure all accessories for its Surface devices would be backward and forward compatible for the foreseeable future. That means every Type Cover, Surface Pen or Surface Dial will work with the Pro 4 or New Pro out of the box.
As such, even if you like the new Dial, Pen or that $160 fabric Type Cover, you can still have those experiences on the older device if you want. The Dial requires a firmware update and the Pen’s features won’t be quite as detailed, but the base functionality remains. You don’t need the new generation to get the latest perks.
4) Battery Life Doesn’t Matter: Battery life is an important attribute for lots of tech-savvy people, but it may not be a total necessity for everyone. Yes the New Surface Pro’s advertised 13.5 hours of endurance is really impressive, but, if your life doesn’t demand that feature, it may not be worth worrying about.
The Surface Pro 4 generally lasts about eight hours, and that’s not too bad. Plus, continued updates to Windows 10 are slowly bringing that number up even higher. The Surface Pro 4 had serious battery issues at launch, but today it’s able to last long enough for most casual uses and average business scenarios.
5) The Ports Are The Exact Same: Lots of prospective Surface Pro 4 owners were holding off on buying a New Surface Pro because they hoped the 2017 tablet would feature a USB-C port. As it turns out, that’s not the case. Both products have the exact same setup: USB 3.0, microSD, Surface Connect and Mini DisplayPort.
The only addition unique to the New Surface Pro is LTE connectivity and slightly enhanced bluetooth. That being said, we suspect those additives aren’t mandatory requirements for most. By and large, you’re paying more for identical ports.
The Surface Pro 4 is available now, while the New Surface Pro starts shipping June 15.
What do you think of this list? Are you willing to buy a cheap Surface Pro 4 instead of the New Surface Pro? Tell us in the comments section!
