Microsoft has just unveiled their new line of Surface tablets.
But despite of being a tablet, Microsoft sees their Surface Pro 4
as a new laptop. With the power of the new Intel Skylake CPUs
the compute power shall even outwit the 2015 MacBook Pro.

Looks alluring and is supposed to have enough power to even allow Video editing. A 3K 12″ screen also underlines Microsoft’s attempt to outwit their competitors and redefine the 2in1 market anew.

Successful attempt or big fail, that’s the question. But if you read the tech specs that come along, it doesn’t seem too unrealistic:

Screen resolution: 2736×1824 pixels (resulting in 267dpi)
GPU: Intel IRIS with the i7, otherwise Intel HD 515,520CPU: Core M3, i5 Gen6, i7 Gen6 (Skylake)
HDD: Up to 512GB SSD or 500GB HDD with 32GB Hybrid SSD
WLAN: 802.11ac with 433 Mbit/s (1×1 MIMO config)
Camera: 5MP front, 8MP rear
3G/LTE: no(!)
Extensions: MicroSD slot up to 2TB cards, USB3.0 fullsize Type A, MicroDP 1.2

Weight: 786g / Dimensions: 292.10mm x 201.42mm x 8.45mm

Looks great so far. But why no LTE onboard if the mobile aspect is also considered? Sure, the USB3 port allows connection of a LTE stick for sure but why block the only port with devices, that could have easily been integrated into the housing?

However the remaining specs look promising but so do the tech specs of the upcoming iPad Pro from Apple.

While the iPad Pro has a restrictive iOS on it (which may limit you on certain things), the Surface Pro 4 comes with a fully-enabled Win10 installation. So you can run virtually every x86/x64 program on it. Makes certain things more flexible. But there are also downsides: While the iPad Pro will most likely need no antivirus software due to it’s restrictive OS design, you will be faced with that problem on Win10 again. Unfortunately!

And considered the pricing, the iPad Pro comes with an appealing 1300US$ price tag while the ultimate config of the Surface Pro 4 will easily reach 2600US$

The case will base on Magnesium on microsoft’s side, while Apple will trust it’s aluminum 7000 alloy to cover the hardware of the iPad Pro.

Until there are no speed tests out, there’s no further judgement on these devices but one thing is for sure. Microsoft has challenged Apple and Google! Time to see, who will win this round!