Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Will Be Announced In Just Five Days

The long-awaited follow-up to the very successful Surface Pro 3 is going to be announced in just five days. TechRadar reports on the upcoming announcement.

“Microsoft has sent out media invites to an event being held on October 6, which promises ‘some exciting news about Windows 10 devices.’ With Windows 10 out in the wild and Intel’s Skylake processors finding their way into devices, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that the Surface Pro 4 might take centre stage that day.”

Actually, according to most sources, the Surface Pro 4 will be announced on October 6. What can we expect from Microsoft’s latest laptop/tablet hybrid? Mobile Choice gives us a hint.

“As per details available with us, the new Surface Pro 4 will reportedly feature variants carrying 12-inch and 14-inch displays as well as brand new Intel processors when it will launch next month. The new processors in question could either be Intel’s Core M Broadwell CPU or Intel Skylake processors to be available in Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 variants.”

As several other sources have noted, the inclusion of an Intel Core M Broadwell CPU is not likely since it would slow down the device tremendously and Microsoft has marketed the Surface Pro as a powerful laptop replacement that is also a tablet. However, the new Surface Pro 4 could very well contain Intel’s latest Skylake processors.

There are some sources who say that the Surface Pro 4 will have the same 2160 x 1440 pixel resolution screen as the Surface Pro 3, but others say both the 12-inch and 14-inch variants of the Surface Pro 4 will contain a 4K Ultra HD screen. The Surface Pro 4 will challenge Apple’s iPad Pro, but Microsoft’s device has one main advantage, and it is the fact that it has a desktop operating system installed (Windows 10) rather than iOS 9, the mobile operating system that will run on the iPad Pro.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro got off to a rocky start when it was first released in February of 2013. The biggest complaint was the battery life, and AnandTech was one of the first sites to widely publicize the main issue that plagued Microsoft’s first Surface Pro.

“In our tablet benchmarks, I never saw Surface Pro break the 6 hour mark on a single charge. In most cases I’d expect to see 5 – 6 hours out of Surface Pro in light, tablet usage. Video playback was especially disappointing as Surface Pro managed to use more power here than during our web browsing battery life test,” said the site’s owner, Anand Lal Shimpi.

However, the battery life was actually worse than that. Most users reported getting four hours max with the Surface Pro when using its full power and there were others who reported major battery drainage when the device went into sleep mode. Fortunately, by the time the Surface Pro 3 was released, those problems were solved. Trusted Reviews is one of the sites that gave Microsoft’s flagship device an excellent review.

“It’s still an outstanding hybrid and there isn’t a product in its class that surpasses it. That’s partly because the Surface Pro 3 is so unique, but it’s no less true. Its outstanding performance and unique design make it a stand out product.”

Trusted Reviews especially praised the build quality, the sharp screen, and the new N-Trig digital pen. Let’s hope that the Surface Pro 4 can earn just as much respect from both customers and critics when it is made available after this coming Tuesday’s announcement.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images]