INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
You might suspect that the 2017 Surface Pro is the closest we’ll ever get to the Surface Pro 5, but if Microsoft itself is anything to go
by, you would be dead wrong.As of right now, there is no Surface Pro 5, as Microsoft Surface lead Panos Panay confirmed last May, though he
claims it will once more meaningful changes come from the talent at Microsoft’s hardware design lab.More precisely, he stated that while
there’s ‘no such thing as a [Surface] Pro 5’ right now, there will be when the time is right
When Microsoft can radically improve the dynamics of its wildly successful Surface Pro 4, it isn’t too crazy to assume we’ll see a name
change beyond the removal of a numerical value.And, as Windows 10 Redstone 4, or the Spring Creators Update is coming sometime in the next
few weeks, we could see an announcement of the next Surface Pro very soon.Just like the 2017 Surface Pro emerged in June 2017, the next
Surface Pro – whether it’s called the 5, the Next, or whatever – is probably just a few months away at this point
And though the new and improved 2017 Surface Pro brought us a better battery life and a Surface Pen capable of 4,096 levels of pressure
sensitivity, it wasn’t enough to justify calling it the Surface Pro 5, which makes us wonder what would be enough
Let’s dive in.Cut to the chaseWhat is it The would-be fifth Surface Pro tabletWhen is it out Spring 2018 at the earliestWhat will it cost
Likely as much as – if not more than – the current modelSurface Pro 5 release dateTwo years ago, we were convinced we would see the
Surface Pro 5 as early as last year, a prophecy that wasn’t exactly fulfilled by the time we did see another Surface Pro in May 2017
As much hearsay that had reached our offices at the time, you would have expected a full-fledged Surface Pro 4 sequel, but instead what we
received was more of refresh.At a Microsoft event that took place in Shanghai, China, the Surface Pro was unveiled in front of the whole
world, though its improvements weren’t as revolutionary as we had anticipated before
In other words, the spec boost was nice, but not as nice as it would have been to get a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports or two for external
As such, we’re convinced that the Surface Pro 5 is still on its way. Especially as Windows 10 has finally ousted Windows 7 as the most
popular of Microsoft’s desktop operating systems, it’s crucial for Redmond to come out with a slate that brandishes only the latest and
We would suspect that, as the major Redstone 4 and 5 updates are being tested simultaneously, we’ll start to hear more rumors regarding
the Surface Pro 5 release date.Until then, here’s a look at the history of initial Surface Pro release dates:Surface Pro: February 9,
2013Surface Pro 2: October 22, 2013Surface Pro 3: June 20, 2014Surface Pro 4: October 26, 2015Surface Pro (2017): June 15, 2017We doubt the
Surface Pro 5 will look terribly different from the previousSurface Pro 5 priceHistorically, Surface pricing rarely fluctuates with each new
At the Shanghai event on May 23, the Surface Pro was revealed to come with a $799 price in the US or £799 in the UK (that’s around
AU$1,380) for the entry-level model.If the Surface Pro 5 is indeed the Surface Pro, then we now know for sure what the price will be
But, if the Surface Pro 5 is the would-be successor to the Surface Pro, then maybe we can expect a higher price tag. While it wouldn’t be
ideal for Microsoft’s loyal following if the company deviated too far from the norm, ambitious upgrades may necessitate that it does
For the price of the next Surface Pro to differ from its predecessors, it would have to offer some serious advantages over its last-gen
sibling – not just a run-of-the-mill spec boost.Should the Surface Pro 5 team take any hints from the Surface Book 2, it’s possible that
Microsoft’s next tablet will come in two different screen size variants, at two different starting prices
Considering Apple offers both a 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it would make sense for the Surface Pro 5 to get with the program and
introduce a smaller option as well.Image Credit: Patently MobileSurface Pro 5 specsAs it stands right now, the Surface Pro has some major
catching up to do when it comes to specs
Just two months after it released, Intel announced its 8th-generation Ultrabook processors, which are quad-core at the most affordable
level. The 2017 Surface Pro, however, only has a dual-core, 7th-generation Intel processor regardless of how much cash you throw at it
So, when a Surface Pro 5 does arrive, realistically we’d like to see an Intel Core i5-8250U to start with more expensive editions allowing
for an Intel Core i7-8550U
But now that Intel has announced a wide range of Coffee Lake U-series CPUs, we would much rather see the Surface Pro 5 come to the current
CPU generation. Though as much as we’d like to see the death of the entry-level Core m3 Surface Pro, it’s unlikely to take place with
the Surface Pro – especially seeing as Microsoft’s other Surface devices have only recently begun to adopt it for the first
time.Port-wise, for the time being, the Surface Connect proprietary charger is here to stay, meaning the latest Surface Pro – and
presumably the Surface Pro 5 – don’t use USB Type-C for charging or data transfers
That said, this is bound to change given that the Surface Book 2 does offer native support for USB-C.Surface Pro 5 designAhead of its
announcement, a leak published by VentureBeat showed off a number of press renders that claimed to be of the Surface Pro 4’s successor
As it turns out, that was only half true
These designs ended up representing the Surface Pro rather than a true Surface Pro 5.Those who were hoping for an intense overhaul of the
Surface Pro 4’s appearance will certainly be in for a rude awakening
Yet, for those of us who adore the SP4’s current look and only care about performance refinements, this will do just fine.Those who were
hoping for an intense overhaul of the Surface Pro 4’s appearance will certainly be in for a rude awakening
Yet, for those of us who adore the SP4’s current look and only care about performance refinements, this will do just fine.Surface Pro 5
stylus and DialOne can’t help but wonder how Microsoft will go about refreshing Surface Pen this time around
A next-generation Surface Pen is an idea we’ve contemplated for quite some time, but it wasn’t until Microsoft itself patented haptic
feedback technology for the Surface Pen that we saw a clearer picture of what’s to come.Without divulging too many drab details, the
patents suggests a stylus whose tip retracts when it’s pressed against a flat surface, such as a screen per sé
From there, a coil will be compacted and subsequently vibrate from within the Pen’s chassis
It’s an idea that Apple has been toying with for years, but has yet to integrate into its existing Pencil stylus
As such, it’s now more evident than ever that Microsoft wants to beat its Cupertino rival to the punch.Another Surface Pen patent
describes a retention clip that can emulate the functions of a mouse’s scroll wheel, perhaps indicating that the Surface Pro 5 won’t
need a mouse (or a trackpad) at all
This would come in handy for those users who desire the creative benefits of the Surface Pen, but would prefer not to shell out the cash for
a physical keyboard.Of course, Microsoft also has the Surface Dial in its clasp
The designer-focused, puck-like accessory was briefly mentioned in a slideshow presentation in December, with ZDNet having picked up the
slides itself for use in a news story
The company claims that peripherals such as the Dial, wearables, headsets and more are factors essential to what is perceived as the
‘modern PC.’Also mentioned was the incorporation of ‘hero features,’ such as Cortana and Windows Hello, and although a fingerprint
scanner didn’t make it into the new Surface Pro itself, there is an optional Type Cover that includes this functionality
With that in mind, we can surmise that, if or when a Surface Pro 5 is announced, it will also support fingerprint recognition.Microsoft's
Panos Panay revealing the Surface Pro 3 in May 2014What we want to seeAs much as we've been impressed by the Surface Pro 4 and its follow-up
– hibernation bugs aside – there will always be room for improvement
(That would be the case even if it had earned our Editor's Choice award.) From the screen size and resolution to the hardware found inside,
we have a few ideas for how Microsoft could craft an even better Windows 10 tablet.Longer battery lifeThis is a bit of low-hanging fruit,
but countless customers have lamented the Surface Pro 4's battery life, regardless of issues with its ‘Sleep’ mode
We rated the device for five hours and 15 minutes of local video playback.That's well below Microsoft's promise of nine hours of video
playback, a benchmark that even the 2017 Surface Pro couldn’t achieve in our review (our test resulted in 6 hours and 58 minutes of video
Our video playback figure is in line with the average laptop, though it's a far cry from what its nemesis, the MacBook, can achieve.Ideally,
and realistically, we'd like to see at least seven hours of battery life reliably from the next Surface Pro tablet
That would put it closer in line with the MacBooks as well as competing tablets, like the iPad Pro
Surely, you’ll need as many milliampere hours in the Surface Pro 5’s lithium-ion battery as you can get.That said, if the Surface Pro 5
could garner anywhere near the Surface Book 2 manufacturer’s suggested battery life of 17 hours, you would find no complaints from us
Come on, Microsoft, we know you’ve thought about it.Can the screen get much sharper Why yes, it canAn even sharper (and/or bigger)
screenWith the Surface Pro 4 and the subsequent Surface Pro, Microsoft managed to outrank countless rivals in both the laptop and tablet
spaces when it comes to screen resolution
With a razor-sharp 267 ppi (pixels per inch) already at 2,736 x 1,824 pixels within a 12.3-inch screen, it's not as if the Surface Pro 5
needs to be much sharper.However, if the next Surface Pro were equipped with, say, a 4K (3,840 pixels wide at the very least) screen, that
would rip its productivity and entertainment capabilities wide open
Film and photo editors could work at the native resolution that's increasingly becoming the norm, while average Joe's (teehee) could finally
watch Netflix in 4K on a tablet.That said, the realm of super sharp resolutions might be reserved for the Surface Book range at this point
So, why not up its size a bitThe Surface Pro 4 is big enough for almost all tasks, but it's still not the established default size for most
Then again, doing so may cannibalize Microsoft's market by negating the need for the Surface Book 2.On the other hand, maybe the iPad Pro is
onto something with its 12.9-inch display
After all, we’re not asking for a gargantuan, monster-sized tablet – just a slight size boost
Assuming the resolution doesn't bump up too much alongside a size increase, the extra space could allow for a battery life boost.Now,
imagine if the next Surface rocked USB-CIt might finally be time for USB-CAt this point, no Windows device is complete without implementing
USB Type-C, the reversible, versatile port that can deliver power, audio and video while also transferring data at rates of up to 40Gbps
Traditional USB ports won’t cut it any longer, at least not on their own, so the Surface Pro 5 needs to get with the times. As the
Surface Book 2 gradually makes its way to eager consumers, perhaps Microsoft will start to realize the potential of its USB Type-C port
The current Surface Pro requires a dongle for USB-C connections at the present, a sentence that those familiar with the criticisms of the
new port standard will have a good chuckle at. At the same time, Microsoft may want to include a standard USB 3.0 port, too, in order to
natively meet the system requirements for its own Windows Mixed Reality headsets
If the company wants to lead the pack in the business of affordable virtual reality solutions, it's a no-brainer to make the Surface Pro 5
compatible.Whether or not you believe it will be called the Surface Pro 5, the next iteration of Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet is an
If one exists at all, we applaud Microsoft for how well it’s keeping its forthcoming hardware under wraps
Nevertheless, we’re sure to see some sort of new Surface product later this spring, whether it be at Build 2018 or otherwise. Gabe Carey
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