Microsoft Surface Pro 4 vs. Surface Pro 3: What's Different?

Microsoft announced a number of products this week: new Lumia phones, a HoloLens dev kit, and, as expected, a new Surface Pro.

The Surface Pro 4 replaces the Surface Pro 3 in Microsoft's tablet lineup, and while the spirit of the Surface Pro 3 is alive and well in the Pro 4, there are a few key differences that you should be aware of when deciding whether to upgrade.

Almost everything gets an upgrade in the Surface Pro 4, starting with the display, which jumps from 12 to 12.3 inches in size—without making the device larger. Rather, Microsoft decreased the bezel around the Surface's screen, adding more real estate. The Pro 4's PixelSense touch screen is only 400 microns thick, and is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (the Pro 3 has Gorilla Glass 3), producing what Microsoft says is the thinnest optical stackup anyone can possibly ship.

Name	Microsoft Surface Pro 4	Microsoft Surface Pro 3
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Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10	Microsoft Windows 8.1
Dimensions	11.5 x 7.93 x 0.33 inches	11.5 x 7.93 x 0.36 inches
Weight	1.69 lb	1.76 lb
CPU	Intel Core m3	Intel Core i5-4300U
Processor Speed	TBD GHz	1.9 GHz
RAM	4 GB	8 GB
Graphics Manufacturer	Intel	Intel
Screen Size	12.3 inches	12 inches
Screen Resolution	2,736 x 1,824 pixels	2,160 x 1,440 pixels
Storage Type	SSD	SSD
Storage Capacity (as Tested)	128 GB	256 GB
Ports	USB	USB
Battery Life	9 hours (estimate)	8 hours 55 minutes (local video playback)
Wi-Fi (802.11x) Compatibility	2.4GHz/5GHz	2.4GHz/5GHz

Dimensionally, the Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4 are nearly identical, except in their thickness. They both measure 11.5 inches high and 7.93 inches wide, but the Surface Pro 4 boasts a thickness of 0.33 inches to the Surface Pro 3's 0.36 inches. The Surface Pro 3 is also slightly heavier than the
Surface Pro 4 at 1.76 pounds to 1.69 pounds for the least expensive configuration.
Both devices have nearly identical ports: a USB 3.0 port, a microSD card slot, and a Mini Display port.

On the inside, the Surface Pro 4 is something of a workhorse. You could call it a tablet, but like the Surface Pro 3, it has the innards of a PC. The Surface lineup has been updated with Intel's latest sixth-generation Core m3, Core i5, or Core i7 processors, depending on the configuration. Microsoft says that makes it 30 percent faster than the Surface Pro 3, which used last-gen Core processors, as well as 50 percent faster than the MacBook Air. Microsoft also increased the amount of internal storage to 1TB in the Surface Pro 4.

But it's not only the body of the tablet that got an upgrade. New Surface Type Covers will work with the Surface Pro 4 and Pro 3. These are the lightest and thinnest Type Covers Microsoft has ever made, with an integrated, backlit keyboard, softer key mechanics that make them quieter, and increased travel between keys. They also have a fingerprint reader for added security and come in five colors.

Don't forget one of the marquee features of the Surface Pro lineup: the Surface Pen. The new Surface Pen, which works with the Pro 3 and Pro 4, has an eraser on the end of it (sort of an obvious design choice) and 1,024 point of pressure. The pen's battery lasts all year long, so no charging; just replace the battery when it dies. There are interchangeable pen tips, as well, for different sorts of strokes on your Surface tablet. The Pen can magnetically attach to the side of the Surface Pro 4, something the Surface Pro 3 is missing.

The Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4 can plug into the Surface Dock via USB: a hub that has four USB 3.0 ports and two ports for 4K displays, plus an Ethernet port for sharing screens and files between devices, as well as multitasking on larger monitors.

The base configuration of a new Surface Pro 4 starts at $899, and comes with an Intel Core m3 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage, though a Core i7 with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive will set you back $2,699. Microsoft is accepting pre-orders now and devices ship on Oct. 26.