Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 is the latest in its range of high-powered business hybrids.
Designed to blur the line between laptop and tablet, the Surface Pro 4 is positioned as a flexible alternative to traditional devices.
You can read our full review here, but below we've rounded up all the latest Surface Pro 4 news, as well as all the deatils of pricing, specs and features.
Surface Pro 4 at-a-glance
- Released 26 October
- Pricing starts at 749
- 12.3in display, Intel Skylake processor
Surface Pro 4 latest news
30/06/2016:The Surface Pro 4 is now available in a 1TB configuration with an Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM.
The top-of-the-range hybrid was released in the UK at the same time as the 1TB Surface Book, although at 2,199 it costs about 450 less than its notebook cousin.
The new, high-performance Surface Pro 4 is targeted very firmly at design professionals and power users, rather than everyday use, such as graphic designers, engineers and those who work in the music industry.
"Even in our cloud-connected world, 1TB of SSD storage is a powerful addition to the device for customers who put a premium on having all of their work with them wherever they go," said Microsoft.
"[It gives] these power users the peace of mind they want and need, that they can store everything on their device without sacrificing weight, preformance and speed, or aesthetics," it added.
The 1TB Surface Pro 4 and 1TB Surface Book are both available to buy immediately.
20/06/2016: Huawei will release its 12in 2-in-1 tablet, the MateBook, in North America later this week, Liliputing reports.
The Huawei MateBook will start from $699 (approx 478, ex VAT) for the entry-level model, which packs an Intel Core M3 processor, 4GB of memory, and 128GB of storage.
The Chinese manufacturer unveiled its 2-in-1 Microsoft Surface competitor at Mobile World Congress in February.
Unlike the Surface Pro 4, Huawei's entry-level model does not include a detachable keyboard or stylus, which must be purchased separately.
The 0.27in thick tablet has a 12in,2160 x 1440 pixelscreen and weights approximately 635g. Huawei will also offer models with up to a Core M7 chip, up to 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.
North America will be the first region to receive the tablet outside of Huawei's home country of China.
More on the MateBook can be found on Huawei's website.
13/06/2016: Microsoft has opened UK pre-orders for premium versions of its Surface Pro 4 tablet and Surface Book notebook.
The top-end version of the 12.3in Surface Pro 4, which comes with a with Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, is priced at 2,199.
Meanwhile, the 13.5in Surface Book, with the same specs, save for a 6th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, retails for 2,649.
Microsoft is also offering a pre-order bonus for the first 250 buyers of these premium models: Surface Pro customers will have a Maroo Leather Sleeve, worth 44.95, bundled with their tablet. And those who pre-order the 1TB Surface Book will get a 45 store voucher instead.
Both devices will be released in the UK on 30 June, and can be pre-ordered from the Microsoft Store.
These devices went on sale in the US and Canada in January this year, and have been followed by device membership service from Microsoft. That service is yet come to the UK.
17/02/2016:Microsoft releases updates to fix persistent bugs
Microsoft has released an update to fix several persistent problems with its Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book devices.
Poor battery life, flickering displays, and a problem waking up from hibernation have plagued the company's first-party devices since their US launch in October 2015.
Microsoft has now released several firmware and driver updates for the two Surface models, which it hopes will fix these issues.
The change log for the updates lists "system stability" and "power state transition changes" as some of the main focuses of the new patches.
"Feedback from our customers is really important to the team and to me personally," Microsoft devices chief Panos Panay said in a blog post announcing the changes.
"I read the blogs, I read the comments, I read social media, I read the forums...and so does the team. We love the energy. We're listening and channeling that feedback directly into our products."
"We are committed to continuing to improve Surface to keep pushing out updates to make your device more awesome," he added.
"With that in mind, one of the most important steps you can take is to ensure your Surface is up-to-date with the fixes we post on Windows Update."
20/01/2016:Microsoft is recalling many Surface Pro power cords due to overheating concerns on some older tablets.
"As a result of damage caused by AC power cords being wound too tightly, twisted or punched over an extended period of time, a very small proportion of Surface Pro customers have reported issues with their AC power cord," a Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet.
"We will be releasing details of how customers can obtain a free replacement cable shortly."
The recall applies to Surface Pro, Pro 2 and Pro 3 models sold before July last year.
According to Channelnomics Europe, the recall will apply to cords "sharply or repeatedly bent or wrapped".
15/12/2015:Microsoft has apologised to customers experiencing issues with the company's Surface Pro and Surface Book devices.
Users reported problems including a flickering screen and poor battery life on a Microsoft forum, with one customer, Jarem, writing in October: "Just got my unit, [Surface Book] i7 512GB. Applied all the updates (including the recent firmware).My screen keeps flickering on/off, whether or not the screen is docked. I've tried resetting but the issue still persists. Italso seemsindependent of running apps or focused windows. Adjusting the brightness doesn't resolve the issue."
Yesterday users confirmed the problem was still occurring, with SMSov writing on 10 December: "I have all firmware updates to the current date and am having a similar problem.
"If I'm browsing on a website with video ads and an ad begins to play, my entire screen will go black and flicker in and out as I scroll. If I scroll past the ad, no problem."
Microsoft's Surface Team posted a note yesterday to apologise.
It read: "For those of you who've had a less-than-perfect experience, we're sorry for any frustration this has caused. Please know that we're reading your comments and hearing you loud and clear. Your input is incredibly valuable in helping us address your questions with timely updates and fixes.
"Since launch, we have aggressively pursued the most pressing feedback. We have already issued a number of updates via Windows Update and are working to issue additional updates and fixes as soon as possible to further improve the overall Surface experience."
It directed users to its support pagewith instructions on how to download and install the latest Surface and Windows updates.
11/11/2015:The UK release date for Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 is almost upon us - the hybrid will be available in both online and physical stores tomorrow.
The new device will be competing mainly with Apple's iPad Pro, which was released today. Both feature large, high-quality displays with stylus accessories and keyboard covers, and are aimed largely at the professional community.
The release comes after Apple chief Tim Cook dismissed traditional desktops and notebooks, saying "why would you buy a PC anymore?".
It also precedes the launch of the company's Surface Book, which is positioned as something of a halfway-house between the Surface Pro 4 and standard notebooks, with a full clamshell casing and detachable touchscreen.
The Surface Book is already out in America, but won't arrive in the UK until April.
03/11/2015: Microsoft has issued a firmware update for the Surface Pro 4 to fix the screen flickering issue reported by a number of users that had rendered the device functionally unusable for some.
As well as the HD Graphics 520 driver to fix the flicker, the audio driver, embed controller and pen settings driver were all also updated for compatibility with the upgraded graphics driver, system stability and"support for future functionality on Windows 10" respectively.
The guys atNeowin have updated their Surface Book and "have yet to experience the same flickering issues that were present before the update". Let us know if it has worked (or not) for you in the comments.
29/10/2015: The Surface Pro 4 continues to be plagued by user reports of bugs, despite having received driver and firmware updates.
InfoWorldhas scoured the Microsoft Answers Forum and found complaints of screens flickering on-and-off, as well as web pages taking on a strange reddish-pink colour while scrolling.
InfoWorld reports that Microsoft is aware of the screen flickering issue and is working on a fix. In the meantime, disabling Hyper-V seems to resolve it, but there's currently no solution to the pink screen issue.
21/10/2015: The Surface Pro 4 been selling like hot cakes, trumpeted Microsoft on its Windows blog. According to Cyril Belikoff, senior director of Microsoft Surface, the tablet has had the fastest ever adoption rate by any Surface device.
Among the firms that have committed to adopting Surface Pro 4 areBNY Mellon, AstraZeneca, The Carlyle Group and USI Insurance Services. Educational institutesBrighton College International, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Central Lancashire have also pledged to buy a stack of tablets.
"Of course these customers have different requirements and are choosing Surface Pro 4 for many different reasons," said Belikoff. "But for all of our business customers, the value of Surface Pro comes down to cost savings when removing the need for both a laptop and an iPad, ability to run full Office and desktop apps and the strongest security and management with Windows 10."
06/10/2015:Microsoft officially unveiled the Surface Pro 4 at its 6 October launch event in New York, confirming the new hybrid device's release date as 26 October (pre-orders from 7 October).
The 12.3-inch tablet is much thinner than its predecessor at 8.4mm, with the 267-ppi display using PixelGlass technology and supporting 1024 levels of pressure.
The top-end version also sports a fairly impressive 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, with a 6th generation Core i7 Intel processor.
At the event, Microsoft announced that the Surface Pro 4 is actually 30 per cent faster than the Surface Pro 3, and 50 per cent faster than its direct competitor - the MacBook Air.
There's a new Surface Pen, too, which has been redesigned with an eraser and magnetic storage. It also has all-year battery life.
With the pen comes a revamped Type Cover, which will be thinner and lighter as expected, with a larger precision glass trackpad and integrated backlit keyboard.
The Type Cover also comes with fingerprint authentification for Windows Hello.
04/09/2015:According to this report from Digitimes, Microsoft is planning to release the Surface Pro 4 in two screen sizes; a 12-inch and one that is 13- to 14-inches in display size. This would put the hybrid tablet in a better position to compete against the rumoured iPad Pro.
According to a tweet from WinRumors website founder Tom Warren, the Surface Pro 4 will be unveiled on 4 October. In other tweets, Warren said the new device would be thinner and lighter than its predecessor, the Surface Pro 3.
Surface Pro 4 release date & price
The Surface Pro 4 is available to buy right now from Microsoft's store, as well as other third-party resellers like Amazon.
Much like with other Surface devices, Microsoft is operating a tiered pricing structure for the Surface Pro 4. The cheapest model comes with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, and retails for 624 exc. VAT.
However, this (relatively) cheaper price comes with some compromises, as it's the only version not to feature a full-fat CPU. All other models are fitted with either Core-i5 or Core-i7 Skylake processors, while the basic version only has a Core-m3.
At the upper end of the scale, prices jump considerably -- the most expensive model is 1,499 exc. VAT. This gets you a Core-i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB hard drive, although you can shave off almost 300 by opting for 256GB instead.
Surface Pro 4 specs & features
The Surface Pro is Microsoft's flagship product, and the company has spared no expense in making sure the hardware goes like the absolute clappers.
As touched on above, it's fitted with the latest generation of Intel processors, available in Core-m3, Core-i5 and Core-i7 flavours.
The Core-i5 models come with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM and a maximum of 256GB of storage, while the Core-i7 version can be fitted with either 8GB or 16GB of memory, and go up to 512GB in disk size.
It's a touch thinner than its predecessor, and comes in at 8.4mm. It's heavier than most tablets, however, weighing 800g.
The screen is something that Microsoft is especially proud of, and considering the Surface Pro 4 is principally going up against the Apple iPad Pro, it needs to be pretty special.
Luckily, it is. The 12.3in display has a 2,736 x 1,824 resolution with 267ppi, with excellent brightness and contrast. It's got good integration with the Surface Pen too, and features 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity.
The Surface Pen itself has received some upgrades, and now attaches directly to the side of the Surface Pro 4 courtesy of a magnetic strip.
The two hardware buttons have been replaced with one single button, and the OneNote button on the end now functions as an actual eraser for your virtual drawings.
The Type Cover keyboard has been spruced up, and the fully-adjustable kickstand also makes a return from the Surface Pro 3.
In terms of ports, it's equipped with a full-size USB 3.0 slot, a Mini DisplayPort and a MicroSD card reader.
Surface Pro 4 software
As a flagship device, the Surface Pro 4 is naturally sporting the latest version of Windows 10, and Microsoft has made sure that it works as smoothly as possible.
With a host of software tweaks and features designed to improve productivity, the Surface Pro 4 is arguably the best way to experience Windows 10.
This article was last updated 18/02/2016 to reflect new information.
