Microsoft announces the Surface Pro with a nifty new design and big battery boost

Over at a press event in Shanghai, Microsoft has revealed the next model in its Surface range of hybrids, and as expected, the follow-up to the Surface Pro 4 has dropped the number and is simply called the Surface Pro.

Also as expected, the power of the convertible has been boosted with an upgrade to Kaby Lake processors, which are fanless – meaning this is a quieter-running and more power-efficient device. Plus there’s optional support for 4G LTE coming later this year.

And the new Surface Pro has witnessed some improvements to the overall design, including rounded edges, and less bulk – this is the lightest model of the hybrid yet at 770g (and 8.5mm thin) for the Core m3 version.

  • Defiant when it comes to Windows? Learn more about macOS Sierra

But the biggest design move is an improved hinge, meaning the kickstand can go much further back to an almost flat position, called Studio Mode.

As with the Surface Studio, this allows for a more comfortable experience when doing things like sketching on the Surface Pro with the stylus (or using the Surface Dial with the hybrid).

Speaking of the pen, this is also revamped and now boasts 4,096 levels of pressure, tilt sensitivity, and an improved 21ms latency, with Microsoft promising to deliver the ‘best writing experience’ thus far.

Beefy battery

The Surface Pro has a claimed battery life of 13.5 hours, an impressive boost (the Surface Pro 4 offers nine hours of longevity according to Microsoft’s official figures). There are no USB Type-C ports here though, with just a plain Type-A port, mini-DisplayPort and audio jack.

Microsoft further claims that the new machine is 1.7x faster than the iPad Pro (and 2.5x faster than the Surface Pro 3).

As promised, enhanced Type Cover keyboards of the Alcantara (fabric) variety were also revealed alongside the refreshed hybrid.

As for the asking price of the new Surface Pro, the entry-level model starts at $799 in the US and £799 in the UK (that’s around AU$1,380). It goes on sale on June 15.

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Latest in Laptops
Asus Vivobook S laptop on yellow background with price cut text overlay
I've looked through hundreds of laptop deals in the Spring sales - this $599 Asus Vivobook has them all beat
The Surface Laptop 7 on a cyan background with a TechRadar deals badge.
This Windows laptop is 31% off in Amazon's Spring Sale and we scored it 5 stars – so why is Amazon putting a warning label on it?
Image of M4 MacBook Pro
Apple MacBooks are in the spotlight during Amazon's Spring Sale: you can save up to $400 right now
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 on the left side and Dell XPS 13 (2024) on the right side of a TechRadar versus background
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 vs. Dell XPS 13 (2024): Which laptop should you trust to fuel your productivity?
Surface Laptop 7
Amazon warns customers about the Surface Laptop – and it’s not just bad news for Microsoft
Google AI
A powerful new AI tool is coming to Chromebooks to vastly increase productivity
Latest in News
Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices on a table.
Hate Windows 11’s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC
Oura Ring 4
Activity tracking on Oura Ring is about to get a whole lot better, but I've got bad news about your step count
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
Cleaned your Pixel Buds Pro 2 recently? If not, you might be getting worse sound
Google Maps on a phone being held in someone's hand
Google Maps is getting two key upgrades, for easier route planning and quicker access to Gemini AI
URL phishing
HaveIBeenPwned owner suffers phishing attack that stole his Mailchimp mailing list
Gemini on a smartphone.
Gemini 2.5 is now available for Advanced users and it seriously improves Google’s AI reasoning