We explain what's new in the 2017 Surface Pro and how it compares to the Surface Pro 4

Microsoft met some resistance with its first Surface tablet, but that isn’t stopping the company from making a second attempt, this time with a full copy of Windows 8. Where the Surface RT left would-be tableteers confused with its partial app support, the Surface Pro is Windows on far more familiar...

The Microsoft Surface Pro isn't just novel, though that certainly is part of its appeal along with the sexy design and high quality look and feel. It's a landmark marriage of computing power and portability.

Classy and good looking, great build and materials, fast, clean Windows 8 Pro install, comes with digital pen, 1080p display, wildly portable for a Core i5 machine.

A little heavy for a tablet, a bit small for a laptop; but a valiant attempt at marrying the two. Battery life passable but not laudable.

There’s no word on the pricing of the Surface Pro, but you can be sure that it will be expensive – the Windows RT powered Surface is the budget, consumer model, while the Surface Pro will be aimed at professionals and business users.

A tough question. It's neither a straightforward tablet, nor a tablet/laptop hybrid. It's more ambitious. The Surface Pro is nothing less than an attempt to create the perfect PC for the ‘Post PC' era. It's a tablet you can use at home on the sofa.

Outstanding screen; Innovative design; Windows 8 at its best; Comes with Wacom digitser pen

Heat and noise; No digitiser pen storage; Woeful battery life; Shallow app store

The Surface Pro is very similar to the Surface RT because it is made with the same design and the same surface (called VaporMG), but you just have to study it carefully to become aware of some differences: it is thicker than 4 mm (13.5 mm in total), weighs 227 g in most of his younger brothers (with...

Screen very nice, original design, Windows 8 and 64bit Intel Core i5 enclosed in the form of a tablet, Wacom pen.

Overweight use as a tablet, Battery life is insufficient, Noise and heat sometimes annoying, The absence of a suitable accommodation for the pen.

The Surface Pro is an interesting hybrid of a tablet and laptop. Unlike its little sibling (Surface RT), which is considered more of a tablet, the Surface Pro has more affinity to the ultrabook.

* Great, solid build and design, * Powerful hardware, * Large storage, * Full-sized USB 3.0 port, * Full HD resolution

Summary: The Core i5-based Surface Pro combines ultrabook components with a (chunky) 10.6in. tablet form factor to deliver decent performance and excellent build quality. However, a few design issues, missing features and, above all, disappointing battery life suggest you'd be wise to wait and see...

Solid, elegant hardware design, Runs Windows 8 Pro and legacy software, Ultrabook-level performance, Supports pressure-sensitive pen input

Disappointing battery life, Kickstand isn't adjustable, No desktop or keyboard dock available, Desktop scaling issues when used with a large external monitor, Lacks GPS and NFC, No mobile broadband option, Stylus needs a storage location within the chassis

The Surface PRO on a fundamental hardware level is fairly sound. It meets the needs of your average user, but may not appeal to people who need a high-performance machine. If you do casual website editing, blogging, small bursts of gaming, or browsing the internet, you should be OK.

HD Display, Stylus, Windows Legacy Support, Audio and Video Codex, CONS