It's like trying to pick a suspect out of a police lineup of identical twins. Take 2015's Surface Pro 4 and the long-awaited new version just called Surface Pro, and stick them side by side on a table. Now, go and grab the new one. Like me, you might pick up one Surface, spin it around in your hands a few times, open its kickstand, tap or swipe on its screen a bit -- all before you realize you're holding the older model.

Microsoft's flagship Surface Pro gets an extremely conservative update, but better battery life keeps it the gold standard of Windows hybrid PCs -- for now.

The Surface Pro gets better performance and battery life from its CPU update, and most models are now fanless; The excellent kickstand is even more flexible.

Minimal redesign leaves out USB-C and Thunderbolt options; The Surface Pen stylus is no longer included by default, and new keyboard covers are more expensive than ever; Still not great for lap use.

Now with outstanding battery life, the Surface Pro 6 remains the 2-in-1 to beat.

Bright; beautiful; 3:2 display; Black color looks and feels great; World-class build quality; Improved multitasking performance; Excellent battery life

Didn't update to Whiskey Lake processor; Outdated ports; Windows 10 tablet mode still needs work

The Surface Pro has proven to be a tough act to follow. Microsoft has been the two-in-one standard bearer for the past several years, as successive generations of Surface Pro became the default idea of what a Windows tablet/laptop hybrid should be.

The Surface Pro 6's jump to new quad-core processors pays off in big performance gains; The new black color option looks cool; Still the best kickstand and keyboard for Windows tablets

Be ready to shell out extra for the keyboard cover, stylus and even for the new matte black design; CPU and color aside, it's a very minimal upgrade over the previous version

Microsoft's Surface Pro 6 is the latest iteration of its iconic Windows tablet, complete with an 8th-generation, quad-core chip inside of it.

Quad-core 8th-gen Core chip adds a performance bump; Core i5 model does away with the fan; Battery life improves somewhat

External chassis is essentially unchanged...again; Step down in GPU power from previous model; Confusing mix of configurations to choose from on...

The Surface Pro is entering its sixth year in existence, so it seems relevant for a "Surface Pro 6 model" to match. While the older numbering system for the name has returned, the hardware remains mostly the same as 2017's Surface Pro, now dubbed the Surface Pro "fifth gen" by Microsoft.

New CPU is substantially more powerful, Improved battery life; runs cooler, Black is awesome, Excellent build quality and design

No Type-C or Thunderbolt 3; No LTE option (yet); Odd pricing levels

The Surface Pro 6 isn't for everyone. It's for people who will truly benefit from having a detachable 2-in-1 that's light enough to carry anywhere and flexible enough to use as a tablet or laptop.

At the launch event in NYC on October 2nd, the Surface Pro 6 seemed like a mild refresh of an already established line, and that's not even necessarily a bad thing. The exterior is more or less identical to the outgoing 2017 model, albeit with a new color option to sit beside the platinum that we've...

Our review of Microsoft's Surface Pro 6 focuses even more than usual on the differences between this new generation and its predecessor, the Surface Pro (2017), because they seem nearly identical-at least on the, er, surface.

If you need a versatile, creative machine with power and stamina, the Surface Pro 6 could be just what you’re looking for. It isn’t for everybody, though, and you might want to wait for the much-rumoured Apple iPad Pro before you make your decision.

Slick black finish; Performance boost; Pen is still brilliant;

Can be expensive; Type Cover not lap-friendly; Missing some ports;

The Surface Pro has proven to be a tough act to follow. Microsoft has been the two-in-one standard bearer for the past several years, as successive generations of Surface Pro became the default idea of what a Windows tablet/laptop hybrid should be. But it's also been a hard idea to move away from, and the changes in the last few versions of the Surface Pro have been almost imperceptible, in both design and performance.

The latest Surface Pro tablet doesn't make any radical design changes, but the performance jump makes it viable as a mainstream performance laptop replacement.

The Surface Pro 6's jump to new quad-core processors pays off in big performance gains. The new black color option looks cool. Still the best kickstand and keyboard for Windows tablets.

Be ready to shell out extra for the keyboard cover, stylus and even for the new matte black design. CPU and color aside, it's a very minimal upgrade over the previous version.