The latest version of Microsoft’s small-screen 2-in-1 notebook line-up is available in India from 22 February. It will be called the New Surface Pro and one can buy it online at Amazon.in and Flipkart.com or from offline stores such as Croma, Reliance Digital and Vijay Sales.
The Core m3 variant of the New Surface Pro with 128 GB SSD, 4GB RAM and Intel HD Graphics 615 is priced at Rs64,999. The more powerful Intel Core i5 variant with 128GB SSD and Intel HD Graphics 620 will cost Rs79,999. The high-end variant, which runs on an even more powerful Core i7 chipset with 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM and Intel Graphics 640, will cost Rs1,33,999.
For the Surface Pro Type Cover, buyers will have to pay Rs10,999 extra and Rs7,999 extra for the Surface Pen.
The new Surface Pro was first showcased in 2017 in the US and it is successor to the Surface Pro 4 line-up, which is currently retailing at Rs49,999 in India. New Surface Pro looks almost similar to the predecessor and has a similar design—the back and the spine are encased in aluminium, while the Surface Pro Type Cover, which includes the keyboard, is made of soft alacantra material. The New Surface Pro is 292mm wide and 201mm tall and weighs 767g without the keyboard, just like the predecessor.
Microsoft has made subtle changes in the design and on the inside to make it more user-friendly. The kickstand opens up to 165 degrees allowing users to tilt it back a bit more, and has used a fanless design in the m3 and Core i5 variants, so they will make less noise.
The new Surface Book comes with a 12.3-inch display with a resolution of 2 736x1,824p, seen on the predecessor.
The new Surface Book comes with a 12.3-inch display with a resolution of 2 736x1,824p, seen on the predecessor.
What makes the new Surface Pro better is the more powerful innards. It runs on Intel’s 7th gen Kaby Lake chipset, which came after the 6th gen Sky Lake chipsets used in the Surface Pro 4.
The New Surface Pro is a productivity-oriented device for professionals looking for a compact and small-screen notebook that can be used as a tablet when required. It faces competition from the Apple iPad Pro, which offers s slightly bigger 12.9-inch (2732x2048 ) Retina display and supports Smart keyboard and Apple Pencil.
However, it runs iOS 11, which is a mobile OS. The New Surface Pro runs a full-fledged Windows 10 OS which supports desktop apps.
The WiFi variant of Apple iPad Pro starts at Rs63,500, while the cellular variant begins at Rs74,100. It is slightly bigger at 305 mmx220mm, but weighs (677g) much less. Apple also sells the keyboard and stylus separately, which will set back users by another Rs20,000.
The Surface Pro Type cover also offers a touchpad and space for palm rest, unlike the Smart keyboard in iPad Pro which only includes the keyboard.
Microsoft is also planning to bring the Surface Book 2 line-up in India. It has a similar 2-in-1 design, but runs on more powerful Intel’s 8th gen chispets, has a slightly bigger 13.5-inch screen and offers discreet graphics from Nvidia’s GeForce 10 series. It is expected in March 2018.
