can the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 be the tablet that finally replaces your laptop?

Tablet computers are just easier...or at least they look it. Big screens, no keyboard in the way, usually a better price than a laptop, and yeah, they're slick. Then someone asks you to do a little more than an app from the app store can do. That slick tablet goes gently on the couch and you grab your laptop. Alone, tablets are never enough, especially if you've been using a laptop.

That doesn't mean tablets are useless, far from it. They're perfect for things like streaming a full season of Jessica Jones from the couch after a particularly long week. Or when you want to watch someone else edit that document in the office. Or those times when just need an internet-connected screen that won't crap out after a few hours.

Getting a tablet to do all of that is great. Having a tablet that you don't put away in place of a real computer...now that's the future I signed up for.

Hello Surface Pro 4.

The best of both worlds

The biggest problem with tablets? They're based off of phones. The iPad wasn't a big iPhone just because it was bigger. It ran, and still does even for the iPad Pro, the same version of iOS that the smartphone does. Sure, there are differences...but few that make a difference for anyone who wants to use it like a computer. And Android is no different; the phone and tablet versions of Android OS are fraternal twins.

Not the case with Windows. Blame it on Windows phones not taking off or Microsoft's plan to make Windows 10 work on everything, it doesn't matter. The Surface Pro 4 runs a full version of the desktop OS, so you're only limited by battery life.

This slate has an absolutely gorgeous 2736 x 1824 resolution IPS display, one that produces some of the sharpest colors I've ever seen. A screen this dense, at 267 pixels per inch, defaults to 2X just like the MacBook Pro, offering a relative resolution of 1368 x 912, and it looks sharp. Even compared to the latest MacBook or iPad Pro, the Surface Pro 4 has a crazy good screen, the type that's worth using on movie night.

Along with the gorgeous display is a thin, sleek frame that keeps the whole package together. At 1.73lbs the Surface Pro 4 is a bit heavier than an iPad Pro and most Android tablets, and thicker too at 0.33-inches, a tenth of an inch thicker than the iPad Air 2. You won't be reading full books on it, or even long articles. But on the couch, on the table, or even for a bit of late-night moviegoing in bed, the Pro 4 fits the bill.

The best part is, it doesn't matter which Pro 4 you get. Of the five available models, each with different CPUs and capacities, the size, weight, and battery life stay the same. Go from a low-end chip like the one in the MacBook and other crazy-small ultraportable laptops to a powerful Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and up to a terabyte of storage. The sky's the limit, and nothing stops you from getting the tablet you want. Something which no other tablet offers: true hardware customization. So a higher-end version of the Pro 4 can last you as long as a laptop does, several years at least.

Still a tablet, and that'€™s...kind of okay

The way the Surface is, it fits in a ton of scenarios, from binge-streaming to full-day productivity. That kind of flexibility comes at a price. Firstly is the price: starting at $899, this is clearly the worst deal of any tablet outside of the iPad Pro, but as a laptop too it's a decent start. Our review unit is the Intel i5 version with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, the second-lowest model, and it goes for $999. That includes the stylus and nothing else; the accessory keyboard cover goes for $130.

It's also the recommended model, though the price should really be based on how much you use it as a tablet versus a laptop. Then again, I've used the Pro 4 for a few weeks as my only work computer and even with the relatively modest components, it's fast. But I wouldn't get the Core m3 model, which is a single-core chip that's good for light computing use, but not much else. Might as well get a much cheaper convertible tablet like the HP Pavilion x2 for a third the price.

The included Surface Pen stylus is nifty, though for different users it'll be hit or miss. Functionally it's excellent, providing sensitive touch controls for everyday use instead of a finger, and it's equally good for drawing and handwriting. Unlike the iPad Pro there's nothing special about the screen or stylus to make handwriting more comfortable than other tablets, so if you didn't like how it felt before (aka drawing on glass, sans friction), you won't like it now.

With its kickstand, the Surface stands upright on any flat surface, but it's not really made for the lap. It just doesn't fit that way. Good luck typing comfortably on a plane or couch without using the touchscreen keyboard.

And all that power...does weigh you down. For a tablet the Surface Pro 4 is heavy, especially as you tack on accessories. Wonderful in the bag, decent carrying around by hand, not so great past the ten minute mark one-handed.

Best features

What sets the Pro 4 apart though? As a tablet, it's got a built-in kickstand, good front-facing speakers, a USB and mini-DP port, and it's magnetic so the stylus sticks to it. No other tablet does all that. The 12.3-inch display is stunning, I could look at it all day, and happily have, and not just because it's sharp. The picture quality is good enough for high-level photo editing, and it's dense enough to capture those critical details.

As a workhorse it's equally impressive. Toss in an external monitor and the Microsoft Surface Dock ($200) and you've got enough ports and power to turn the tablet into a desktop companion. Be warned though, it's about as loud as the original Xbox 360 when it runs hot, meaning I hope you like the sound of a jet engine. Even on our less powerful model, the Pro 4 easily output to two external displays and ran like a champ.

Battery life

And it runs...not as long as most tablets do, but a respectable six and a half hours. Which is plenty of time for handwritten notes, moderate web browsing with a dozen tabs open, a speed run of The Binding of Isaac, catching up on today's news, and some 1080p video streaming. That's what a tablet should do, and the Surface Pro 4 captures the best features of tablets and laptops brilliantly.

The verdict Microsoft has a winner with the Surface Pro 4. It gives new life to the staleness of tablet computing by including a full operating system with powerful hardware, in the same (albeit heftier) form factor and few limitation. It's not perfect; there are some places where the Pro 4 is tablet-only and a traditional laptop would be better, and vice versa. And yet so much is so right, like the incredible display, excellent performance, and the impeccable quality that is above and beyond the competition.Suffice it to say, the Surface Pro 4 is expensive for a tablet but well-priced for a laptop of this caliber. Still no flying cars, but a real tablet computer? The future is finally here.

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