Rumored specifications for Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 tablet
are emerging ahead of the developer-centric BUILD 2015
conference this week, suggesting a powerful fanless tablet
based on Intel's Broadwell processor.
Chinese publication 36KR reports that even though the
design may be fanless, meaning the Surface Pro 4 would be
whisper-quiet even under heavy loads, the tablet will still
come with small holes for heat radiation and dissipation.
The holes are said to not be as visible as those on the
Surface Pro 3, which uses last year's Intel Haswell
processor.
This also means that the Surface Pro 4 would be thinner
than the Surface Pro 3 if these speculations are accurate,
but the site says that the tablet won't be lighter. The device,
like the Surface Pro 3, will use a 12-inch display with the
same 2,160 x 1,440-pixel resolution.
Design continuity
Microsoft is said to be keeping the design and the battery on
the Surface Pro 4 largely the same as on the Surface Pro 3.
This isn't a bad thing for those who have already bought into
the Surface ecosystem. It allows existing Surface Pro 3
desktop docks, Type Cover keyboard cases, and chargers to
be reused on the Surface Pro 4.
The screen resolution, size and aspect ratio made the
Surface Pro 3 a winner, and in Microsoft's most recent
earnings call, the company said that Surface sales
increased 44% year-over-year. Keeping the same screen
makes sense as the Surface Pro 3 feels roomier than the
10.6-inch display on the prior generation Surface Pro 2. The
aspect ratio also feels more natural when the Surface Pro 3
is used as a tablet.
Intel processor
What's still up in the air is the choice of Intel processor
given the description of a fanless tablet. Currently, the only
Intel CPUs on the market that can accommodate a fanless
design is the more power-efficient Atom series processors -
which Microsoft is using on the entry level Surface 3 - and
the Core M series on the Apple MacBook and Dell Venue 11
Pro 7000 series.
It's unclear if Microsoft will be able to relieve the heat
generated by the more powerful Intel Broadwell processor,
especially at the higher specification Core i7 level, to achieve
a fanless design.
Battery life
All else being equal, the biggest upgrade to users looking to
migrate from a Surface Pro 3 to a Surface Pro 4 would be
battery life.
Intel claims that Broadwell draws up to 30% less power than
last year's Haswell chips, and that users could expect to
see about 1.5 hours additional runtime on a charge.
Coupled with a fanless design, or one with a smaller fan that
draws less power, the Surface Pro 4 could keep users
productive even longer. Battery life on the Surface Pro 3 is
rated at nine hours.
With Windows, this means that the Surface Pro 4 could
achieve a battery life that's competitive with Apple's iPad,
but with more power, access to legacy Win32 programs and
enterprise-grade software in a convertible Ultrabook form
factor with the optional Type Cover.
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