Microsoft Surface gets battery boost, better viewing angles

WITH its latest upgrades to its laptop-tablet hybrid, Microsoft is hoping the Surface Pro can kill off Apple’s iPad.

MICROSOFT is refreshing its Surface Pro tablet with longer battery life and faster processors.

The new, fifth-generation device — simply called Surface Pro — won’t look or feel drastically different from its predecessor. But Microsoft is hoping its under-the-hood improvements will help it compete with newer laptop-tablet hybrids from Samsung and others. Not to mention Apple’s iPad Pro.

Microsoft made the announcement Tuesday in Shanghai, in its first Surface launch outside New York. It’s a reflection of the company’s expectations of growth among a population that prizes premium gadgets from American brands.

Microsoft pioneered laptop-tablet hybrids, also known as 2-in-1s, with the original Surface in 2012.

A keyboard cover turns the tablet into a laptop. But innovation has slowed down since 2014, when the Surface Pro 3 got a fully adjustable kickstand to give the screen a broader range of viewing angles, similar to real laptops.

Upgraded, versatile, and exceptionally powerful, with iconic Surface design. Meet the new Microsoft #SurfacePro. #MicrosoftEvent pic.twitter.com/o1RQjzlySE

— Microsoft Surface (@surface) May 23, 2017

Before, the kickstand was limited to just two angles. Meanwhile, other companies have made their own 2-in-1 devices running Microsoft’s Windows 10.

That success contributed to a 26 per cent revenue decline in the Surface business in the most recent quarter. And competition is growing; Samsung released new Galaxy Book models this week, while Huawei announced one Tuesday in Berlin.

Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research, expects the new Surface will help revive sales.

“The external design isn’t dramatically different, but there are lots of changes inside,” Dawson said.

Microsoft's launch in China signals its intention push into the region.

Microsoft promises about 13.5 hours of battery life, or about 50 per cent more than the nine hours on the previous device, the Surface Pro 4. The processors inside will be faster, and lower-end models will ditch the fan.

The Surface’s stylus will now mimic pencil shading when tilted, much like the Apple Pencil for iPad Pro tablets. Along with this, Microsoft plans upgrades to its popular Office software with new pencil-like features.

Microsoft will sell the stylus separately for about $100.

The new Surface Pro will go on sale in Australia on June 15th and will start at $1119 for the fanless Core m3 version.

The Core i5 models start at $1499 and the top-spec Core i7s start at $2499.