Microsoft Surface Pro 4, Surface Book Review, Price and Specs; Surface Pro 5 Release Date And Possible Surface Phone

By Mark Rollins
Surface Book
Microsoft's first in-house laptop, the Surface Book. Engadget

Right now, Microsoft really scored a winner for the holiday shopping season with the release of the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book.  For those interested in purchasing one of these 2-in-1 tablet/PCs, here is a review, price, and specs of the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4.   There hasn't really been much heard as far as the Surface Pro 5 is concerned, but there are rumors of a Surface Phone. 

The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has received many praises, receiving above four-star ratings (out of five) from Digital Trends, Tech Radar, PC World, and CNET.  It has a 12.3-inch PixelSense touchscreen display, and the price varies depending on the model. 128 GB with Intel Core m3 and 4GB of RAM costing $899, 256 GB with Intel Core i5 and 8GB RAM costs $1,299, 256 GB with Intel Core i5 and 16 GB of RAM costs $1499, and 256 GB with Intel Core i7 and 8GB of RAM costs $1599. 

There are options for customization as well on the Surface Pro site. The Surface Pro 4 has weight going for it as it is light at 1.73 pounds (786g), and it also has that detachable keyboard and a Surface Pen, with a battery life of about 9 hours. 

As for the Surface Book, it has been receiving three-and-a-half star reviews from Laptop Mag and Digital Trends.  It has a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen display good for 3000 x 2000 resolution.  The price difference is dependent on the model: $1499 for 128 GB/Core Intel i5 with 8 GB, $1699 for 256GB/Core Intel i5 with 8GB, $1899 for 256 GB/Core Intel i5 with 8 GB/dGPU, $2099 for 256 GB/Core Intel i7 with 8 GB/dGPU, and $2699 for 512 GB/Core Intel i7 with 16 GB/dGPU.  It also has the detachable pen and keyboard, but is a bit heavier at 3.48 pounds (1576 g), and more information can be found on the Surface Book site. 

Well, with all that said, and the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book really achieving "must have" gift status for tech-lovers of this holiday season, it is very clear that Microsoft will be planning a follow-up.  So is there any news about the Surface Pro 5?  The answer to that is a "no", as any searches for it show up completely blank. 

It's too soon to start talking about the new version of the Surface with a Surface Pro 5, as it probably will not even be revealed until almost one year from now.  No doubt the Microsoft development team is already working on it, but there are some rumors that something new is coming to the world of Surface, according to Windows Central. 

There is apparently a plan for an all-new flagship phone lead by Panos Panay and the team of engineers that put together the Microsoft Surface and Surface Book with the Surface Phone.  If this is true, then it is possible that there might be a Surface Phone on the market sometime in the Fall of 2016, just in time for that holiday season. 

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