Microsoft announces the new Surface Pro

At their event in Shanghai, Microsoft unveiled the new Surface Pro, a new Surface Pen, Surface Pro Signature Type Cover and more.

The new Surface Pro

The new Surface Pro is not completely redesign and still look but Microsoft has managed to make it even thinner, weighing in at 1.7lbs and 8.5mm thin. You’ll still get the same versatile form factor as past models. The Surface Pro’s kickstand can go down even further in a sort-of studio mode.

It also come with support for the new Surface Pen, which supports 4096 level of sensitivity, as well as support for the Surface Dial. The new Surface Pro can get up to 13.5 hours of battery life, which Microsoft says is 50% more than the outgoing Surface Pro 4 and 35% more than the iPad Pro.

Inside, you’ll find the latest 7th Gen Intel Core processors, which “can handle almost anything you throw at it.” This is also the first device with the first Intel i5 with a fan-less architecture. The Intel Core m3 version of the new Surface Pro is also has no fan.

The screen is a 12.3-inch PixelSense Display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 267ppi. Microsoft says it has 50% more pixels than the 12-inch Macbook. You can also go from SRGB to enhanced colours in a matter of seconds on the new Surface Pro.

Microsoft has added LTE Advanced in the new Surface Pro, and device with it, will be shipping later this year.

As for ports on the new Surface Pro, it has a full-size USB 3.0 (Type-A) port, microSD card readers, Surface Connect, headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort and a Cover port.

The rear-facing camera is 8-megapixels and has support for 1080p video, the front-facing camera is 5-megapixels and has support for Windows Hello. There is also stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium.

The Surface Dock for the new Surface Pro has support for up to two 4K monitors and four additional monitors.

The new Surface Pro starts at $1,049 CAD ($799 USD), that will get you a Intel Core m3, 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. The device can be configured with a Intel Core i7, 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM.

The new Surface Pro is available for pre-order today, and will ship on June 15th in Canada, US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK.

The new Surface Pen & Office

Microsoft says, “the new Surface Pen is only as good as the software behind it,” that’s why they’ve worked with the Office team to create new inking features to help take full advantage of the new technology in the new Surface Pro and Surface Pen.

Microsoft has announced a new app called Microsoft Whiteboard, it allows for simultaneous collaboration and live multi-device inking across all Surface devices. This is just one of the new integrations between Surface and Office going forward.

The new Surface Pen will available in the coming weeks, in four colour options, Platinum, Black, Burgundy, Cobalt Blue. Canadian pricing was not announced.

The new Surface Pro Signature Type Covers

Microsoft says with their new Signature Type Covers, “you get the best Surface Pro keyboard ever.” The Type Cover uses high-quality scissor mechanism to provide a consistent and stable type experience. There is a 1.3 mm key travel to make it much more accurate and faster to type.

The new Signature Type Cover is made from Alcantara material, which Microsoft says “enhances the natural allure and warmth of Surface Pro.” And the the soft touch feel of the keyboard will help you immerse yourself in your work and the Alcantara material has a polyurethane coating to protect against spills.

The new Signature Type Cover is available in four colours, Black, Platinum, Burgundy and Cobalt Blue and is available for pre-order today for $199 CAD. But the Black colour option isn’t available in Canada

Microsoft’s expansion into the Chinese market

In addition to the announcement of the new Surface Pro, Microsoft announced that the Xbox Scorpio (final name to be revealed at E3) will be coming to China later this year. The Forza Racing Championship is coming to ChinaJoy in July.

The Microsoft HoloLens is now available in China and is shipping to customers. A version of Windows 10 that is specifically for the Chinese government and state-owned entities is coming.