Microsoft has brought a big upgrade to its Surface Pro lineup with faster performance, thinner, and lighter than ever before. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 now also run cooler, quieter, and more power efficient. Combined with the full version of the Windows 10 Pro, it’s a great and powerful device for your work, study, content creation, and entertainment.
It’s better to know more about this device before you make a purchase decision, and here are our comprehensive Microsoft Surface Pro 4 frequently asked questions that should clear up all your queries. We will try to cover all Surface Pro 4 question segments including display, battery, performance, software, and design.
Table of contents
Surface Pro 4 Design, Configuration & Purchasing Q&As
There are three configurations of Surface Pro 4:
- Intel Core m3$899 - 4GB/128GB
- Intel Core i5$999 - 4GB/128GB $1299 - 8GB/256GB
- Intel Core i7$1599 - 8GB/256GB $1799 - 16GB/256GB $2199 - 16GB/512GB
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has dimensions of 11.50” x 7.93” x 0.33” (292.10 mm x 201.42 mm x 8.45 mm).
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is weight at:
- Intel Core m3 1.69 lbs (766 g)
- Intel Core i5 1.73 lbs (786 g)
- Intel Core i7 1.73 lbs (786 g)
Here are all available ports on the Surface Pro 4:
- 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
- 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack
- 1 x Surface Connect (Compatible with Surface Dock)
- 1 x MicroSDXC card reader (up to 1TB)
- 1 x Surface Pro Type Cover port.
Yes, there are two cameras on Surface Pro 4:
- 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video.
- 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD video.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has two processor configurations:
- 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y30
- Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 515.
- Base Frequency: 0.90 GHz
- Max Turbo Frequency: 2.20 GHz
- Cache: 4 MB
- 2 cores, 4 threads
- 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U
- Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 520.
- Base Frequency: 2.40 GHz
- Max Turbo Frequency: 3.00 GHz
- Cache: 3 MB
- 2 cores, 4 threads
- 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6650U
- Graphics: Intel® Iris™ Graphics 540.
- Base Frequency: 2.20 GHz
- Max Turbo Frequency: 3.40 GHz
- Cache: 4 MB
- 2 cores, 4 threads
Yes, Surface Pro 4 does come with a Surface Pen out of the box. It supports 1,024 levels of pressure and replaceable pen tips.
No, you will need to purchase the keyboard (Surface Pro Type Cover) separately. It costs about $100 for the black type cover and $130 for burgundy, platinum, and cobalt blue.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 was:
- Announced and preordered on October 7, 2015
- Available on October 26, 2015.
No, you can’t upgrade your Surface Pro 4 RAM as it was soldered directly onto the motherboard.
Surface Pro 4 Display & Screen Q&As
Surface Pro 4 has a 12.3-inch PixelSense™ Display.
For more information, check our Compare all Surface displays.
Surface Pro 4 has a resolution of 2736 x 1824 and a pixel density of 267ppi (pixels per Inch).
For more information, check our all Surface’s display comparison.
Even Microsoft Surface Pro 4’s screen is covered by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 4, it still prone to scratches. You’d better pick one up for your Surface Pro 4 to protect it from scratches.
Yes it does, it much or less noticeable depending on what type and thickness of screen protector you put on it. For the best option, you should look for a slim tempered glass screen protector, as it’s smooth to the touch and reduce responsiveness issue. For more information, check out our Surface Pro screen protector buyer’s guide here.
Micorosft Surface Pro 4 has a default display scaling of 200%.
Surface Pro 4 Battery & Power Q&As
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 last 9-hours of battery life for local video playback tested by Microsoft.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has a battery capacity of 38.2 Wh (5,087 mAh, 7.5V). For more information check Microsoft Surface battery comparison here.
You can charge your Surface Pro 4 by using the OEM charger came with your Surface Pro 4 – Plug the charger to the power source and plug the Surface Connect connector to the charging port on the right side of Surface Pro 4. It’s a magnet and reversible connector and it’s an official and recommended charging method by Microsoft.
Surface Pro 4 Performance Q&As
Absolutely yes. Microsoft Surface Pro 4 equipped with the latest 6th Gen Intel® Core™ processors combined with Intel® HD Graphics, is powerful enough to handle most tasks available on Photoshop.
For writing code, Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is more than powerful enough to handle most code editor such as VS Code, Atom, or Notepad++. Combined with its great tactile keys, it’s a perfect mobile development machine you want to have. It’s also capable of compiling complex codes on Visual Studio or Android Studio as well.
Yes, Microsoft Surface Pro 4 uses the 6th Gen Intel® Core™ processors which supports 64-bit instruction and it does come with a 64-bit version of Windows 10.
Yes, drawing is really smooth on most apps such as Adobe Photoshop, Windows Ink, Sketchable, Bamboo Ink, OneNote, and more. It supports the latest Surface Pen with 1,024 levels of pressure.
Yes, it is. With Surface Pro 4, you can take advantages of all kind of note taking including typing, drawing, and touch. On top of that, you can also record the lecture and take a picture with an 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera. You will never get stuck on taking note of all kind of information you want.
Yes, Surface Pro 4 comes with a Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial. Office apps will run smoothly on Microsoft Surface Pro 4.
Surface Pro 4 Software & Compatibility Q&As
Yes, it does. Surface Pro 4 shipped with a full version of Windows 10 Pro.
Yes, you can. You can download safe and Microsoft verified apps and games from Microsoft Store. Since it’s a full version of Windows 10, you can also download and install any apps from any source you’d like to.
To reset your Surface Pro 4, plug in your Surface Pro 4 so you don’t run out of power during the refresh.
- Open Settings > Update & Security.
- Select Recovery.
- Under “Reset this PC“, select Get started.
- Choose either Keep my files or Remove everything.
- If you choose to Remove everything, you can choose to clean only the drive where Windows is installed and all drives.
- Next, you will have the option to just remove my files and remove files and clean the drive. The option to clean the drive is more secure but takes much longer. For example, if you are recycling your Surface, you should clean the drive. If you are keeping your Surface, you just need to remove your files.
- Select Reset.
Surface Pro 4 will restart and the Surface logo appears during the reset process (this can take several minutes).
No, the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 comes with a free Office 365 30-days trial, so you need to purchase a subscription to continue using the full Office suite when the trial period ended.
Surface Pro 4 Comparison Q&As
Here are some major differences between Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pro 5:
- Released Date Surface Pro 5 released in 2017 while Surface Pro 4 released in 2015.
- Peformance Surface Pro 5 uses the latest 7-Gen Intel processors while Surface Pro 4 uses dual-core 6-Gen Intel processors.
- Battery Life Surface Pro 5 has 13.5 hours of battery life while Surface Pro 4 lasts 9 hours of battery life with the same video playback.
- Design Surface Pro 5 has a new air vein design and a more rounded edge compared to Surface Pro 4.
- Kickstand Surface Pro 5 has a 165-degree kickstand while Surface Pro 4 has a 150-degree kickstand.
- Weight Surface Pro 5 weight at between 768g to 784g while Surface Pro 4 weight at between 766g to 786g.
For more information check:
Here are some major differences between Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pro 6:
- Released Date Surface Pro 6 released in 2018 while Surface Pro 4 released in 2015.
- Peformance Surface Pro 6 uses quad-core 8-Gen Intel processors while Surface Pro 4 uses dual-core 6-Gen Intel processors.
- Battery Life Surface Pro 6 has 13.5 hours of battery life while Surface Pro 4 lasts 9 hours of battery life with the same video playback.
- Windows 10 Edition Surface Pro 6 comes with Windows 10 Home while Surface Pro 4 comes with Windows 10 Pro.
- Design Surface Pro 6 has a new air vein design and a more rounded edge compared to Surface Pro 4.
- Kickstand Surface Pro 6 has a 165-degree kickstand while Surface Pro 4 has a 150-degree kickstand.
- Weight Surface Pro 6 weight at between 770g to 784g while Surface Pro 4 weight at between 766g to 786g.
Surface Pro 4 Miscellaneous Q&As
It’s a 2-in-1 tablet or laptop. It can function as a tablet and also a laptop when connected to a Surface Pro Type Cover.
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