Hardware

The Surface Pro 4 is the same size as the Surface Pro 3, but has a thinner screen bezel which allows for a display of a slightly greater size of 12.3 inches (31 cm). The screen resolution is also greater than the Surface Pro 3's, at 2736×1824 at 267 PPI, with the same aspect ratio of 3:2 and 10-point multi-touch. The chassis is 0.03 inches (0.76 mm) thinner and 0.03 pounds (14 g) lighter than the Surface Pro 3.

The cooling system of the 2-in-1 has been redesigned and dubbed hybrid liquid cooling system. It includes heat pipes with a flowing liquid, which is meant to avoid the use of the internal fan when the device is used for less demanding tasks such as web browsing.

All Surface Pro 4 models feature 6th-generation Skylake Intel Core processors—m3, i5 or i7—which are more powerful and run cooler over its Intel Core Haswell predecessors found in the Surface Pro 3 and 2. The maximum clock rate of the most powerful CPU option (i7-6650U) is also greater at 2.2 GHz, with up to 3.4 GHz in the Turbo Boost mode. The m3-powered model is completely fanless.

RAM options available are 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB, while SSD options are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB; the top options are twice as capacious compared to top options of the Surface Pro 4's two recent predecessors.

The common traits, inherited from the previous-generation Surface Pro 3, are a continuous kickstand, magnesium casing with a silver-colored back side, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, full-size USB 3.0 port, microSD card reader, headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover Port, and a renamed SurfaceConnect, a port on the side to connect a wall charger, Docking Station or Surface Dock accessories.

Software

All Surface Pro 4 models come with a 64-bit version of Windows 10 Pro and a Microsoft Office 30-day trial. Windows 10 comes pre-installed with Mail, Calendar, People, Xbox (app), Photos, Movies and TV, Groove, and Microsoft Edge. With Windows 10, a "Tablet mode" is available when the Type Cover is detached from the device. In this mode, all windows are opened full-screen and the interface becomes more touch-centric.

The device also has a camera compatible with Windows Hello. It combines the use of a regular and infrared cameras to authenticate the user.

Accessories

The Surface Pro 4 is backward-compatible with all of its predecessor's accessories. At the Windows 10 Devices Event on October 6, 2015, alongside new Surface 2-in-1s, new accessories were announced.

The Surface Dock is a redesigned docking accessory in a brick form factor. It is compatible with all past and future Surface models with a SurfaceConnect side port, previously used to connect a wall charger or Docking Station accessory: Surface Pro 3, 4 and Surface Book. The Surface Dock will have 2 Mini DisplayPorts, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, 4 USB 3.0, and 1 audio out ports.

Although the Surface Pro 4 is backward compatible with the predecessor's Type Cover accessory, an attachable keyboard which doubles as a screen protector, the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover has been announced with and without a fingerprint ID sensor. The new Type Cover is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, has improved magnetic stability for lap use, a mechanical keyboard with improved key spacing, as well as a larger touchpad.

An updated version of Surface Pen is included with the Surface Pro 4, which has 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and is heavier with a rubberized tip.^[6] However, the new pen has only one button on the side rather than the previous pen's two. There is an eraser on the end that doubles as a button, which may perform different tasks, like opening the OneNote app or activating Cortana,^[7] and can be customized using the Surface App.^[8]