The M4 chip in the latest iPad Pro was a surprise, as was its decision to offer an OLED display on it. Microsoft hasn’t wasted any time in announcing its own Surface Pro (now in its 11th edition) as one that has an OLED display too, though as an option as there’s also a version of it with an LCD.
The base model comes with a 13-inch LCD screen, but you also have an upgraded OLED in the higher-end version of it.
FlatpanelsHD reported that the new Surface Pro supports HDR, including Dolby Vision IQ, irrespective of whether you opt for the LCD or OLED display.
However, the LCD is an IPS LCD with edge LED, which is not capable of delivering anything near HDR picture quality. Choosing the OLED option provides a true HDR-capable display – a first for the Surface Pro. Users must however manually activate HDR in the Surface Pro’s settings menu.
The new Microsoft Surface Pro with the Flex Keyboard
Microsoft hasn’t revealed which OLED panel it’s using in the Surface Pro. However, the LCD version of it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip, while the OLED offering has a X Elite processor.
With the X Plus Surface Pro, you get 16 GB of RAM and a choice between a 256 GB and a 512 GB SSD.
The X Elite Surface Pro starts with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, but you can increase that to 32 GB of RAM with a 1 TB SSD.
Microsoft claims that the new Surface Pro is 90 per cent faster than the Surface Pro 9.
It also has a healthy battery life – reportedly, the Pro will offer 14 hours of video playback.
As for its cameras, it has an ultrawide quad HD system on the front that could support AI purposes and a 10-megapixel sensor on the back.
Here in Australia, the Microsoft Surface Pro is available for pre-orders at JB Hi-Fi. The 512GB OLED display version with the Snapdragon X Elite processor can be ordered for A$2,699 while the 1TB variant of it will retail for A$2,999. The LCD version meanwhile, with 512GB of storage, can be pre-ordered for A$2,199. The new Flex Keyboard with the Slim Pen can be ordered for A$769, while the keyboard alone will cost A$599.
Deliveries of the Surface Pro in Australia are expected to commence on June 18.
