Consumers have this way of looking forward to another iteration of a device just after a new version has been released. To be fair, in the Surface Pro’s case, the fourth edition was released more than a year ago. As of this writing, the upcoming release of a Surface Pro 5 cannot be confirmed. Yes, there are dozens of blog posts up around the web speculating about its release. But it’s just that: speculation. Besides, nothing has been confirmed by a reliable source.
Then again, it’s also fun to think about a future device and what good it will bring. The Surface Pro 4 was great but just like any new machine, it will always be far from perfect. In other words, there will always be features you want it to have. Some of the features may be wishful thinking, others are born out of constant use.
That said, what are the features that would make the rumored Surface Pro 5 a better machine?
A longer battery life
Battery life is always going to be an issue with any device, be it a laptop or a smartphone. We are tethered to our devices all day and would very much like it if it didn’t lose that much juice after browsing through Instagram in traffic. Then again, not many devices has been able to deliver their promised battery life estimate. However, it would be nice for the Surface Pro 5 to last at least half a day. Microsoft promised nine hours of video playback for the Surface Pro 4 but tests showed the device couldn’t deliver.
A bigger screen
The screen of a standard-sized laptop is around 13 to 15 inches. The Surface Pro 4 measured a little over 12 inches. Coming in at that size had advantages over the competition: it was definitely more portable. The screen quality isn’t even bad: 2,736 x 1,824 pixels in a 12.3-inch screen. However, with 4K video increasingly gaining an audience, it would be a nice touch for Microsoft to include a better screen to enhance more than just the viewing experience.
A support for USB-C
While the Surface Pro 4 had a USB 3.0 port, its closest competition, the Spectre x360 had three ports. Not only that, it also adopted the USB Type-C connector. So did the MacBook Pro, another competitor.
The beginnings of the Surface Pro 5 rumor
In October 2016, Microsoft announced that the Creators Update, the second major Windows 10 update, would be released in April. Rumors suggest that the Surface Pro 5 will be launched alongside this update. Also rumored is an upgrade to the stylus pen that comes with the Surface Pro given that Microsoft filed a patent for a rechargeable stylus.
Although the Surface Pro 5 has been rumored to arrive this April, there hasn’t been a lot of concrete information to back up that release date. Then again, Microsoft could always surprise us all with an announcement within the next month. Unless, the company itself makes a statement regarding a release, all rumors about it should be treated with a grain of salt.
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