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The new Microsoft Surface Pro is now available locally and there's even a 1TB SSD option!

By Kenny Yeo & Vijay Anand - on 19 Aug 2017, 11:30am

The new Microsoft Surface Pro is now available in Singapore

In May, Microsoft officially announced its new Surface Pro detachable notebook and it is now officially available in Singapore.

It may look highly similar to the Surface Pro 4, but it boasts numerous notable improvements.

We have detailed the improvements of the new Surface Pro extensively here. But in a nut shell, the new Surface Pro boasts Intel’s new Kaby Lake processors, a fan-less design for the Core i5 and below variants, longer battery life, a lighter design, a redesigned hinge, a more sensitive pen, and much more.
 

New Surface Pro local pricing details

Like the Surface Pro 4, the new Surface Pro is available in a variety of configurations with different processors, RAM and storage configurations.

In retail stores, prices begin at S$1,188 for the most basic Intel Core m3 model with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD and tops out at S$3,188 for the top-of-the-line model with a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD.

Here’s a table detailing the various Surface Pro configurations and prices, as well as prices of the Surface Pro accessories.

Beyond the above listed standard Surface Pro models, there is also a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM equipped Core i7 model that's exclusive to the Microsoft Online Store. How much does it cost? S$3,888.

You might be interested to know that the retail launch prices of the new Surface Pro models are a little lower than when the Surface Pro 4 first launched. But there's a catch - the new Surface Pro notebooks will no longer be bundled with the Surface Pen.  The Surface Pen is now an optional purchase at S$148, much like how the Type Cover has been sold previously. So if you really do want the full Surface Pro experience, do remember to add in the cost of the Type Cover (S$199/S$249), the Surface Pen (S$148) and while you're at it, even the Surface Arc Mouse ($118) to complete the full notebook and tablet ecosystem aspects.
 

Frequently asked question: Can you re-use an older Surface Pro Type Cover for the new Surface Pro?

Answer: Yes you can! All the Surface Pro devices to-date use the same accessory port. So an accessory like a Type Cover, can be used on new and old Surface devices alike. You can also purchase the new colorful Signature Type Cover for your existing Surface device. Of course, physical size may not be exactly compatible if your Type Cover is from the Surface Pro 2 and older days, but Type Covers originating from the Surface Pro 3 onwards are size compatible with the new Surface Pro.

The new Surface Pro Signature Type Covers come in nice modern colors.
 

What's good about the new Surface Pro?

In a few lines, the new Surface Pro, while looking similar to the previous iteration, has been massively refined in several areas like being thinner, lighter, more powerful, longer battery life, quieter operation, and much more. Coming in just months after the first wave's retail availability, it's not such a bad wait after all. If only Microsoft had foreplaned the rollout, it would have eased the tension off early adopters and Surface supporters that Microsoft was ignoring this region; we don't blame them since Microsoft has chosen not to launch certain products in this region such as the Surface Book and the Surface Laptop.
 

Did you know some models sport a fanless design?

From our findings with the Surface product team, take note that the Intel Core m3 and Core i5 processor models are completely fanless designs, which means these Surface Pro units operate whisper quiet. Only the Intel Core i7 processor models are equipped with a cooling fan, thus the internal cooling design differs from the lower priced models. This is because the Surface Pro finally boasts Intel’s 7th generation Core processor (Kaby Lake), which guarantees better performance, improved power savings and a better graphics core. The exact CPU models used are Core m3-7Y30, Core i5-7300U and Core i7-7660U processors.

See Next: The New Surface Pro up-close in photos

Read Next: 10 things that are new and improved on the Surface Pro (2017) model

Optional purchaseThe Brydge 12.3 keyboard transforms the Surface Pro into a true laptop with optional storage


Note: This article was first published on 15th August 2017 and updated with more details on 19th August.

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