Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Discount Leads To Surface Pro 5 Speculation

Microsoft’s acclaimed and sometimes problematic Surface Pro 4 has received a discount on Amazon. Design & Trend has the news.

“Surface Pro 4 prices have dropped big in a new Amazon sale. The promotion offers up to $200 in savings for all tiers of Microsoft’s tablet models,” the website claims, before listing the new prices for all tiers of the Surface Pro 4.

The biggest discounts come from the more expensive models. The Surface Pro 4 model with 512GB storage, 16GB RAM, and Intel Core i7 processor has been reduced from $2199 to $2000. The version with 256GB storage, 8GB RAM, and Intel Core i7 processor has been reduced from $1599 to $1439.

This all has lead to speculation that a Surface Pro 5 is around the corner. However, one has to remember that there was a 16-month difference between the release of the Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4. Then again, there was only an eight-month difference between the release of the original Surface Pro and the Surface Pro 2.

The Surface Pro 4 arrived in late 2015 to excellent reviews, for the most part. TechRadar gave the device four-and-a-half stars.

“Has Microsoft at last crafted a tablet that can reasonably, without considerable compromise, replace your laptop? Short of going back to the drawing board on the battery, this looks as close as it’s going to get,” claims the review.

TechRadar went on to add that the 3:2 aspect ratio is ideal for those who want the middle ground between a work device and a multimedia device. They also praised the new Type Cover, which has better keys and a much better trackpad. Digital Trends also gave the Pro 4 a near-perfect rating.

“The Surface Pro 4 is a microcosm of the change Microsoft is trying to spur inside its own walls. Time and time again, it missed the opportunity to leap on a new trend in consumer technology. But not with Surface. This time, Microsoft is a leader. It’s setting the trend. And unlike its new competitors, it’s had a few years to work out the kinks.”

Just as soon as the great reviews arrived, so did reports about problems with the device. Many complained about display driver crashes, lock-up issues, and, especially, battery life.

The battery life appeared to be the biggest issue on the Surface Pro 4. A poster called Angry_Mut on Reddit summed up a lot of other complaints.

“The battery life on my seems pretty horrendous, I recently run a test were I streamed a 8hrs 1080p video of a fire burning, to see how long my surface would last. My sp4 managed a pathetic 3:26 before dying which seems a fair bit lower than what I should be getting.”

One of the things that were making the battery life of the Surface Pro 4 worse was the fact that when put into Sleep Mode, the battery depleted. However, after several updates, Microsoft has fixed the issue. The display driver crash was fixed with an update in December. The Surface Pro 4 now appears to be the perfect laptop/tablet hybrid, even if battery life is still an issue.

The battery life issue may not completely be a hardware problem; it could be the way Windows 10 is managing power. There are many ways to save battery life, including changing the max CPU percentage or putting the Surface Pro 4 on “Battery Saver” mode. Do you own the Surface Pro 4? If so, what have you done to save battery life? Let us know in the comments section.

[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]