The Microsoft Surface Pro rises June 3

SINGAPORE — If you’ve been waiting for the Microsoft Surface Pro, the wait is almost over — Microsoft will be launching the Surface Pro next Monday (June 3).

At first glance, the Surface Pro does look like the previously released Surface RT, which runs on a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 and on Windows RT, a version of Windows made for mobile devices. The difference becomes apparent when you hold it in your hands — the Surface Pro is actually thicker (by 4mm) and heavier (by 200g), but this is negligible given the added power.

The Surface Pro runs Windows 8 Pro on an Intel Core i5 chip and is able to run all types of Windows software instead of the RT’s Windows Store-only apps. The Pro also comes with a USB 3.0 port instead of the RT’s USB 2.0 port, giving an added boost to speed if you’re connecting to USB 3.0-enabled devices. The Surface Pro falls between the feel of a PC and a tablet, and it's something Mr Hammad Rajjoub, Microsoft Architect Advisor, Developer & Platform Evangelism, calls a "no compromise experience".

The Pro also bests the RT by having a full HD 1920x1080 screen despite having the same 10.6-inch screen size as the RT. Visuals benefit from the increased resolution — the full-HD screen is very sharp and clear and has vibrant colours, which makes it a joy to watch movies on the Surface Pro, and you have the option to run some graphically-intensive games thanks to the Intel HD Graphics 4000. However, it appears the Pro’s speakers are exactly the same as the RT’s which means that the sound, while clear in the mids, lacks definition in the lows and highs, and the volume is easily overwhelmed by external noise — you’d want to use headphones with the Pro.

While using Windows 8 on touchscreens can be troublesome due to the tiny buttons, the Pro mitigates this with a pressure-sensitive Surface Pen. This stylus is highly accurate and allows you to take written notes, and the handwriting recognition function is pretty accurate as long as the handwriting is somewhat neat. In fact, it managed to recognise most of my writing even when my writing devolved into a scrawl. The Surface Pro will also recognise your palm when you’re using the pen, helping to prevent any erroneous selection you might end up making with your hand.

The Surface Pen only works with the Surface Pro, and attaches neatly to the charging port. While this is a simple storage solution, a separate slot for the pen would have been better, especially since the pen can be knocked off — and, if you are charging your device, there is nowhere else to store it.

With the added power in a slightly thicker body, the battery life in the Pro is still pretty good at about 4.5 hours, depending on how hard you push it. This makes the tablet perfect for those like me, who carry both a laptop and a tablet for work on the go, and being to consolidate both into one device seems like an ideal solution. The increased power also involves increased heat: Playing a few HD videos raised the temperature slightly, but it was still comfortable to hold. Charging the device, however, generates quite a bit more heat instead, but you're not likely to be charging the device while holding it at the same time.

Sadly, the lack of a SIM card slot means you will have to tether the Pro to your smartphone when on the go if you need an Internet connection. The power drain on two devices is balanced out if you do find a power point as the Surface Pro charger does have a USB slot you can use to charge your smartphone with.

The Surface Pro is also an enterprise device, which allows it to be used in office environments which require higher security, making it easier to integrate this into IT systems.

With extra power under the hood, a full-featured Windows 8 Pro OS, a great stylus and a great screen, the Surface Pro is ideal for the road warrior who needs that boost over the Surface RT. For users like me who wish to combine both an ultrabook and a tablet the Surface Pro also is ideal, but with Surface Pro prices at the ultrabook level, those seeking for a pure tablet replacement might do better looking at the cheaper Surface RT. If you want to just use a Microsoft Surface just for typing on the go, the Surface RT is the one that comes with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT — Surface Pro users have to get their own copy of Microsoft Office.

The Pro will be available at Challenger, Harvey Norman and Newstead outlets, and will cost S$1,198 for the 64GB version and S$1,328 for the 128GB version. Customers who buy the Surface Pro during the first week of launch will get a free TP-link 3G router worth S$150 while stocks last and limited to three per customer, and those who buy the Surface Pro in the month of June and also subscribe to a year of Office 365 will get an additional year of subscription free.