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Do I Miss My Surface Pro 4?

Knuck

Member
For those of you with a Pro3 thinking about upgrading, imo, don't. Don't get me wrong, the SP4 is a nice machine and if I didn't have an SP3 it would be a no-brainer but there just isn't enough to justify the crazy pricing. Yes Windows Hello is a nice feature that worked flawlessly for me but the performance increase and slightly larger screen and lighter weight was hardly noticeable. Microsoft wants $2000 CDN after trade-in for an upgrade from an i7/512/8 to an i7/512/16. I don't think I would spend $200 for the upgrade never mind $2000. Having returned the Pro4 I can honestly say I haven't missed it for a second.
 

raqball

Active Member
Crazy pricing?

I do not miss my SP3 at all and am very happy with my decision to upgrade to the SP4.

Bonuses:

1. A 0.2" larger screen. It might not appear to be much but I notice it.
2. Windows logo / button gone from the side. I hated this on the SP3
3. Faster processors. My core M demolishes the i3 that was on my SP3
4. Better pen. Sure you can just buy the new pen and use it on the SP3 but that cost needs to be included in the comparison.
5. The screen is much better than the SP3.

There may be more reasons but those are the ones I notice and appreciate the most.

In comparison to your recommendation I'd say each person needs to decide for themselves as if to upgrade or not. The beauty of buying from the MS store is you get 30 days to decide.. For me the upgrade was an awesome decision.
 
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K

Knuck

Member
Crazy pricing?

I do not miss my SP3 at all and am very happy with my decision to upgrade to the SP4.

Bonuses:

1. A 0.2" larger screen. It might not appear to be much but I notice it.
2. Windows logo / button gone from the side. I hated this on the SP3
3. Faster processors. My core M demolishes the i3 that was on my SP3
4. Better pen. Sure you can just buy the new pen and use it on the SP3 but that cost needs to be included in the comparison.
5. The screen is much better than the SP3.

There may be more reasons but those are the ones I notice and appreciate the most.

In comparison to your recommendation I'd say each person needs to decide for themselves as if to upgrade or not. The beauty of buying from the MS store is you get 30 days to decide.. For me the upgrade was an awesome decision.

You are comparing an i3 to an m3 which are very different machines to the i5 or i7 models. I use my SP3 for several programs that couldn't function with the i3/m3 processors such as Première Pro and large raw files in Photoshop. There may be the significant differences you list to the low end models but your comparisons don't coincide with my experience using the higher end models. In fact most reviewers recommend not upgrading from the 3 to the 4. Some of it is also personal preference. You state you hate the logo button on the side. I really missed it when I was in tablet mode. To each his own I guess.
 

raqball

Active Member
You recommended people not upgrade which is your opinion. Do you buy or keep based on the so called 'expert' reviews and recommendation? I certainly do not.

I've never understood these goodbye threads and I usually avoid them. Are you sure you are not trying to self-justify the decision to return the SP4 in favor of the SP3? This happens a lot in these types of threads.

For my moola the SP4 was and is the better choice. I'd never tell someone not to buy a product based on my experience with it. Everyone has different needs and wants. What does not work for me might be fine for someone else and vise-versa.

If someone is on the fence the only way they will know for sure is to try the product out for themselves. And no I don't mean by spending 10 minutes with a demo. MS offers a 30-day return so that gives plenty of time to try and decide.

Take the 'experts' with a grain of salt. In my opinion many of them have lost touch with reality because they go through so many devices. Many time they write their 'expert' review based on a few days of use.

I actually read one when the reviewer said the core M should not be purchased by anyone for any reason. LOL. He went on to say the i7 was the only option he would recommend. Has this dude lost touch with mainstream and reality? I'd say so..

If you are truly not trying to self-justify your choice and are happier with the SP3 then good for you. It's your machine and in the end that is really all that matters..
 
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Knuck

Member
I am not trying to get anyone to do anything. I am simply relaying my experiences. I am also not trying to insult your choice of an m3. I think the m3 is a great machine for people who don't have need for more power.

This is not a goodbye/regret thread as you put it. I am simply hoping to help others who may not have the option of trying the SP4 before selling their SP3. Microsoft graciously afforded me the opportunity to take advantage of the trade-in program and try the SP4 for 30 days with the option of taking back the SP4 and returning my SP3 if it didn't work out.

I really was hoping the SP4 would be a significant upgrade as the throttling issue with the SP3 prevented me from efficiently editing 4k material in Première Pro. Unfortunately the SP4 wasn't fast enough either. Although I enjoyed my time with the SP4, upon my return to the SP3 I was surprised I didn't miss it all. That was the impetus for this thread.
 

EMINENT

Active Member
Same here.

no-ragrets-were-the-millers.png
 
For those of you with a Pro3 thinking about upgrading, imo, don't. Don't get me wrong, the SP4 is a nice machine and if I didn't have an SP3 it would be a no-brainer but there just isn't enough to justify the crazy pricing. Yes Windows Hello is a nice feature that worked flawlessly for me but the performance increase and slightly larger screen and lighter weight was hardly noticeable. Microsoft wants $2000 CDN after trade-in for an upgrade from an i7/512/8 to an i7/512/16. I don't think I would spend $200 for the upgrade never mind $2000. Having returned the Pro4 I can honestly say I haven't missed it for a second.

I went from an SP3 i7/512/8 to an SP4 i5/512/16 solely for the '16.' The higher res 12.3 screen and M.2 SSD were perks, but the keyboard has been quite a nice surprise.
 
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hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
I bought it because why not, but as a casual user there really is zero noticeable difference between the i5 sp3 and my new i5 sp4.
 

Afy

Member
For those of you with a Pro3 thinking about upgrading, imo, don't. Don't get me wrong, the SP4 is a nice machine and if I didn't have an SP3 it would be a no-brainer but there just isn't enough to justify the crazy pricing. Yes Windows Hello is a nice feature that worked flawlessly for me but the performance increase and slightly larger screen and lighter weight was hardly noticeable. Microsoft wants $2000 CDN after trade-in for an upgrade from an i7/512/8 to an i7/512/16. I don't think I would spend $200 for the upgrade never mind $2000. Having returned the Pro4 I can honestly say I haven't missed it for a second.
I don't think that your advice is valid. The SP4 is actually quite a bit more powerful, not to point out the additional RAM which would in at least my case make an upgrade a no brainer.
The pricing on the Surface is steep, but again it isn't crazy. Crazy pricing is defined by 12.3 inch 'iPod' and calling it Pro.
Ultimately a mobile device is a trade-off in heavy workloads. Even when you consider workstation class machines. For some use cases there is just no way the Surface will suffice.
 
Do all of the features of the new Pen even work on the Surface Pro 3? I know they don't on my old Surface 3. It writes on the Surface 3, but I can't get the button to call up Onenote or Cortana. And it won't magnetically attach to the tablet. And crazy as it sounds, these features of the new Pen have become quite important to me.
 
I really was hoping the SP4 would be a significant upgrade as the throttling issue with the SP3 prevented me from efficiently editing 4k material in Première Pro. Unfortunately the SP4 wasn't fast enough either.
I would love to hear more about this. I don't know that I'd be editing 4K video on my new Surface (I'm currently deciding between the Pro 4 and the Book) but you're saying the SP4 was no better when it came to 4K editing? Do you think it might've made a difference if you had 16GB SP4?
 
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