Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book: What You Need to Know

What you need to know about Microsoft's new devices..

ByABC News
October 6, 2015, 11:37 AM
Microsoft showed their Surface Pro 4 at a Windows device event in New York on Oct. 6, 2015.
Microsoft showed their Surface Pro 4 at a Windows device event in New York on Oct. 6, 2015.
Microsoft

— -- Microsoft has continued to up its game when it comes to making devices that function as both tablets and laptops.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 made its debut today at the company's Windows 10 devices event in New York City, boasting a 12.3-inch screen with 5 million pixels, making the resolution even higher with an even thinner screen.

"We have this goal, this dream," said Panos Panay, head of Microsoft's Surface team. "We want to make these the most productive devices on the planet."

The Surface Pro 4 is also sold with a new pen for the tablet-laptop hybrid. What makes this one different from the previous are more pressure points, an eraser tail and the option for interchangeable colored tips, making it perfect for designers. It also has Cortana integration and attaches to the side of the Surface Pro 4 for easy storage.

The release of the Surface Pro 4 comes as Apple and Google recently unveiled their latest entries into the 2-in-1 device category, with the iPad Pro and the Google Pixel C.

"It's been five or six years since I have seen Microsoft positioned this well," Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, told ABC News. "They really have created this category [of 2-in-1 devices]."

The Surface Pro 4 starts at $899, and will be available Oct. 26.

PHOTO: Microsoft debuted their new Surface Book at a Windows 10 device event in New York, Oct. 6, 2015.
Microsoft debuted their new Surface Book at a Windows 10 device event in New York, Oct. 6, 2015.

Microsoft's grand finale at today's event was the Surface Book, the software company's first-ever laptop, which features a 13.5-inch screen with 6 million pixels. What makes the Surface Book special is its functionality. It's bigger than the Surface Pro 4 and looks like a laptop, however a muscle wire lock lets users detach the screen from the keyboard so it can be used in different ways to browse and share content with someone nearby -- functioning like a digital clipboard.

"We have the best engineers who understand portability and performance," Panay said. "Ounce for ounce, pound for pound, this is the fastest 13-inch laptop ever made."

Panay also emphasized the size of the new computer. It weighs 1.6 pounds and is 7.7 mm thin.

The Surface Book features a 12-hour battery life, according to Microsoft. It starts at $1,499 and will be available Oct. 26.