Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Release Date, Specs, Features & Price: Device To Be LTE-capable?

There is a high chance that the rumored Microsoft Surface Pro 4 would be LTE-capable. The news comes from The Motley Fool which said that this is the key feature many have been waiting for.

In its January 15 report, The Motley Fool's Ashraf Eassa again made some speculations about the new device. It noted that it is very likely that the new Surface Pro 4 would be released with the LTE-capability, considering Intel's prediction that 15 percent of PCs will soon support cellular data connections by 2018. Note that Microsoft has not yet released a high-end Surface Pro tablet that is LTE-capable though it has already launched a Surface 2 tablet with LTE capability before. This is also despite some Apple iPad tablets with LTE capability.

What's the catch?

While there is no question that this innovation could soon really happen, Motley Fool notes that making a Surface Pro device with LTE capability would mean a cost increase for Microsoft and price increase for the device. Why is that? Of course, certain new components need to be bought to enable cellular capability. Also, Microsoft has to pay Qualcomm royalty fees. But with the number of users willing to pay higher fees for an LTE-capable device, Eassa says this should be worth it.

If Microsoft indeed push for an LTE-capable Surface Pro 4, then this would lead to the entry of more products with LTE capability. Apple and Microsoft devices would not be the only products to have it but more competitors in the PC market will also soon follow. Aside from that, the said move will also "strengthen the value proposition of portable Windows systems as a whole, particularly convertibles" and will also push chip vendors' revenue growth.

Enhanced Surface Pro 3

Earlier, The Motley Fool's Eassa also speculated that the new Surface Pro 4 would be nothing but just an enhanced Surface Pro 3. Eassa also said that he sees the next Surface Pro to be "very short lived" since very little changes and improvements are expected from it. To be exact, Eassa speculates that the only new to the fourth Surface Pro is its chips.

The new chips which are expected to be in it are called Broadwell chips. Note that previous Surface Pro 2 and 3 have Haswell processors on them. Eassa bets the new Surface Pro 4 would come out in a month or so. With the new Windows 10 operating system and new Skylake processors on the way, it is therefore presumed that the new device would only take the center stage for just a while. Eassa says the new Broadwell chips will obviously improve the device's performance but he is looking forward more to the Surface Pro 5 with the Windows 10 and Skylake processor which he expects to be out in July.

Specs

Christian Today reported that it is likely that the new device would be available on two sizes a 13-inch or 14-inch one and an 8-inch one. The report also noted that an upgrade in the device's RAM is expected. Note that the current Surface Pro 3 has an 8 GB RAM. The Surface Pro 4, just like its predecessor Surface Pro 3, will still boast of its laptop and tablet capabilities. Master Herald said the device is called a "laplet" as it is more of a laptop and tablet packed into one.