The Surface Pro 6 is back and releases on 16 October, bringing new features and a matte black finish. We’re going to compare it to the Surface Pro 5 and see which is the better buy. Microsoft’s flagship detachable has returned to us in the form of the Surface Pro 6. We’re going to stack it up against the previous generation and compared the features, so we can see what has really changed over the past year.
Price and Availability
The Surface Pro 6 is slightly more expensive than its predecessor at £879 ( $899) for the cheapest version, stretching up to £2149 ( $1899). Preorders for the Surface Pro 6 are available now with the full launch on 16 October. The Surface Pro 5 is Microsoft’s previous generation and so is a little older, but still no less powerful at £799 ( $799) for the basic version and £2699 ( $2699) for the top tier.
Design
Aside from the Surface Pro 6 being available in a matte black finish, which is a stark contrast to the traditional platinum we’re used to, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the Surface Pro 5 and 6 in terms of design. Both weigh roughly 1.7 pounds and occupy the same 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33-inch measurements. Sadly the bezels haven’t reduced in size but you can’t have everything. The ports are also identical, which means no USB-C port which Microsoft seems to be doing its level best to avoid.
Specs and Features
The upgrade in specs from 5 to 6 has resulted in a reported 67 percent boost in performance according to Intel as this is the first Surface Pro to house a quad-core processor. The promised ‘all day battery life’ will list up to 13 hours which is an impressive jump over the previous version assuming it’s an accurate claim.
Should you buy the Surface Pro 6 over the Surface Pro 5?
The specs for the Surface Pro 6 seem to indicate a large boost in performance over the 5, considering it’s the first time a quad-core processor has been seen inside a Surface Pro. This much of a performance boost for a 10% increase in price seems like a good trade up, and when you include the much longer promised battery life then the Surface Pro 6 is starting to look like a winner.
