Oct 2nd saw Microsoft quietly showing off its new line of product, Surface Pro 6 at the’Back to Black’ event. Having stepped away from smartphones in recent years, the Surface laptops and tablets have become Microsoft’s flagship hardware products.

Microsoft last updated the Surface Pro (the fifth-generation model) in June 2017 with 7th-generation Intel Core M3, i5, or i7 processors. A refresh of the company’s laptop / tablet hybrid that now comes in a new matte black colour and, boy, does that make this tablet look sharp.

If you’ve always wanted a black Surface Pro then it’s here. Comes pre-installed with Windows 10 [can run full blown photo and video editing software] , weighs in at 1.7 pounds, and boasts up to 13.5 hours of battery life, with an 8th-gen Core i5, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.

 

As with the Surface Pro (2017), you can recline the tablet nearly flat, so that it doubles as an easel for the Surface Dial. The Surface Pro 6 has a fully articulating kickstand with movement up to 165 degrees, alongside the 12.3-inch display at the front. Power and volume rockers sit on top. For cameras, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 packs a 8-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel front shooter for selfies. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

A major disappointment accompanies this latest gadget. The much anticipated update to support the modern USB-C port failed to materialise, despite Microsoft shipping the Surface Book 2 and Surface Go with USB-C this year. Instead the Surface Pro 6 has the same Surface Connector, mini DisplayPort and USB-A sockets.

Not to worry though, the technology giant’s chief product officer Panos Panay said the Surface Pro 6 is the “most powerful” version of the device the company has ever made and claimed it is faster than Apple’s MacBook Air laptop. Mr Panay also said the new Pro 6 is 67% faster than the previous generation Surface Pro device.

“We’ve redesigned Surface Pro 6 to pack in power but keep the portability, versatility and all-day battery we know our fans love,” he said.

So, if you’re interested in grabbing yourself the new Surface Pro 6, you might want to think about preordering one now. Preorders for the new Surface Pro have just opened up on Microsoft’s own Store, and prices start at $899 for the entry-level model.

So, keep your fingers crossed for when the Surface Pro 6 begin shipments from October 16, TLF will definitely be among the store to buy from.