Skip to main content

The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 may be beautiful, but its firmware isn't

Microsoft has worked hard to convince the world it has transformed over the last few years, and a lot of that effort has gone into new hardware, be it the Xbox One or the Microsoft Surface. The argument is obvious. Redmond’s big-wigs want to convince the world that, like Apple, it can produce a complete hardware and software platform users can trust.

In theory, it’s a sensible move that should mean a better experience for users, and bigger numbers in Microsoft’s financial reports. Yet the Surface Pro 4 proves that even the best ideas can be difficult to execute.

The Pro’s problems are the shotgun spread of follies that have annoyed PC users for decades. The display often refuses to wake after the system is put to sleep — a hard restart is the only fix. On other occasions, plugging the Pro 4 into an external monitor causes open windows to freak out and collapse into a jumble of mis-aligned elements. Closing and re-opening them is the only fix. And Wi-Fi still refuses to work reliably in some locations for no apparent reason, including the Digital Trends office. I’ve become well acquainted with the “Connected, No Internet” status.

I’m okay giving up repairability, but only in a bargain for stability.

Individually, these problems are minor. Together, they pick away at my confidence in the device. It remains true that the Surface Pro 4 is sleek, light, and powerful, and has a great keyboard. When firing on all cylinders it’s a beautiful piece of engineering, and those who don’t keep up to date with the latest in PC hardware still comment on it. I doubt MacBook owners receive more longing glances at the local coffee shop.

When these admirers ask how I like the device, I tell them I like it a lot – but. But what? It has issues. Those I’ve already mentioned have become familiar to me, but others visit without warning and leave no trace. Last week, only half the lock-screen opened when I swiped it away. The other half remained stuck until I put the Pro 4 to sleep and tried again. That never happened before, and hasn’t happened since.

As a PC enthusiast, I’ve come to accept bugs as the cost of a relatively open platform. My home-built desktop computer has its own quirks, as did every other desktop I’ve built before it, and every laptop I’ve had a chance to use for more than one month at a time.

But the Surface Pro 4 isn’t part of an open platform. It’s a locked down, purpose-built device which received a repair-ability score of 2 out of 10 in iFixit’s teardown. Upgrading or repairing it is mostly out of the question.

I’m okay with that, but only as part of an implicit bargain. If I give up the ability to tinker, I should receive design and stability that’s otherwise impossible. Microsoft only delivers on the first part of that deal. The Surface Pro 4 feels like a million bucks, but reliable? Intuitive? Stable? I don’t think so.

That’s a problem, and perhaps more so for Microsoft as a company than the Surface Pro 4 as a device. The Pro remains the best 2-in-1 device despite its woes, but if Microsoft wants us to believe in Windows as a platform – a family of devices, where hardware and software work together – it has to do better.

Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
It’s a shame Microsoft’s upgraded Surface Laptop 7 is just ‘for business’
The Surface Laptop 7 on a table in front of a window.

Microsoft has offered 5G connectivity on the Surface Pro 11 since the laptop launched, but for the first time ever, Microsoft is expanding 5G support to its Surface Laptop 7, which ranks at the top of our list of the best laptops. There's just one small caveat; it's only available for business customers, at least right now.

There aren't a ton of details right now, but Microsoft says the Surface Laptop 7 for Business with 5G -- I don't make the names, folks -- will start rolling out "later in 2025." The company also promises to share more details on the laptop in the "coming months," which will hopefully clear up if this model is coming to the consumer market, as well.

Read more
Nvidia’s DLSS 4 isn’t what you think it is. Let’s debunk the myths
DLSS 4 in Cyberpunk 2077.

Nvidia stole the show at CES 2025 with the announcement of the RTX 5090, and despite plenty of discourse about the card's $2,000 price tag, it ushers in a lot of new technology. Chief among them is DLSS 4, which brings multi-frame generation to Nvidia's GPUs, offering a 4X performance boost in over 75 games right away when Nvidia's new RTX 50-series GPUs hit the streets.

I've seen way too much misunderstanding about how DLSS 4 actually works, though. Between misleading comments from Nvidia's CEO and a radical redesign to how DLSS works, it's no wonder there's been misinformation floating around about the new tech, what it's capable of, and, critically, what limitations it has.

Read more
We might get a new Steam Deck next month — and Valve isn’t making it
The Steam Deck OLED on a pink background.

I expected to see some new handheld gaming PCs this year at CES, but it looks like something even more exciting is in store. AMD and Lenovo are hosting an event during the week of the show, and it'll have two special guests in attendance: Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais and Microsoft's Jason Ronald.

I'll be attending the event on January 7, about which Sean Hollister over at The Verge initially shared out the details. There are a couple of reasons why this event could be significant. First, Valve. Since the launch of the Asus ROG Ally, there have been a handful of these types of events featuring spokespeople from AMD, Microsoft, and the company making a handheld -- Lenovo or Asus. Valve hasn't ever been in attendance, and considering Valve makes the Linux-based Steam Deck, it would be odd for the company to have a presence.

Read more