New vs Old

[therealrjp]

First of all, hi. I'm new to the forum.

Now, a question that may have been asked to death but is nonetheless giving me a headache. SP4 vs New SP...

I am likely looking for an M3 variant, no matter what I go for, as I expect my usage just doesn't justify anything more. It will be used for viewing PDF's and simultaneously taking notes in Onenote. Word documents, nothing too lengthy. Light email browser use - no more than 4 or 5 tabs. No gaming. Quite minimal usage really so I assume I am right in thinking an i5 is unnecessary?

Finally, I was set on getting the New SP. I get a range of employee discounts which bring it out at £600 for the M3. Add the pen and cover on and it's more or less £750. However, the retailer currently has an offer on the SP4 @ £650 including type cover and pen and with my discounts, comes in at about £550. At almost £200 cheaper, it sounds like a great deal, but don't want to opt for it if it will be noticeably inferior to the newer model.

The extra battery life would be nice, but not a deal breaker. I understand I am likely to get 5 hours with the SP4 for my usage case. I doubt I'd ever be more than 4-5 hours away from an outlet.

Question is, is the newer model worth the extra £200?

Thanks!

 

[Zachary Boddy]

I think the Pro 4 is still a fantastic machine and will continue to be fantastic for ages. Yes, the new Pro is objectively superior and offers a lot of improvements that certainly make it worth the extra cost, but if those improvements are necessary for your then save your money and buy a Pro 4. The new Pro would offer you far better battery life and an improved tablet experience (through more intelligent hibernation techniques and a more ergonomic design), better performance, a better display, a far superior Pen experience, a numerous other improvements that make it worthwhile. But if all you need is a high quality, super portable, reliable machine then the Pro 4 still ticks every box. It's up to you decide if the extra money is worth it.