i5 SP3 v base SP4?

[j26]

Last year I bought an inexpensive Linx 8" tablet running W8.1 to test the waters with Windows tablets. Having tried Windows 10, I'm now ready to take the plunge and get a decent one.

At the moment within my budget, I'm looking at an i5 SP3 for €949 (with a €50 voucher towards accesories), or else ordering a base SP4 for €1,029.
In either case I'd be looking at getting the type cover (about 150 extra), so the total cost would be €1,050 for the SP3 and €1,180 for the SP4.

Can anyone offer an opinion as to which will have better performance, and whether going from the SP3 to the SP4 is worth the additional cost.

My usage will not be particularly demanding...

 

[Michael Goff]

Isn't the SP4 base model a Core M model?

 

[spinedoc77]

I kind of struggled with this also. I have an i5 SP3 and considered a M3 SP4 because I though maybe the M3 would get a bit better battery life, and having no fans is nice. It's just kind of crappy for MS to only have 4gb/128gb configurations for it. There is no way I can live with 128gb of hard drive space. So I ended up preordering the i5/256. I'm also miffed I couldn't get an i5/512gb, but that's not the end of the world.

In regards to the OP is the SP4 worth the extra money, I don't think so. Yes I'm getting one, but I can't resist wasting money. We don't have real world benchmarks yet, but official specs say they both get the same battery life so there is no benefit there. You get a very slightly larger screen, that's a plus but not worth the extra money IMO. Win10 OS is free, so that's not a plus. Really the only difference at this point is the iris scanner. If you want to save money you can probably get a SP3 for 2/3 the cost of a SP4 and get the new keyboard.

Your prices for the SP3 seem high. Here in the states there are a lot of sales on them. You also can get a 10% education discount if you have an edu email.

 

[j26]

Thanks for that. Yes, those prices are high, but that's Ireland for you . Maybe they'll fall a bit more when the SP4 is actually available.

 

[zhenya]

If you want it merely for tablet duties and not as a full laptop replacement, I'd definitely go for the new core-m model. That should be the best Surface Pro tablet to date. It should have notably better battery life than the SP3 i5 models which are often low even by modern laptop standards not to mention if you expect it to have battery life like other tablets.

 

[spinedoc77]

If you want it merely for tablet duties and not as a full laptop replacement, I'd definitely go for the new core-m model. That should be the best Surface Pro tablet to date. It should have notably better battery life than the SP3 i5 models which are often low even by modern laptop standards not to mention if you expect it to have battery life like other tablets.

I agree 100%, except that MS shafted us by only allowing the 128gb option. I would have definitely gone for the M model if it at least had a 256gb option. That's going to make a lot of consumers jump up to the next bracket.

 

[zhenya]

I agree 100%, except that MS shafted us by only allowing the 128gb option. I would have definitely gone for the M model if it at least had a 256gb option. That's going to make a lot of consumers jump up to the next bracket.

I feel the same way - but at least it's 128GB this generation vs. 64 for the i3 with the SP3!

 

[Michael Goff]

I agree 100%, except that MS shafted us by only allowing the 128gb option. I would have definitely gone for the M model if it at least had a 256gb option. That's going to make a lot of consumers jump up to the next bracket.

128GB is alright if you're using it mainly as a super tablet, at least for most people.

I wish it came with 8GB RAM standard, though.