Surface Pro 7 Plus vs. Surface Pro 4: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Pro 7 Plus and Surface Pro 4 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Pro 7 Plus Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 7 Plus is better than Surface Pro 4.

Much newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2015

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1165G7 inside Surface Pro 7 Plus has a 155% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-6650U inside Surface Pro 4.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Pro 7 Plus - Intel Core i7-1165G7
4,487
Surface Pro 7 Plus - Intel Core i5-1135G7
3,980
Surface Pro 7 Plus - Intel Core i3-1115G4
2,445
Surface Pro 4 - Intel Core i7-6650U
1,757
Surface Pro 4 - Intel Core i5-6300U
1,319
Surface Pro 4 - Intel Core m3-6Y30
1,058
Supports larger memory

Surface Pro 7 Plus supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Pro 4. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Pro 4.

Max system memory size
Surface Pro 7 Plus
32 GB
Surface Pro 4
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Pro 7 Plus supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Pro 4. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Pro 4.

Memory type and speed
Surface Pro 7 Plus - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Surface Pro 4 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
Has one more port and slot

Surface Pro 7 Plus has more ports and slots count than the Surface Pro 4. It has seven versus six amount of ports and slots on the Surface Pro 4.

PortsSurface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
headphone jackYesYes
microSD card slotYesYes
Mini DisplayPortNoYes
nanoSIM card slotYesNo
Surface ConnectYesYes
Surface Type CoverYesNo
Type Cover portNoYes
USB-AYesYes
USB-CYesNo
Total76

Surface Pro 4 Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of Surface Pro 4 over Surface Pro 7 Plus.

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Surface Pro 7 Plus Price
Microsoft - Surface Pro 7+ - 12.3” Touch Screen – Intel Core i5 – 8GB Memory – 128GB SSD with Black Type Cover (Latest Model) - Platinum
Microsoft - Surface Pro 7+ - 12.3” Touch Screen – Intel Core i5 – 8GB Memory – 128GB SSD with Black Type Cover (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$820.00
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ Tablet 12.3 Inch PixelSense Touchscreen Display, Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth, Windows 10 Home, Platinum 1XK-00001 (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ Tablet 12.3 Inch PixelSense Touchscreen Display, Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth, Windows 10 Home, Platinum 1XK-00001 (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$495.00
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ Intel Core i7 11th Gen 1165G7 (2.80GHz) 16GB Memory 256 GB SSD Intel Iris Xe Graphics 12.3" Touchscreen 2736 x 1824 2-in-1 Laptop Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 1Y9-00001 (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ Intel Core i7 11th Gen 1165G7 (2.80GHz) 16GB Memory 256 GB SSD Intel Iris Xe Graphics 12.3" Touchscreen 2736 x 1824 2-in-1 Laptop Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 1Y9-00001 (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$694.99
Surface Pro 4 Price
Latest Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (2736 x 1824) Tablet 6th Generation (Intel Core i5-6300U, 8GB Ram, 256GB SSD, Bluetooth, Dual Camera) Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
Latest Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (2736 x 1824) Tablet 6th Generation (Intel Core i5-6300U, 8GB Ram, 256GB SSD, Bluetooth, Dual Camera) Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$260.20
Microsoft Surface Pro 4; 256 GB, 8 GB RAM, Intel Core i5 (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 4; 256 GB, 8 GB RAM, Intel Core i5 (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$239.99
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 128 GB, 4 GB RAM, Intel Core i5 (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 128 GB, 4 GB RAM, Intel Core i5 (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$195.00

Availability

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
Released20212015
Release DateIntroduced: January 11, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Introduced: October 7, 2015
  • Pre-ordered: October 7, 2015
  • Released: October 26, 2015
PricingStarting at 899$Starting at 899$
Generations

Exterior

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
Dimensions11.50” x 7.9” x 0.33” (292 mm x 201 mm x 8.5 mm)
Width: 11.50” (292 mm)
Height: 7.9” (201 mm)
Thickness: 0.33” (8.5 mm)
11.50” x 7.93” x 0.33” (292 mm x 201.42 mm x 8.4 mm)
Width: 11.50” (292 mm)
Height: 7.93” (201.42 mm)
Thickness: 0.33” (8.4 mm)
Weight
  • Intel Core i3, i5 (Wi-Fi): 1.70 lbs (770 g)
  • Intel Core i5 (LTE): 1.75 lbs (796 g)
  • Intel Core i7 (Wi-Fi): 1.73 lbs (784 g)
  • Intel Core m3: 1.69 lbs (766 g)
  • Intel Core i5 and i7: 1.73 lbs (786 g)
Colors
Matte Black Platinum
Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Surface Type Cover
    • Not included
    • Weight: 0.68 lb (310 g)
    • Dimension: 11.61 x 8.54 x 0.19 inches (295 mm x 216 mm x 5mm)
  • Keyboard:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm)
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Surface Type Cover
    • Not included
    • Weight: 0.68 lb (310 g)
    • Dimension: 11.61 x 8.54 x 0.19 inches (295 mm x 216 mm x 5mm)
  • Keyboard:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm)
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
Size12.3 Inches12.3 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (5M Pixels)
  • Density: 267 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • 100% sRGB color, individually calibrated
  • Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (5M Pixels)
  • Density: 267 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Contrast ratio: 1300:1
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch with GPU-based processing
  • 100 percent sRGB color, individually calibrated

Ports

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
Surface Pro 7 Plus Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery, DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking Station
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Type Cover
Under Kickstand (2)
  • 1 x microSD card slot
    Optional
  • 1 x nanoSIM card slot
    Optional
Surface Pro 4 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking Station
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Type Cover port
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x microSD card slot

Internal Specs

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
    2 cores, 4 threads, 3.00 → 4.10 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 28W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.40 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 4.70 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y30
    2 cores, 4 threads, 0.90 → 2.20 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.40 → 3.00 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6650U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    48 Execution Units, 400 → 1250 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y30
    Intel® HD Graphics 515
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 850 MHz
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  3. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6650U
    Intel® Iris® Graphics 540
    48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM side cache, 300 → 1050 MHz
Memory
4GB 8GB 16GB 32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
4GB 8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable SSD.
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe NVMe SSD

Connectivity

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology
More
  • LTE Advanced with removable SIM and eSIM support
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X20 LTE Modem
  • LTE bands supported: 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14, 19, 20,25, 26,28 29,30,38,39,40,41,66
-

Battery

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
Size50.4 Wh Lithium-ion Battery38.2 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 15 hours of typical device usage
LTE Advanced: Up to 13.5 hours of typical device usage
Up to 9 hours of video playback
Power Supply
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)
  • 36W proprietary power supply
    • USB-A output: 5W
    • Surface Connect: 31W

Software

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
OSWindows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Windows 10 Pro
Built-in Apps
  • Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps 30-day trial
Microsoft Office 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD video
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD video
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 1.6W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
  • Dual microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio

Misc

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
magnetic storage
Supports Surface Pen
1024 levels of pressure
magnetic storage
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • Surface Pro 7 Plus for Business
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Pro 4
  • Surface Pen
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty
  • 1-year limited hardware warranty
  • Microsoft Store Promise for Surface:
  • 60-day return policy
  • 90 days of free technical phone support
  • Free virtual workshops and training
  • Surface price promise
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
More-
  • Mechanical features: Signature unibody magnesium design with hidden perimeter venting
  • Kickstand with a full-friction multiposition hinge to 150 degrees
  • Magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power

Key Features

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4
At Glance
Released in Early
2021
3:2 2.7K
12.3”
1824p 60Hz
Weight
1.70 lb
0.77 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1165G7
4C/8T, 2.80 → 4.70 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,374
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,487
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Pro 7 Plus Ports
Released in Mid
2015
3:2 2.7K
12.3”
1824p 60Hz
Weight
1.69 lb
0.77 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-6650U
2C/4T, 2.20 → 3.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
764
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,757
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Graphics 540
48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM side cache, 300 → 1050 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Pro 4 Ports

Comparison Summary

Surface Pro 7 Plus vs. Surface Pro 4

Microsoft has released the Surface Pro 7 Plus, a 12.3-inch machine, in early-2021. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1165G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.70 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 was introduced by Microsoft about six years earlier in mid-2015. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-6650U with a boost clock speed up to 3.40 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Graphics 540 (48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM side cache, 300 → 1050 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Pro 7 Plus1
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G41,16384.64%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G71,19586.97%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G71,374100.00%
Surface Pro 41
6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y3046533.84%
2
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U58642.65%
3
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6650U76455.60%
01,374

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Pro 7 Plus1
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G42,44554.49%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G73,98088.70%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G74,487100.00%
Surface Pro 41
6th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-6Y301,05823.58%
2
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U1,31929.40%
3
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6650U1,75739.16%
04,487

Both Surface Pro 7 Plus and Surface Pro 4 have the same 12.3-inch display size. In addition, the Surface Pro 7 Plus weighs 1.70 lbs. about 0% heavier than the 1.69 lbs. Surface Pro 4. Moreover, measured at 11.5” x 7.9” x 0.33”, the Surface Pro 7 Plus is just as portable as the Surface Pro 4 at 11.5” x 7.93” x 0.33”.

Surface Pro 7 PlusSurface Pro 4

There are a toal number of 7 ports and slots available on Surface Pro 7 Plus. That includes a headphone jack, a USB-C port, a USB-A port, a Surface Connect, a Surface Type Cover, a microSD card slot, and a nanoSIM card slot. With that said, it has a port or slot more than the Surface Pro 4 that has a headphone jack, a Mini DisplayPort, a USB-A port, a Surface Connect, a Type Cover port, and a microSD card slot.

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Pro 7 Plus supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Surface Pro 4, it supports up to 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Like Surface Pro 7 Plus, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed.

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