Just posted the following review of the SP4 at http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en\_US/pdp/productID.325711500 - Not that I expect it to ever see the light of day...
Review Title: A+ Concept, F- Execution
I previously owned a Surface Pro 3 - perhaps the best computer I've ever owned, but the Surface Pro 4 is nothing like it, despite appearances.
If it worked as advertised, this would be the best PC on the market by a long way.
Unfortunately, Surfaces using Intel's Skylake chips are rife with very serious hardware and firmware bugs, mostly related to video drivers and power management issues, some of which are so severe that they are potential safety concerns.
Here are just a few common SP4 problems, which persist even after waiting months for the "2/17/2016" update that was supposed to fix them.
Since then, Microsoft refuses to acknowledge continuing problems, despite nearly 1500 complaints on one thread alone:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpro4-surfdrivers/surface-pro-4-screen-wont-wake-from-sleep/aed66dc7-289a-4300-a167-ab8394b7df06?page=94
(Link is to forum after 2/17) Read through the dozens of pages of issues BEFORE buying an SP4!
- When put to sleep, the SP4 often does not shut down, but continues running, creating a potentially hazardous "hot bag" condition (too hot to touch!), both draining and destroying the long-term
lifespan of the non-replaceable battery.
- The SP4 does not wake reliably, or often, at all, especially (but not only) with the Type Cover attached.
The system "wakes" running, but with a dark screen and completely unresponsive.
The ONLY way to recover is to force power-off (hold down power button for 20 seconds), then cold boot the entire machine again (followed, of course, by relaunching all your programs.)
This process can corrupt data, including, sometimes, Windows itself, which is why I'm on my second SP4...
- The display drivers are better after 2/17, but still draw garbage on the screen in some apps, cause occasional crashes, and sometimes don't work reliably with external monitors.
- Many owners with either a Surface dock or the older (but compatible) Surface Pro 3 dock experience intermittent, but serious problems with docking/undocking and connections to hardware through
the docks.
I really want to love the SP4, but it has more, and more serious, problems than any other computer or tablet I've ever owned.
Microsoft's silence on these problems is not comforting.