Whether one views Microsoft’s Surface line of 2-in-1 tablet devices as energizing or cannibalizing the sales of other PC manufacturers, one thing’s for certain: they’ve made quite a splash in the market. In a time where innovation and inspiration are of utmost criticality, Microsoft’s engineers have stepped up to the plate to elaborate on an undeniably novel and in many ways downright amazing concept which has encouraged a paradigm shift in the world of personal computing. Need a tablet? Need a laptop? Why not have both in one device?

For all their merits, it’s probably fairly unanimous that the Surface line has yet to approximate the full benefits of a top-grade Ultrabook. But its feature set and strengths lie elsewhere: it doesn’t seek to just be a top-grade Ultrabook, but also a more-than-competent tablet. Like many other modern detachables, the Surface faces the daunting task of uniting two traditionally separate computing universes under the same umbrella while minimizing pesky compromises. And it does so while focusing most heavily on adopting tablet-specific benefits, such as a large, bright touchscreen, quiet (or silent) operation, extremely low weight and small form factor, and even an optional digitizer pen—all while still maintaining a solid foundation as a functional PC.

As chipsets become ever-more efficient, the unification of these previously disparate markets is becoming increasingly practical. As the Surface series of machines progressed beyond the first generation (just three years ago!), the focus shifted away from increased processing power and instead toward enhanced portability and lower power consumption. This was first evident in the Surface Pro 3, which saw a significant reduction in the size and weight of the device versus the previous generation. However, for all its engineering brilliance, the machine still fell short in a few key areas: namely, constrained performance (and high heat) under load, a less-than-stellar keyboard, suboptimal lap usage, and absolutely zero possibilities for maintenance and repair.

Although the Surface Pro 4 features a nearly identical form factor and weight (only slightly reduced), it continues the drift toward greater efficiency and portability. But it also widens the array of options available to consumers: still available are the top-end Core i5 and i7 CPUs, now buoyed by an enhanced Skylake chipset refresh. But perhaps even more intriguing is what’s developed on the lower-end of the spectrum: a model featuring an Intel Core m3-6Y30 CPU (with a TDP of just 4.5 W) which is passively-cooled. This essentially positions the lowest-end Surface Pro 4 configuration directly against modern passively-cooled tablets, which is yet another encroachment upon their slice of the market.

Speaking of which, our review unit is the lowest-end $899 MSRP model (up from $799 MSRP for the cheapest SP3), featuring the aforementioned Intel Core m3-6Y30 CPU, 4 GB dual-channel LPDDR3 RAM, and 128 GB NVMe SSD. We also will be taking a detailed look at the revised Type Cover and Surface Pen. Could this finally be the tablet that replaces your laptop?