I recently snagged the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID and have now had enough time to determine if my purchase was a worthy one. I don’t own a Surface Pro 4, but use this with my Surface Pro 3. I’m still up-in-the-air about acquiring any of Microsoft’s latest devices (Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book). For now, the Surface Pro 3 is still an adequate workhorse and doesn’t suffer from woes experienced by customers who bought early. Announced in October 2015 and shipped in November 2015, both the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book suffered from almost 6 months of problems before recent updates were finally able to solve them. Reports say that next-gen devices won’t ship until Windows 10 Redstone 2 ships sometime in early 2017, so I may simply wait until then to invest in a Surface Pro 3 replacement.
Some of you may be of the same mind, and like me wonder if upgrading to the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover could be enough to make to the Surface Pro 3 feel fresh. After using it for some time, I can say that the upgrade is a worthy one. I took the plunge and am pretty happy with the decision, though, I probably would’ve been just as happy with the Type Cover without the fingerprint reader. So, if you just want to refresh your keyboarding experience without taking advantage of Windows Hello’s biometric capability, the non-fingerprint ID Type Cover still feels like a major upgrade.
Take a look through my commentary in the slideshow above to get my take on the added value.
For $150 for the Fingerprint ID version, it’s hard to stomach handing over the money just to upgrade the keyboarding experience. For $30 less, the non-Fingerprint ID version gives you the same upgraded feel, but without the additional cost. But, if you want to take advantage of the Biometrics and you plan on snagging a Surface Pro 4 eventually, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID is a worthy purchase.
The keyboard experience is much, much improved over the one delivered with the Surface Pro 3. Microsoft has done well to enhance the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover enough to make it feel like a real keyboard instead of an afterthought. It’s amazing how key spacing and larger touchpad can make such a dramatic difference.
Bottom line: The Surface Pro 4 Type Cover (with or without fingerprint ID) is a worthy buy to improve the keyboard experience and to make your Surface Pro 3 feel refreshed and new. The Fingerprint ID capability, in my opinion, is not enough to warrant the extra money.
Both keyboards can be purchased from Microsoft, Best Buy, or a few other retail outlets. But, if you buy one from Amazon as a Prime member, you can get the usual free 2-day shipping perk.
On Amazon.com:
