Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
  • See All Topics
  • Sponsored
  • Newsletters
  • Forums
  • Resource Library
TechRepublic Premium
Join / Sign In
Hardware

Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

By Brandon Vigliarolo April 6, 2017, 10:22 AM PDT on Twitter bviglia

Image
1
of 11

0-surface-pro-4.jpg
0-surface-pro-4.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

A tablet PC that really works

Image: Microsoft

A tablet PC that really works

Microsoft has arguably struck gold with the Surface Pro series. They’re more and more popular with graphic designers and others who rely on Wacom technology for their jobs, and even people who don’t digitally design find them to be great portable PCs.

Surface fans are waiting anxiously for news of a Surface Pro 5 release, but there’s no word on when it will come. For now you’ll have to stick with your Surface Pro 4, so here are some accessories you can pick up to make it even more useful.

Image: Microsoft
1-power-adapter.jpg
1-power-adapter.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​65W power supply

Image: Microsoft

​65W power supply

Tired of long charging times from that 36W charger that came with your SP4? Upgrade to a 65W charger to minimize your charge time. Faster charges equals more time spent unplugged and on the move.

Image: Microsoft
2-tips.jpg
2-tips.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​Surface Pen Tip Kit

Image: Microsoft

​Surface Pen Tip Kit

Some Surface Pen users have complained about the “stickiness” of the stock pen tip, so Microsoft released a set of four different tips with varying hardnesses. The tips use the HB graphite scale, which denotes the hardness of different kinds of pencil lead.

The tips, from hardest to softest, are 2H, H, HB, and B. The Surface Pen comes with an HB tip out of the box, so in reality you only have three options to play with if you buy this kit.

Image: Microsoft
3-pen.jpg
3-pen.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​A spare Surface Pen

Image: Microsoft

​A spare Surface Pen

Sure, the SP4 comes with a Surface Pen, but it’s the size of a pen, which makes it prone to disappearing just like its cheaper analog cousins. It’s not a bad idea to have a spare lying around, and to make things better a new Surface Pen comes with a tip kit as well.

Image: Microsoft
4-dial.jpg
4-dial.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​Surface Dial

Image: Microsoft

​Surface Dial

Speaking of input devices, the Surface Dial can really expand your SP4’s capabilities. It can be used to change colors on brushes, manipulate 3D objects, and even turn the volume on your music up and down.

The Surface Dial isn’t cheap, but it’s worth it if you find yourself wishing you had quicker access to often use shortcuts.

Image: Microsoft
5-keyboard.jpg
5-keyboard.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID

Image: Microsoft

​Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID

The type cover was one of the Surface’s coolest innovations, and the new series that’s compatible with the SP3 and SP4 goes even further: It has physical keys instead of a touch surface, and there’s even a version that comes with a fingerprint sensor. Now you can save yourself those precious seconds spent typing your password!

Image: Microsoft
6-mouse.jpg
6-mouse.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition

Image: Microsoft

​Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition

If using a mouse is more your style you’ll find a good match for your SP4 with the Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition. This neat little mouse collapses down to fit into a bag or case and can pop right back up for use. I’ve used an older version of the Arc Touch and I quite liked it.

Microsoft also says this one works from 30 feet away, so if you frequently find yourself controlling your surface from across a large room this is a mouse worth having.

Image: Microsoft
7-dock.jpg
7-dock.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​Surface Dock

Image: Microsoft

​Surface Dock

If your SP4 spends a lot of time in one place you should consider a Surface Dock. This small unit adds two Mini DisplayPorts, four USB 3.0 ports, an audio out, and a gigabit ethernet port to your Surface Pro, giving you the freedom to turn that portable machine into a hub of desktop creativity.

Image: Microsoft
8-surface-adapters.jpg
8-surface-adapters.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​Adapter Kit

Image: Amazon

​Adapter Kit

Microsoft offers three different adapters for the SP4: Mini DisplayPort to HDMI, Mini DisplayPort to VGA, and USB to Ethernet. Purchased separately those three adapters would cost you $119.97, but there is a cheaper alternative available on Amazon.

StarTech offers a three pack of identical adapters for just $54.99–that’s only $15 more than a single adapter from Microsoft. I’m not going to vouch for the quality of StarTech’s adapter kit, but at half the price of buying three from Microsoft it’s too good a deal to pass up.

Image: Amazon
9-screen-protector.jpg
9-screen-protector.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

PrivacyShield screen protector

Image: Microsoft

PrivacyShield screen protector

The last thing you want on that thousand dollar machine is a scratched screen. With a PrivacyShield screen protector you can not only protect your device but also get privacy from prying eyes. If your Surface Pro 4 spends a lot of time in public with you get one of these, especially if you work on confidential designs!

Image: Microsoft
10-cases.jpg
10-cases.jpg
Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

​A nice fancy case or sleeve

Image: Microsoft

​A nice fancy case or sleeve

There are dozens of SP4 cases, slips, covers, and sleeves to choose from, making the one you pick a personal aesthetic choice. You can go hardy if you want protection, get a cool vertical messenger bag, or choose from designs from Kate Spade.

The bottom line: You need something to protect your investment and there’s no reason it needs to be purely functional.

Also see

  • Microsoft Surface Pro 4: The smart person’s guide (TechRepublic)
  • Subscribe to TechRepublic’s Microsoft Weekly newsletter
  • Hardware procurement policy (Tech Pro Research)
Image: Microsoft
  • Hardware
  • Microsoft
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

    Your email has been sent

Share: Gallery: 10 great accessories for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4
Image of Brandon Vigliarolo
By Brandon Vigliarolo
Brandon is a Staff Writer for TechRepublic. He's an award-winning feature and how-to writer who previously worked as an IT professional and served as an MP in the US Army.
  • Account Information

    Contact Brandon Vigliarolo

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Brandon's content

TechRepublic Premium

  • TechRepublic Premium

    Best of Confluent Current 2023: The State of Data Streaming

    TechRepublic Premium was at Confluent’s Current 2023 event, held in San Jose, California, September 26-27. Our coverage of the event comprises an analysis of data streaming, interviews, the role of stream governance and a look at Apache Flink. From the download: Confluent used the Current 2023 ‘next generation of Kafka Summit’ event in San Jose ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Quick Glossary: Fintech

    Fintech is a fast changing landscape that constantly introduces cutting-edge ideas and developments. TechRepublic Premium presents this quick glossary of fintech terms and concepts to help you understand technological breakthroughs and make educated decisions. From the glossary: DECENTRALIZED FINANCE Often referred to as DeFi, this utilizes emerging technology to remove third parties and central financial ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 8:52 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Anti-Money Laundering Policy

    Money laundering poses a detrimental impact on businesses and the economy as a whole. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, the amount of money laundered around the world in a single year is presumed to be 2–5% of global GDP, which is roughly $800 billion to $2 trillion. The purpose of ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 9:14 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Hiring Kit: Video Game Audio Engineer

    Modern video games rely on a cornucopia of sounds to engage and engross players. Whether it is ambient sound to set the mood, music to invoke a feeling or dialog to tell the story, sound is vital to the immersive experience of a video game. The individual responsible for meshing all those disparate sounds together ...

    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 10:00 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles

Services

  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • Careers

Explore

  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Twitter
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on Flipboard
© 2023 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Property of TechnologyAdvice