When Microsoft announced the Surface Pro last May, it said it was going to release a version with LTE before December. It did release the LTE version but availability was limited to business users only.

Starting today, anyone can pre-order the LTE version of the Surface Pro from Microsoft or Best Buy. The key difference between this and the non-LTE model is the presence of a LTE modem (Qualcomm’s X16 modem). This allows users to connect to the internet by throwing in a nano-SIM slot or using the eSIM on board.

It actually comes with both options and there is a settings menu to let you witch between the nano SIM or eSIM if you happen to have a data plan on both.

The internals are still the same. You get a 7th-gen Core i5 7300U processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage or 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Price is $1,149 and $1,449 respectively. The above prices doesn’t include the Surface Pen and Surface Keyboard as you have to purchase those separately.

One would think that the delay in availability would mean the device would come with an 8th-gen processor, but that didn’t happen. It is also not available in a Core i7 configuration.

If the Surface Pro with LTE is expensive for you, then you can wait for the Always Connected PCs with LTE and ARM processors (Snapdragon 835) to go on sale.

READ MORE: Microsoft Surface Phone With Snapdragon 845 In The Works- Rumour

The already announced ones like the ASUS NovaGo has a better battery life (up to 22 hours) than what you will get on the Surface Pro and also has a cheaper price tag. The 8GB RAM + 256GB model is priced at $799 and it comes with a non-detachable keyboard.

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