There's no doubt in our minds that the Surface Pro 3 was a success. In fact, with its flagship tablet, Microsoft went so far as to inspire its manufacturing partners to make their own ribbon winning 2-in-1s in a similar vein. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that when the next iteration rolled out, the Surface Pro 4 made only slight revisions over its predecessor. But we're not complaining.

The slimmer form factor and increased exhibit size do wonders for the Surface Pro 4. Plane the Type Imbricate keyboard has seen subtle changes. While it may not seem like much on the surface (ha), Microsoft Devices team lead Panos Panay and visitor have written a love letter with the Surface Pro 4 to their long-time supporters who've taken the time to issue feedback withal the way.

It's remoter vestige that Microsoft is listening, and its response is stellar.

Recent developments

Although a true successor to the Surface Pro 4 may be on the way, that hasn't stopped Microsoft from making improvements to goody the current Surface lineup. Now donning the most popular OS in the US, there’s no doubt the visitor is putting its success to good use.

Pretty soon, for instance, you’ll be worldly-wise to take wholesomeness of improved security efforts from Windows 10. The Windows Defender Security Center, as it’s titled, promises to bring to the forefront options that were previously veiled overdue myriad windows of cumbersome text. 

And, if you’ve been holding out for Microsoft to requite your Surface Pro 4 the whet when it comes to gaming, you’re in luck. Windows 10 Game Mode, equal to Xbox engineer Kevin Gammill, will soon prioritize games over tasks running in the preliminaries for a smoother experience.

Now, let's discuss Microsoft's winning hardware diamond already, shall we?

Design and display

Perhaps the most obvious way in which this year's Surface Pro model is iterative is its looks. The same all-magnesium, unibody casing is still here, though the "Surface" logo has been replaced in favor of Microsoft's new logo in chrome.

Microsoft managed to up the device's screen size by a few hairs, from the 2014 model's straight 12 inches to this year's 12.3 inches, without well-expressed its footprint at all. That is, unless you count the Redmond firm shaving over half a millimeter off of its thickness, from 9.1mm to 8.4mm this year – all while maintaining support for full-fat mobile processors.

How did they do it?

For one, Microsoft's product team decided it was time the capacitive Windows sawed-off said goodbye, expressly with Windows 10 providing easy wangle to the Start menu, thus the uneaten room for that three tenths of an inch.

Secondly, the team managed to bring the display's optical stack – the series of sensors, diodes and pixels underneath the glass – plane closer to the glass this time around, a key point of Microsoft's trademarked PixelSense screen technology. This helped the firm bring the slate's thickness lanugo by half a millimeter.

The idea here is to bring the sensor elements of the touchscreen as tropical to your finger or Surface Pen as possible, and it works vitally well. The exhibit is incredibly responsive to touch, and the remoter sensitivity it brings to the stylus wits is huge. In tandem with the new Surface Pen, the screen detects 1,024 levels of pressure, plane during a single stroke.

Now, let's talk pixels. Plane though it really didn't have to, Microsoft went and boosted the Surface Pro's resolution from 2,160 x 1,440 (216 ppi, or pixels per inch) in the old model to 2,736 x 1,824. That makes for a huge 267 ppi put along by the Surface Pro 4, which blows its main rival, the MacBook Air (128 ppi for the 13-inch), out of the water and narrowly edges out Apple's new, 12.9-inch iPad Pro at 264 ppi.

But increasingly importantly, the new screen proves to be far increasingly luminous and increasingly verisimilitude well-judged than the Surface Pro 3 exhibit at all splendor levels, as you can unmistakably see. That's unseat to be a key selling point for creative folks, namely artists and designers that have yet to leave the Wacom tablet and calibrated monitor philharmonic behind.

For the rest of us, it simply ways increasingly realistic-looking movies and increasingly vibrant photos and games. However, considering Microsoft kept to its rare 3:2 speciality ratio to weightier emulate the notepad wits for the stylus users, you'll see plane thicker woebegone bars sandwiching your favorite films in 16:9 – and plane increasingly so for those in 21:9, or widescreen format.

It's a pearly snooping for folks that watch plenty of movies and TV on a tablet. But fear not, workers, for you're the very reason Microsoft made this decision. The 3:2 speciality ratio is wider and shorter than 4:3, but taller and slightly increasingly narrow than 16:9, the most worldwide speciality ratio for TV and desktop (and laptop) screens today. The result is a middle ground between the two that is platonic for both photo and diamond or drafting work, wherein 3:2 is much increasingly common, as well as getting computational work done, given the uneaten vertical space.

Surface Pen and Type Cover

To weightier make use of that uneaten space, Microsoft has given its Surface Pen and Type Imbricate traps some serious upgrades. In wing to the same 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, the new-and-included Surface Pen is redesigned to finger increasingly like a pencil. The stylus now has one unappetizing side, as if a Number 2 pencil had all but two of its angles rounded off.

The reason for this is two fold. For one, this stylus is plane increasingly well-appointed to hold than the last as a result – your alphabetize finger rests just whilom the main function sawed-off on the unappetizing end. Secondly, this surface (no pun intended) is coated with thin, powerful strip magnets that indulge it to cling onto the tablet's left side. The age of stylus loops is over.

The Pen moreover sports a new, and unquestionably functional, eraser sawed-off up top that not only does what it says on the tin, but offers up three unique use cases. In wing to opening OneNote with a single press, the sawed-off now takes a screenshot and then opens OneNote with a double press. Finally, a long printing summons Cortana to wordplay to your every whim.

Microsoft seems to have expertly weighted the Surface Pen to make it finger not much heavier than your stereotype clickable pen, despite all of the tech inside. Plus, now that Microsoft offers spare pen tips right out of the box only sweetens the pot.

Coupled with Microsoft's PixelSense display, the duo makes for the weightier stylus wits I've had on a tablet yet for as little as I'm wont to use it. Now, I'm no versifier or designer, but between the superb palm detection and the verism and nuance of the Pen tracking, the Surface Pro 4 looks to have Microsoft's weightier shot at luring in that prod yet.

Sorry, ungifted folk, but these improvements scrutinizingly stake in comparison with the Redmond firm's new-and-still-not-included Type Cover. This time around, Microsoft managed to profoundly widen the spacing between the keys for a chiclet-style approach. What this does is make keeping track of which keys your fingers are on by finger much easier, and it allows for each key to be individually backlit.

The new Type Imbricate is moreover slightly thicker and far increasingly rigid than before, permitting for deeper key travel and punchier feedback – not to mention a sturdier, quieter surface to type on – that brings it so much closer to the true palmtop keyboard. Panay's team moreover managed to widen the touchpad and stratify it in glass rather than plastic.

These two huge improvements make a world of difference in answering the question of whether Microsoft's tablet can replace your laptop. The Surface Pro 3's keyboard imbricate was excruciatingly tropical to honestly providing a laptop-level typing experience. Now, the new Type Imbricate has all but sealed that gap.

Microsoft upgraded the Surface Pro 4's Type Imbricate with biometric functionality. The Surface Pro 4 Type Imbricate with Fingerprint ID has gone on sale in the US and Australia at a forfeit of £135 (around $192 or AUS$258). The new keyboard cover, which is only misogynist in black, uses Windows Hello to login to the Surface with a fingertip press. The scanner can moreover authorise app purchases from the Windows Store, and considering the keyboard is backwards compatible, it can be used with the Surface Pro 3 too.

First reviewed: October 2015

Kane Fulton and Gabe Carey have moreover unsalaried to this review

With Microsoft so bullish on perfecting its vision of the tablet takeover, you largest believe that the firm would stack it up versus the inspiration for Ultrabooks, Apple's MacBook Air, yet again. (Though, Microsoft seems to have dropped the iPad comparison perfectly this time around.)

And unsurprisingly, as far as dimensions are concerned, the Surface Pro 4 is indeed increasingly portable than the 13-inch MacBook Air, if only due to its smaller screen. Microsoft's slate comes in at 11.5 x 7.93 x 0.33 inches (W x D x H), or 292.10 x 201.42 x 8.4mm, meanwhile Apple's leading palmtop measures 11.8 x 7.56 x 0.68 inches (32.5 x 22.7 x 1.7cm). Naturally, the Surface Pro 4's 1.73 pounds (786g) is far lighter than the 2.96-pound (1.35kg) MacBook Air's weight on your back.

Now, how well-nigh how Microsoft's latest measures up versus one of the weightier 2-in-1 laptops since, well, the Surface Pro 3? The 13.3-inch HP Spectre x360 measures a way beefier 12.79 x 8.6 x 0.63 inches (32.4 x 21.8 x 1.6cm) and weighs 3.26 pounds (1.47 kg). It's just one of the cons with hybrids that go into it laptop-first.

Now, let's see whether Surface Pro 4 can still play wittiness when it comes to value. Here's the Surface Pro 4 configuration that Microsoft provided techradar for review:

Spec sheet

• CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-6300U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 3GHz with Turbo Boost)
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
• RAM: 8GB LPDDR3
• Screen: 12.3-inch, 2,736 x 1,824 PixelSense exhibit (Contrast ratio: 1,300:1, 100% sRGB color, 10-point multi-touch, 3:2 speciality ratio)
• Storage: 256GB SSD (PCIe 3.0)
• Ports: 1x USB 3.0, mini DisplayPort, microSD vellum reader (UHS-I), headphone/mic jack
• Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi (2 x 2 MIMO), Bluetooth 4.0 (Low Energy)
• Cameras: 8MP rear-facing, auto-focus camera (1080p HD); 5MP front-facing, 1080p HD camera
• Weight: 1.73 pounds
• Size: 11.5 x 7.93 x 0.36 inches (W x D x H)

What you see here is the slightly-higher-than-mid-range version of the Surface Pro 4, which will set you when a tomfool $1,299 (£1,079, AU$1,999) – and that's surpassing picking up a $129 (£109, AU$199) Type Cover. That said, it would be smart to go with either this model or the one just unelevated it, with the same Core i5 and half the RAM and storage, for $999 (£849, AU$1,499).

The entry-level Surface Pro 4 comes housing an Intel Core m3 processor, rather than the undoubtedly snappier, updated Intel Core i3 (it ran Haswell-generation Core i3 last year), and the same value of storage and memory. Plus, at $899 (£749, AU$1,349), asks for $100 increasingly than the baseline Pro 3 did at launch.

Frankly, it's not a unconfined value, and – oddly unbearable – Microsoft hides the option to purchase the Core m3 version outright overdue a "Configure Your Device" sawed-off on its US web store.

But what well-nigh the Apple's notebook? For the same price as the Surface Pro 4 configuration listed out above, you could get a 13-inch MacBook Air with a dual-core, 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor with Intel HD Graphics 6000, 128GB of PCIe wink storage and 8GB of RAM.

It's by no ways an apples to apples comparison, of course. The Pro 4 has a 12.3-inch, Retina-rivaling touchscreen, while the MacBook Air has a barely HD, 13.3-inch touch-free screen. Apple's palmtop offers increasingly ports and longer shower life, while Microsoft's tablet comes with a stylus and rivals most Ultrabooks once its Type Imbricate is attached. I could go on.

Now, the Spectre x360 makes for an easier comparison, and on paper does seem to stretch your dollar a lot further. For the same price as the Surface Pro 4 unit in question, you could buy HP's leading Ultrabook well-constructed with a current, dual-core Intel Core i7 tweedle – not i5 – with Intel HD Graphics 520. This package matches the Surface for RAM and storage, meanwhile tripling its USB ports and ultimatum to last two hours longer on a charge.

Then again, it's thicker, it's heavier and is by no ways could or should it be a tablet replacement in the way that the Surface Pro 4 can be a palmtop replacement. As it turns out, the Surface Pro line still has so few, if any, worthy uncontrived comparisons.

So, is the Surface Pro 4 worthy of opening your wallet? That's a increasingly difficult question to answer, considering – from the new keyboard imbricate to the stylus improvements – everything that you can't quantify well-nigh the device is exactly what makes it so worthwhile.

Focused a bit increasingly on stuff a laptop-lapsing, portable productivity device than plane before, it's a bit easier this time virtually to compare the Surface Pro 4's performance with some key rivals.

Since receiving a replacement review unit from Microsoft that I'm told is self-ruling of the shower issues that marred the first, the unelevated numbers are closer to what you should wits with your own Surface Pro 4.

Benchmarks

• 3DMark: Cloud Gate: 5,873; Sky Diver: 3,673; Fire Strike: 856
• Cinebench CPU: 305 points; Graphics: 37 fps
• Geekbench 3 Single Core: 3,135; Multi-Core: 6,649
• PCMark 8 Home: 2,406
• PCMark 8 Shower Life: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Every performance score here, save for PCMark 8 Home, shows a minor increase from the first unit I tested. It's a good sign that the Surface Pro 4 was once operating at its peak, and that only the shower needed fixing.

The Surface Pro 4 has bested the HP Spectre x360 in scrutinizingly every test by roughly 25%, save for losing by a hair to the device in the PCMark 8 Home test. As for the 13-inch MacBook Air, its multi-core Geekbench 3 (which tests CPUs primarily) score of 5,768 is plenty short of what the Surface achieved.

But ultimately, don't expect to see a major difference between how any of these three machines perform day to day, save for the MacBook Air that will last much longer on a charge. If anything, you might get slightly largest frame rates out of games played on the Surface Pro 4 than on the Spectre x360.

For instance, the Pro 4 runs Hearthstone (my go-to tablet testing game) without a hitch on its highest settings, plane at an automatically-applied, well-timed resolution. Plus, the color-calibrated exhibit makes every element on the game's interactive game boards that much increasingly distracting.

Battery life

Now tested on pre-production hardware that I'm promised has been scrubbed of its shower woes, the Surface Pro 4 produced far largest shower life results than before. Unfortunately, they're still well unelevated not only Microsoft's own claims, but what nomination rivals are worldly-wise to put up.

While arguably the most harsh shower test in our lineup, PCMark 8 Home Shower saw the Pro 4 last 3 hours and 15 minutes, a marked 50% increase from before. Still, the Spectre x360 held out in that test for 4 hours and 38 minutes.

Microsoft's tablet fared much largest on our video playback loop test, with a result of 5 hours and 15 minutes. That's just shy of 45 minutes longer than the initial result, and unbearable to last you on a coast-to-coast US flight. (Both tests were conducted at 50% splendor and with all lighting and radios off save for Wi-Fi.)

In a somewhat similar test, the MacBook Air was worldly-wise to stream 1080p video over Wi-Fi for a whopping 13 hours and 24 minutes. Though, that's thanks in large part to a far lower-resolution exhibit and likely a larger battery.

Regardless, Microsoft promises up to 9 hours of video playback on a single charge, and these numbers simply aren't tropical to that. Sure, these figures are far largest than last year's Surface Pro 3, despite the serious screen resolution bump, which should not be overlooked. But they still can't hold a candle to neither Apple's leading palmtop nor its top tablet – much less comparable Windows-running hybrids.

Longevity, or lack thereof, then is well-nigh the only thing well-nigh the Surface Pro 4 that's holding it when from truly, honestly replacing your palmtop – or at least your MacBook Air specifically. Otherwise, the machine offers somewhat below-average lasting power.

Bundled software

Being a Microsoft-built and sold device, the Surface Pro 4 doesn't come with any shady third-party software. Every Surface unit from here likely until the end of time will come packing OneNote, Microsoft's new-and-improved note taking app for use with the included Surface Pen.

Other than that, this review unit came with room made misogynist for Flipboard and the New York Times Crossword puzzle app. You could delete those as soon as you marching up the Surface Pro 4 for the first time, or you could requite them a try.

Repairabilty

When you splash out a big wad of mazuma on a device like the Surface Pro 4, it's only natural to want to know if it can be wracked unshut and repaired, should the need arise. Unfortunately, Microsoft's tablet isn't very repair-friendly, earning a lowly 2 out of 10 from iFixit.

The website pointed to difficulties removing the Surface Pro 4's exhibit and battery, which are both held lanugo with "very strong adhesive", making removal not only difficult, but downright hazardous. On the plus side, iFixit found that its SSD was easy to remove and replace.

Iterative isn't often a word you exclaim or say with pride when discussing the latest entry in a series of video games, movies or expressly tech products. But smart iteration is exactly what the Surface Pro 4 needed to finally make good on Microsoft's mission that tablets can be laptops, too, and the firm delivered just that in spades.

We liked

What immediately comes to mind when thinking of the Surface Pro 4's, well, pros, is the vastly improved Type Cover. Using the Surface Pro 3's Type Imbricate and moving onto the new hotness truly is like night and day, not to mention seeing them side by side. Largely through the improved Type Cover, the Surface Pro 4 can finally offer a nigh laptop-grade typing experience.

The improved resolution and new optical stack technology, PixelSense, coupled with 100% sRGB color, makes for one of the weightier displays I've overly seen or touched on a tablet. It might not be the weightier for movies, but for those looking to get things done, this screen is surf of the crop.

We disliked

The fact that the Type Imbricate is still sold separately, not plane as part of a bundle, sure makes the whole "tablet that can replace your laptop" spiel a harder pill to swallow. Sure, Microsoft likely will make a killing on individual retail sales from the diehard fans, but what well-nigh the stereotype Weightier Buy shopper seeing this and left tumbled when they realize the "laptop" portion of the offering requires an uneaten 100 or so bucks.

Speaking of which, the Surface Pro 4 comes in asking for increasingly and offering less in its entry-level model than last year, which will be tough to overlook for the upkeep conscious. The power gap between the Core m3 tweedle and the Core i5 is wide unbearable that I'd recommend you not scarecrow with the former. Furthermore, plane without testing an updated unit, the Pro 4 shower life leaves a bit to be desired – despite improving upon the previous model.

Final verdict

So, has Microsoft finally washed-up it? That depends on how considerable of a compromise you consider "somewhat unelevated average" shower life. If that's well-nigh the only thing that Redmond's mission rides on, with the typing, tracking and penning wits vastly improved, then I'd consider the fourth go at it so narrow of a miss that you might be worldly-wise to pass it for everything it does so well.

Even increasingly so than the version surpassing it, I could hands see the Surface Pro 4 rhadamanthine my daily driver, not to mention my comic typesetting reader and Hearthstone and mobile movie machine (I'll deal with the woebegone bars). And that's despite the arguably middling shower life, considering the screen resolution bump. If it can last for a whole cross-country flight, then that's unbearable for me.

Microsoft seems to have captured and unromantic the weightier definition of 'iteration' to scrutinizingly every end of the Surface Pro 4, making it well worth the wait for creative professionals, students and everyday folks alike. Is this finally the tablet to replace your laptop? That's still debatable, though the Pro 4 has surmounted increasingly of what's running versus it than overly before.

Christmas has come and gone, and that ways the biggest shopping period of the year is here — the Boxing Day sales have launched online!

On this page we're listing all the weightier Boxing Day (and Week) deals on all the weightier products at all the most reliable retailers, so that you can hands find your way to the weightier prices for all the weightier tech and gear.

So if you want to pick up a undear stick with us!

Below is a list of all known retailers participating in the Boxing Week sales in Australia, followed by the weightier deals for each major tech product category in specimen you're looking for something specific.

Boxing Day Sales: Store links

Just straight to the deals at Australia’s biggest retailers. Links will unshut in new windows:

• Microsoft Boxing Day deals: The Microsoft Store’s serving up discounts and special offers wideness a wide variety of categories, with some deals ending as late as 3 January 2017.
• Kogan Boxing Day sales: The already-cheap online store is offering remoter discounts on a large variety of tech products ranging from TVs, smartphones and much more, with no end stage specified.
• JB Hi-Fi End of Year Madness: JB's triumphal the season with an end-of-year sale that finishes on 1 January 2017. There’s heaps of discounts wideness a range of products, including TVs and home audio, computing products, cameras and much, much more.
• Myer’s Biggest Stocktake Sale: This store-wide sale offers 15% off the original price of a unconfined range of headphones, portable audio and home theatre systems. The sale is on for a limited time and subject to availability.
• Lenovo Boxing Day sale: This year, Lenovo is hosting a Boxing Week Sale with offers of up to 50% off site wide, ending 30 December 2016, 9pm AEDST.
• EB Games: There’s currently a number of bestselling games and accessories on sale at EB Games, with the store not specifying an end stage for the sale.
• The Gamesmen: You’ll find a huge variety of games, consoles and accessories (both old and new) on sale at this popular Australian retailer until 3 January 2017.
• Dell Boxing Day sale: There’s some huge savings to be had on Dell’s laptops, desktops, 2-in-1s, gaming systems and monitors. Sale ends 29 December 2016.
• The Good Guys: This is a unconfined time to grab some hot offers from The Good Guys while stocks last, and not just on home appliances, but on laptops, cameras and smartphones as well.
• Harvey Norman Half-Yearly Clearance: There’s plenty to chose from in the Harvey Norman sale, albeit for a limited time only, from MacBook Airs to HP’s range of laptops and desktops, from GoPros to Google Chromecasts.

Deal highlights

TV and home entertainment deals:

• Samsung KU6000 70" 4K UHD HDR Smart LED LCD TV - This massive Ultra HD TV with a small price tag is 4K streaming uniform and is now on sale at JB Hi-Fi for $2,496 until 1 January 2017, which is $1,000 off the regular price.
• Sony HTCT790 2.1-channel soundbar - With $400 off at JB Hi-Fi on this Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled soundbar, setting up a home entertainment system is easy. It’s now misogynist for $399, lanugo from $799. This offer, too, is until 1 January 2017.
• Samsung HW-K550 340W soundbar - Save over $200 with this powerful three-channel soundbar from Samsung at The Good Guys, now only $379, lanugo from $596. Sale till stocks last.
• Sony X7500D 65" 4K UHD HDR Android Smart LCD LED TV - If you're looking for big TV at a small price, this 65-incher from Sony is an wool steal. This 4K HDR TV runs on Android and is on sale at The Good Guys for $1,788, a saving of over $700. (End stage not specified.)

Gaming deals:

• Sony PlayStation 4 Slim - Target seems to have to the weightier current price going for a PS4, with this 500GB Slim version selling for just $319 — virtually $30 less than the next-nearest we found and $120 off the RRP. The sale is on until Wednesday, 4 January 2017.
• Xbox One S 1TB Limited Edition Battlefield package - Bundled with four games including Battlefield 1, plus a 4K UHD Blu-ray movie this is one of the weightier Xbox deals virtually — it’s on offer from EB Games for $419. (Sale end stage not specified)
• Xbox One S 500GB and 1TB bundles - The official Microsoft Store has a selection of four variegated Xbox One S bundles misogynist (each with a variegated game) for $349 for the 500GB and $399 for the 1TB versions — a decent saving of $50 and $100 respectively. Buy a 1TB stow and you’ll moreover nab a self-ruling reprinting of Forza Motorsport 6 valued at $79.95. This offer ends 3 January 2017.
• HTC Vive Virtual Reality Headset Kit - Explore virtual reality worlds with this $100 saving on the HTC Vive from Mwave. It’s misogynist for $1,299, but only until 27 December or while stocks last. So hurry or you’ll miss out.
• Watch Dogs 2 (Xbox One/PS4) - Ubisoft’s trademark new open-world action/hacking game is discounted lanugo to $45, or less than half the RRP of $99.95. Sale ends 4 January 2017.
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Xbox One/PS4) - If you haven’t picked up the latest CoD yet, Target is offering up the standard panel version for just $45, virtually half price compared to the RRP of $89.95.
• Titanfall 2 (Xbox One/PS4) - Another popular new release on sale at Target for a deep unbelieve at just $45, or half the RRP.
• Battlefield 1 (Xbox One/PS4) - It’s previously been misogynist for lower, but you can pick up the WWI shooter for a reasonable $62 at Target until 4 January 2017.
• Uncharted 4 (PS4) - The fourth installment in Naughty Dog’s gorgeous adventure-action series is also lanugo to just $49 at Target.
• Major release PS4 and Xbox One games - Alongside those highlighted titles above, Target has a ton of other big-name 2016 games heavily discounted for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles. Highlights include Dishonored 2 for $45, FIFA 17 for $52, No Man’s Sky for $39, Final Fantasy XV for $64, Steep for $55 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for $39. And they're all on sale until 4 January 2017.

Tablet and 2-in-1 deals:

• Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 460 (Core i7) - Lenovo is offering 50% off on the higher-specced model of this 14-inch laptop-cum-tablet — this one runs an Intel Core i7 processor, with 8GB memory and 256GB SSD. This ways you pay only $1,324. This offer ends 9pm AEDST on Friday, 30 December 2016.
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Core i7) - There’s a 36% saving to be had with this ultralight, versatile machine running an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB nonflexible drive. Lenovo is now offering this model for $1,999, lanugo from $3,149. This deal moreover ends at 9pm AEDST on Friday, 30 December.
• Microsoft Surface Pro 4 range - If you’ve been looking to pick up a Surface Pro, there’s 15% off scrutinizingly the unshortened range of devices at Harvey Norman, with prices starting at just $888 for the Core m3 model. (End stage unspecified.)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (Intel Core m3) - This 12.3-inch 2-in-1 is on sale at the Microsoft Store with a 15% saving, with a self-ruling Kate Spade or Jack Spade sleeve (up to $169 value) thrown in with purchase as well. This offer ends 3 January 2017.
• Sleek 12-inch Lenovo 2-in-1 - The Yoga 900S is currently $1,000 (or 50%) off, taking this slim and light 12-inch convertible palmtop down to a tempting $999. Offer ends 30 December.

Laptop, MacBook and PC deals:

• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Core i5/128GB) - Harvey Norman has a variety of Macs on special, but the highlight is this entry-level Core i5/128GB that’s selling for $150 off its usual price of $1,447 at just $1,297. That’s $252 less than the Apple Store price of $1,549. (Sale till stocks last.)
• Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook - Probably the closest equivalent to a MacBook you’ll find in PC form, for this 13.3-inch Ultrabook makes a unconfined little workhorse and is unquestionably TechRadar’s own top pick out of all the Windows laptops currently on the market. Dell’s offering 15-20% off all current models, with prices starting at $1,614. Sale ends 29 December 2016.
• Alienware 15-inch gaming laptop - The newly-updated Alienware 15 gaming palmtop is $480 off the regular price of $2,399 and comes with a speedy Nvidia graphics tweedle (the GeForce GTX 1060), Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD+1TB HDD for storage. Grab it for a decent 20% unbelieve at just $1,919. Offer ends 29 December 2016.
• Alienware VR-ready desktop gaming PC - If you want to get into VR gaming on PC this desktop makes a good entry-level option with a Core i7 CPU and GTX 1060 graphics card. Normally selling for $2,199, it’s discounted by $550 until this Thursday (December 29th), so you can grab it for $1,649.
• 11-inch Dell palmtop for $349 - It’s not something we’d want to be doing serious work on, but if you need a palmtop for the kids or other undemanding tasks then Dell’s Inspiron 11 3000 is currently discounted by $150, lanugo from the RRP of $499. The specs aren’t too bad either, considering the price, with a Pentium CPU, 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. (Offer ends 29 December.)
• All-rounder 15-inch Dell laptop - Lanugo from the usual price of $1,899 this all-rounder can handle a bit of everything (including gaming) thanks to a Core i7 CPU, AMD Radeon R7 M445 graphics tweedle and 16GB of memory plus a 1TB HDD. You can pick up the Inspiron 15 5000 for $1,139. (Offer ends 29 December 2016.)
• HP Spectre 13-V001TU Ultrabook - This ultrathin 13.3-inch Windows 10 palmtop includes a Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD and is $500 off the RRP at $1,699 from Harvey Norman - that’s at least $200 cheaper than the next-nearest retailer we could find. (End stage unspecified.)
• Acer Aspire Swift 7 Ultrabook - It’s been out less than a month, but Acer’s entry into the ultrathin palmtop category is once discounted by $300 at Harvey Norman, where you can find this 13.3-inch Ultrabook for just $1,698. (End stage unspecified.)

Camera and traps deals:

• Georges Cameras is having a three-day sale on a selected range of cameras, lenses and accessories.
• JB Hi-Fi has some great camera deals, including DLSRs, the GoPro Hero+ and the 360fly 360-degree camera. Sale ends on 1 January 2017.

Smartphone deals:

• Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Kogan has significant discounts on iPhone 7s (up to 20% off in some cases). Sale end stage has not been specified.
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus - This water-resistant, dual-SIM Android phone is on sale on Kogan for $299, lanugo from its usual price of $489. (End stage not specified.)
• LG Google Nexus 5X (32GB) - If you want to shoot Ultra HD photos and 4K resolution videos, then Kogan has the LG’s Nexus 5X for $429, lanugo from $695.

Headphone and portable audio deals:

• Bose headphones and speakers - Microsoft is offering savings of up to 20% on Bose audio with prices starting at just $111.20, including the Soundlink cans and the QC35s and QC25s. Sale ends 3 January 2017.
• Onkyo On-Ear Headphones - This is the weightier time to grab one of these as Kogan has the white model for just $49, lanugo from its original $229. (No end stage specified.)
• Sennheiser Urbanite On-Ear Headphones - Kogan is moreover offering savings on the Sennheiser Urbanite headphones, now just $139 instead of their regular price of $299. (No end stage specified.)
• Sony Extra Bass Home Audio System - Light up your party with these Bluetooth speakers for just $369 from Kogan, that’s a saving of $180. (No end stage specified.)

Other deals:

• KitchenAid KSM156 Platinum Stand Mixer - We found a unconfined deal on this KitchenAid stand mixer on Catch of the Day. It can be yours for $649 instead of its original price of $899. (End stage not specified)
• DéLonghi Nespresso Gran Maestria Coffee Machine - Coffee lovers, this one’s for you — Catch of the Day has a massive $267 saving on this coffee machine. It’s now on sale for $399, lanugo from $666.
• Hover Blade - This revolutionary way to ride is now on offer for just $249 at Target, saving you $150. Sale ends 4 January 2017.
• Parrot Disco Drone with FPV Pack - Fly self-ruling with this spanking-new deal from Harvey Norman — not only do you get to have fun with the drone, you plane get the Cockpitglasses and a Skycontroller 2 to enjoy the view, and it’s neatly packaged at $1,897. That’s a saving of $456. (End stage not specified.)
• APC & TechLife magazine subscriptions - If you love tech, now's moreover a unconfined time to grab a subscription to one of TechRadar's sister print titles; these'll make for a unconfined late Xmas souvenir for any geeks in the family! 12-issue subscriptions to APC and TechLife are currently 15% off at just $60 (down from $69), which ways you'll pay a tony $5 per issue — virtually half the imbricate price of $9.95. Note that due to imminent postage-cost increases, this is moreover the last time overly they'll be misogynist at this price! Offer ends 3 January 2017.