Surface Pro 4 features Google's Project Tango-like IR projector

Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 is something beyond just a tablet that will "replace your laptop". It features a new IR (infrared) projector that is now found to be quite similar to the one available in Google's Project Tango.

The iFixit team in a Surface Pro 4 teardown has found the presence of the new IR projector that Google added to the Surface Pro 4. The projector is available alongside an IR camera to enable Windows Hello facial recognition feature on the tablet. However, it could offer the same functionality of Project Tango that Google unveiled in March last year. "In the sensor bar we find what is probably an IR projector, like the one found in Project Tango," the team wrote in a blog post. "It should enable the IR camera to recognize your face and unlock your computer with the Windows Hello feature. Hello, computer."

The first tablet under Project Tango had an infrared meter and infrared camera to create 3D models. The Surface Pro 4, on the other hand, uses the same technology to offer an enhanced level of security, by using Windows Hello. Although facial detection is not a new feature, Microsoft says the newly- released Windows Hello offers a "more personal way" to let users securely sign in to their Windows 10 devices.

Apart from revealing the IR projector, iFixit shows that the Surface Pro 4 has a fused glass and a unibody design that makes it hard to repair. The team also found new copper heat pipes and a large copper plate on the new tablet to offer an enhanced heat sinking computing experience. The copper plate extends over the battery pack to reduce heat generation.

The Surface Pro 4 is initially available in the US and Canada at a starting price of $899 (£588). It comes with optional Surface Pro 4 Type Cover and Surface Dock.