IT’S BEEN FIVE years since Microsoft’s first debuted the Surface tablet. At the time, a slim slate that could also replace your laptop was a crazy idea. But the thinking around that concept—and the PC industry—has changed so much in the intervening years that Microsoft just calls its fifth Surface machine the “ultimate laptop.” No additional qualifiers needed. In reality, it’s not quite the ultimate laptop, as Microsoft claims. The Surface can use some smoothing. But when it comes to 2-in-1 devices that can switch modes between drawing and typing, between work and play, the 2017 Surface Pro is just about as good as it gets. Microsoft seems content with the Surface Pro’s design at this point. The entire tablet is nearly identical to the 2015 Surface Pro 4 , which looked a lot like the Surface Pro 3 . It’s a reasonably thin 12-inch tablet with a nice, adjustable kickstand. The only real change you’ll notice here is the keyboard, which is still sold separately f...