Was verbirgt sich unter der Oberfläche von Microsofts aktuellstem Tablet? Nun viel bekannte und verbesserte Hardware:

10,6 Zoll ClearType FullHD Display mit einer Auflösung von 1920x1080 Pixeln

Intel CORE i5 Prozessor der 4. Generation

WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n)+Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy

64GB/128GB oder 256GB/512GB SSD Speicherkapazität

4GB RAM (Modelle mit 64GB/128GB Speicher) oder 8GB RAM (Modelle mit 256GB/512GB Speicher)

Zwei 720p HD Kameras ( Front- und Rückkamera)

Full-Size USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort und einen microSDXC Kartenleser

The Surface Pro 2 sports a 2-stage kickstand, with options for a 24 or 40-degree viewing angle.

Oh, how kickstands have progressed since we were kids …

The kickstand is secured with two screws. Happily, our new Pro Tech Screwdriver Set includes the perfect T5 Torx driver to reach in and get this teardown started.

The kickstand comes off with little fuss, but if the previous model is any indication, repairability issues will soon begin to … show themselves.

As pacifists, we prefer our trusty iOpener. But when pushed, we're not afraid to push back with the big (heat) guns.

Time to poke a plethora of picks under the now-molten adhesive. The use of oodles of dainty picks over brute force ensures our ribbon cables' protection.

We slowly but surely free the Surface Pro 2's display, trapped like a baby diplodocus in a treacherous tar pit of black adhesive.

We flick aside four ribbon cables, and with that, this tablet's internals are revealed to the world.

At first glance things look eerily similar to last time, although the motherboard is a pretty new shade of ...blue? Green?

Before we can poke or prod any components, we'll first have to extract the dozens of screws holding this sucker together.

And whaddya know—it's the same 52 screws (of 3 different sizes) seen in the previous generation, holding in a plastic bezel and two metal brackets.

Finally, the motherboard is free and we can get at the fun stuff.

Changes to the cooling methods from the original Surface Pro are strictly software-based: the fans remain the same, but run less frequently to minimize power usage.

If you fancy a little copper with your tablet, the Surface Pro 2 has it: a notebook-worthy heat sink rounds out the cooling.

We've got storage! This time around, Microsoft shifts from a Micron/Marvell combination to one single IC manufacturer, SK Hynix.

SK Hynix HFS128G3AMNB 128 GB mSATA 6.0 Gbps SSD, using:

SK Hynix H27QEGDVEBLR 32 GB NAND Flash (four ICs for 128 GB total)

SK Hynix H5PS2G63JMR 32 MB DDR2 SDRAM

Link A Media LM87800AA SSD Controller

The ICs on the front side of the motherboard may look like little black squares on the (ahem) outside, but underneath they house some high-tech brainpower:

SK Hynix H9CCNNN8JTML 8 Gb (1 GB) LPDDR3 RAM (total of 4 * 1 GB = 4 GB)

Atmel MXT154E Touchscreen Controllers

Atmel UC256L3U 256KB Flash, 32-bit AVR Microcontroller

Winbond 25X40CL1G 4M-bit Serial Flash

Parade PS6625

Realtek ALC3230 Audio Codec

Atmel U1320J

Yet more ICs adorn this side of the motherboard:

Realtek RTS5304

MXIC MX25L4006EZNI 4Mbit SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) Flash

Novatek NT96132QG

Texas Instruments TPS5162 (ACTIVE) 2-Phase DCAP+ Step-Down Controller

ITE IT8528VG

Texas Instruments TPS51367 Integrated FET Converter with Ultra-Low Quiescent

The ICy party continues on the back side of the motherboard:

Intel Core i5-4200U Processor

Novatek NT96132QG

Marvell Avastar 88W8797 Integrated 2x2 WLAN/Bluetooth/FM Single-Chip SoC

Winbond 25Q128FVSQ Serial Flash presumably the next generation of the previous 25Q64FV

Texas Instruments TPS51367 Integrated FET Converter with Ultra-Low Quiescent

Winbond 25X05CL Serial Flash

Microsoft still adheres the battery to the rear case and still warns users not to remove it.

If you're looking for the secret of the Surface Pro 2's juiced-up battery life, look elsewhere: this is the exact same "Escalade" 42 Wh battery we saw earlier this year.

The two battery cells are wrangled by a Texas Instruments BQ30Z55 cowpoke battery pack manager.

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Repairability Score: 1 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)

The battery is not soldered to the motherboard—so it can be replaced without soldering, if not without great difficulty.

The SSD can be replaced, but not without first risking damage to the tablet simply by opening it.

There are over 90 screws inside this device. Mechanical fasteners are great, but frankly, we draw the line at 89.

The display assembly consists of a fused glass panel and LCD, and is extremely difficult to remove and replace.

Tons of adhesive hold everything in place, including the display and battery.

The delicate and arduous opening procedure leaves no room for mistakes: one slip-up, and you'll likely shear one of the four ribbon cables in the edge of the display.