Microsoft actually revealed 2 new Type Covers today

Along with the big (though not surprising) announcement of the Surface Pro 4 during today’s Windows 10 Devices Event, Microsoft also revealed a brand new Type Cover to accompany it. This new Type Cover was shown to be lighter, thinner, and sturdier than previous models and boasts a newly designed glass track pad (which is four times larger than before), a new-look keyset, and is fully backwards compatible with the Surface Pro 3.
Microsoft also revealed a second new Type Cover during their presentation. Glimpsed during the Surface Pro 4 portion of the show, a new Type Cover features a fingerprint reader next to the track pad which can be used to log in or switch profiles. A cute video was shown featuring Microsoft’s Panos Panay’s two children using the fingerprint reader to change profiles on their new Surface Pro 4 and it was shown to be a major feature of both the Surface Pro 4 and its new Type Cover. It was given such a big focus that it would be easy to assume that all of the new Type Covers came with the fingerprint reader. But they don’t. There are in fact two separate versions of this new cover.
After tracking down the individual product pages on Microsoft’s site, there appears to be some contradictory information in regards to which devices the new Type Covers work with as they claim to only work with the Surface Pro 4 in the specs after being promoted as backwards compatible with Surface Pro 3 during the Windows 10 Devices Event.

As of the time of this writing, both of the new Type Covers are up for pre-order on Microsoft’s website and can be selected via the color variant boxes on the product page and thankfully the store page confirms that both Type Covers will work with both the Surface Pro 4 and Pro 3.
Here’s the information on the regular new Type Cover:
Works with Surface Pro 4
11.6″ x 8.54″ x 0.19″ (295mm x 217mm x 4.65mm)
0.63lbs (285 grams)
Black, blue, bright blue, red, and teal1
Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1 – F12)
Dedicated buttons for Windows shortcuts, media controls, and screen brightness
Right click button
Magnetic attachment
Accelerometer
1 year limited hardware warranty
 
And here’s the specs for the new Type Cover with the fingerprint reader:
Works with Surface Pro 4
11.6″ x 8.54″ x 0.19″ (295mm x 217mm x 4.65mm)
0.63lbs (285 grams)
Available in black
Fingerprint scanner
Mechanical keys that are spread out for precision typing
Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1 – F12)
Dedicated buttons for Windows shortcuts, media controls, and screen brightness
Right click button
Magnetic attachment
Accelerometer
1 year limited hardware warranty
 
As you can see, they’re fairly similar with the only real differences being the colors available and the fingerprint reader. The regular Surface Pro 4 Type Cover’s RRP is US$129.99 while the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID is US$159.99.
There’s bound to be some confusion amongst consumers with these different variants so make sure to double check you’ve selected the correct one before ordering. Is the fingerprint reader something that you’d pay extra for? Let us know in the comments below.