Both Microsoft and Apple now have large, work-and-play-ready, tablets available and gunning for your home and office space.
While Microsoft offers its Office suite on a native Windows 10 environment Apple also has the apps in iOS. So does a choice between the two come down to design and specs alone?
There certainly is variation between the two with different types of keyboard cover, charging and pricing.
But which is the best for you?
Apple iPad Pro is thinner and lighter
Size isn’t everything but when it comes to portability it’s definitely a large factor for most. Especially as these two tablets aim to offer enough power to replace a laptop, it kind of makes being portable pretty high on the list of features.
The iPad Pro wins out here with a 6.9mm thin form and weight of 713g. While Microsoft has slimmed down and lost weight on its latest Surface Pro 4, it’s still larger and heavier at 8.4mm and 766g. Considering the iPad Pro has a larger screen than the Surface Pro 4 this is a double win for the Apple tablet.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 display is higher resolution
While the Surface Pro 4 may have a slightly smaller screen at 12.3-inches, compared to the iPad Pro’s 12.9-inches, it has a higher resolution of pixels per inch.
The Surface Pro 4 pushes out a 2,736 x 1,824 res display for 267ppi. This also means a trim down on the bezel since the Pro 3 to keep the same form but with larger display. Apple, on the other hand has a higher 2,732 x 2,048 resolution but on that screen size it comes in at a lower 264ppi.
So there’s not much in it really, especially when you consider that Apple has a larger display on offer. To the human eye it’ll be tough to see the difference.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has more power
Under the hood, as they say, Microsoft is packing a lot more power per pound thanks to the latest Intel processing backed by serious RAM.
The Surface Pro 4 comes with a sixth gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and up to 16GB of RAM, making it twice as fast as a MacBook Air.
The iPad Pro, with an A9X chip didn’t stand a chance, even if this makes it 1.8 times faster than the iPad Air 2.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 keyboard and stylus offer more
While both the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 4 have keyboard cover and stylus accessories, Microsoft offers more.
Apple’s Smart Keyboard doubles as a case and stand using a magnetic connector to transfer power. But the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover has been perfected over the generations and now offers physical backlit keys 19mm apart for a real keyboard layout, plus a 40 per cent larger trackpad than the Pro 3 with five-points of pressure sensitivity.
The iPad Pro works with Apple’s new Pencil stylus which detects pressure, position and angle but costs $99. The Microsoft Pen stylus is included for free, magnetically clips to the Surface Pro 4 and features 1,024 points of sensitivity.
Windows 10 or iOS are the choices
To say that Windows 10 is better because it’s a full operating system, as opposed to the mobile iOS, would be to over simplify things.
This comes down to preference. If you’ve got all Windows 10 gadgets then the Continuum feature that lets you jump between devices to continue working seamlessly is ideal for the Surface Pro 4. But if you prefer Apple then iOS which is more compatible with Mac OS X could be for you.
Both feature full Office functionality but Apple has had Adobe develop iPad Pro specific software that may offer extra appeal to the designer types.
Apple’s iPad Pro is more affordable
Apple isn’t particularly well known for being affordable. Yet in this case it undercuts Microsoft.
The iPad Pro will start at $799 while the Surface Pro 4 starts at $899.
But since the Surface Pro 4 includes the stylus (which Apple charges $99 for) and keyboard, packs more power and a better screen perhaps that price is justified.
Reference: Pocket-lint
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