Microsoft Surface Pro 4 vs. iPad Pro: Reviews, Specs and Hardware Comparison

Dec 17, 2015 01:30 PM EST

Microsoft Surface Pro 4, Surface Book Review, Specs vs. iPad Pro, iPad Air

There are so many tablets on the market right now, and it is hard to decide which one is the best. Two gadgets are being labeled as the best device this year--the iPad Pro and the Surface Book.

Let's talk about iPad first. Tech Radar said that the device is designed for the casual user and one who doesn't need a computer all day long.

That iPad Pro is also much bigger than average tablet size. It has a 12.9-inch display, which is going to be a little bit hefty. However, the outside frame of the tablet is slim, giving it a sleek appearance. Regarding weight, the Pro is packed with 713g of mass.

The main selling point of the device is its LCD screen. The iPad Pro's 12.9-inch screen is s excellent for viewing anything from movies to games to books to the web. Moreover, it has 264 pixels per inch pixel density that typify Apple mobile devices to class this as a Retina display. Apple users also enjoy iPad Pro's large screen combined with enveloping sound from its speakers.

For the processing capacity, Apple has rigged the iPad Pro with its latest chip, the A9X, which it claims has twice the CPU and twice the graphics performance of the previous processor.

Regarding battery capacity, iPad Pro can withstand 10 hours of standby time. However, in the Verge's standard battery test for tablets, the device only lasted about 9.5 hours.

The state-of-the-art sensors and camera of iPad Pro can compete with the market's best gadgets. The Pro has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front camera, 1080p HD video recording capabilities, and a variety of sensors, including a fingerprint sensor.

Here is the breakdown of iPad Pro specs:

  • Cameras: front 1.2MP 720p HD camera and a rear 8MP 1080p HD camera
  • Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, optional 4G
  • Size: 305 mm × 220 mm × 7 mm
  • Weight: 713 grams
  • Display: 12.9-inch 2732×2048 pixel at 264 pixels per inch
  • Storage: 32 and 128GB
  • Processors: 64-bit A9X and M9
  • RAM: 4GB
  • OS: iOS 9.1

On other, here is a review of the Microsoft Surface Pro courtesy of the Verge. The article says the device can be a full-time laptop and part-time tablet. The Surface Pro is also perfect for users who are looking for a combination of laptop and tablet features.

The biggest improvement of the gadget comes with the new Type Cover. However, users have to add another $130 to get it. The keyboard has completely redesigned keys, and a brand-new trackpad that Microsoft says is 40 percent larger than before.

For its power capacity, the Pro 4 went for 6 hours and 37 minutes in a rundown test, which is about an hour less than the Pro 3 managed.

Here is the breakdown of Microsoft Surface Pro 4 specs:

  • Cameras: 8MP front, 5MP rear
  • Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, microsSD
  • Size: 292 mm x 201 mm x 8.45
  • Weight: 786 grams
  • Storage: 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB
  • Processors: Intel Skylake Core M3, Core i5, or Core i7
  • Display: 12.3-inch 2736 x 1824 pixel at 267 pixels per inch
  • RAM: 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB
  • OS: Windows 10 Pro