iPad Pro vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 4 – Specs and Features Under the Eyeglass

Microsoft and Apple are once again in a tight competition as both companies have unveiled top-notch tablets. Apple has rolled out the iPad Pro while Microsoft has brought the Surface Pro 4 to the scene. Both of these two devices are considered honorable flagships as they claim to be an all-in-one device. We’re taking a closer look at their specs, features and hardware to see which one has it all.

Display and OS

The iPad Pro rocks a 12.9-inch display whereas the Surface Pro has a 12.3-inch display.

The iPad Pro has a higher resolution at 2732×2048 pixels whilst the Surface Pro has only 2736×1824. The iPad Pro is 6.9 mm, being the slimmer out of the two while the Surface Pro is 8.4 mm. The differences here are minor, as they both look and feel great. As far as weight, some might prefer the heavier 766g Surface Pro while the iPad Pro tips the scale at 713g.

In terms of OS, the Surface Pro is declared the winner here as it runs Windows 10, which is considered a complete operating system with amazing apps. The iPad Pro on the other hand runs iOS 9 which is also packed with cool apps, but in the end it doesn’t even begin to measure up with the full desktop OS such as Windows 10 or OS X on the Mac for that matter.

Accessories and Costs

The Surface Pro supports a vast array of accessories while the iPad Pro has the Pencil Stylus and Smart Keyboard Cover which come at additional costs. According to Mac Rumors “Apple Pencil has two emitters in the tip that enable the iPad Pro to determine the pencil nib’s angle and orientation relative to the display, and adjust the pen stroke according to iFixit. iPad Pro has a digitizer that likely determines the distance from each emitter to the screen.” The same source states that “At the core of the Apple Pencil is a tiny 0.329 Wh lithium-ion rechargeable battery that holds just 5% of the charge of an iPhone 6s battery, next to a small cylindrical black and gold antenna. There is also a small ribbon cable that connects the Apple Pencil’s battery with its Lightning connector for charging.”

The Surface Pro on the other hand comes with the stylus and a keyboard cover as an alternative when you purchase the latter device. And because the cover also comes with a glass trackpad, the gizmo can be used just as you would normally use a laptop. The 32GB Wi-Fi model of the iPad Pro retails for £679 while for the 128GB Wi-Fi model , you will end up paying £799 and £899 if you’ve got your eye on the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version. The final costs don’t involve the keyboard or the pen.

The Surface Pro price starts at £740 for the 128GB, Intel Core m3 and 4GB RAM variant, but can go up to £1799 for the 512GB, Intel Core i7 and 16GB RAM version.