Microsoft Surface Pro vs. Apple iPad Pro: Guess Who Wins

The Surface Pro is Microsoft’s latest product refresh before Apple takes the wraps off its 2017 hardware offensive at this year’s WWDC, with a new iPad Pro also expected to see daylight.

Even though the Surface Pro is more of a laptop and less of a tablet, Microsoft’s device is often considered to be an iPad Pro rival, mostly because they are both parts of the 2-in-1 market.

This is why we decided to put the top-of-the-range configurations of both models side by side and see which one is the better choice, with a closer look at hardware, operating systems, and prices.

Surface Pro vs. the iPad Pro

Microsoft Surface Pro comes with a 12.-3inch display with a resolution of 2736x1824 pixels, while Apple’s iPad Pro features the already famous Retina on a 12.9-inch panel. Resolution is close to Microsoft’s, namely 2732x2048 pixels.

In terms of processors, the iPad Pro is powered by Apple’s in-house A9X chip, while the high-end Surface Pro runs on an Intel Core i7 processor whose performance is remarkable to say the least. The differences in terms of RAM are huge, with Microsoft offering 16GB, while Apple sticks with 4GB and bets big on software optimizations in iOS.

And speaking of operating systems, there’s another big difference here too. The Surface Pro runs the full version of Windows 10 Pro, whereas the iPad Pro is powered by iOS 10. It goes without saying that Windows 10 is a far more capable OS that runs Win32 software, while iOS is limited to apps published in the App Store and not exactly optimized for “a desktop.”

For graphics, the Surface Pro boasts Intel’s Iris Plus Graphics 640, while Apple uses a custom 12-core GPU chip that’s said to provide stunning results, though its capabilities could be limited by App Store apps not being as advanced as games or apps available on Win32.

There are far more connectivity options on the Surface, as iPads only include a headphone jack and a Lightning connector, while the weight of the two devices is nearly the same.

As far as pricing is concerned, you’re not going to like it. The Apple iPad Pro costs $1,129 in the top-of-the-range configuration, while the Surface Pro’s pricing is more than double at $2,699.