Apple announced a downsized version of the iPad Pro on its March 31 event, claiming that it was an effort to expand the iPad Pro lineup for both iPad users and as a replacement for PC. Nonetheless, Microsoft's surface pro 4 also stands out as a perfect and viable PC alternative, and gives the new iPad Pro 9.7 tough competition.
One similarity between the two devices is that they are chasing the same market. But even as this is the case, the pricing, availability, and their specifications are much different.
According to Tech Radar, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro back in October 2015, and its availability is presently widespread. It has a range of six models, stretching from a price of $878 to $2110 exclusive of VAT. A user still, has to incur further costs amounting to $150 for necessary accessories needed to emulate a laptop, such as a Surface Pen Stylus and a Microsoft' Type cover.
Since March 31, there have been six models of the iPad Pro. The prices range from $586.69 for the basic 32GB model to $986.04 for the high-end 256GB Wi-Fi 4G model. But these prices exclude the $93.02 Apple pencil and the $152.25 smart Keyboard cover.
Regarding the specifications, the Surface Pro 4 models feature Intel's 6th-generation low-voltage dual-core processors, varying between the 990MHz-2.2GHz m3 to the 2.2-3.4GHz core i7. Graphics are handled by the integrated Iris 540, HD515, and HD 520 graphics capabilities while the storage is supported by SSD with capacities ranging from 128-512GB, and installed memories ranging from 4-16GB.
For the iPad Pro, all variants sport the same A9X ARM-based system-on-chip, which combines a 2.26GHz dual-core processor and an M9 motion co-processor. The graphics are catered for by a 12-core Power VR Series 7XT graphics compatibility, and all the models pack 2GB of RAM with 21, 128, and 256GB storage options.
The Surface pro runs on Windows 10 Pro while the iPad Pro 9.7 runs on iOS 9.3.1. According to experts, a direct comparison between the performance in this field proved very difficult, but it still appears that the surface Pro has the upper hand in processing power. Also, for the screen size, the Microsoft surface Pro comes with 2.6 extra inches of screen compared to the 9.7-inch iPad pro, and a resolution of 2736 × 1824 at 267 ppi. All the same, the iPad Pro's 9.7 screen has an excellent resolution of 2048 × 1536 at 264 ppi, Fast Company reported.
When it comes to inbuilt sensors, the iPad pro dominates. It has a fingerprint reader and GPS (for some 4G models) in addition to a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a gyro sensor, and an ambient light sensor. For ports, the Surface Pro 4 has an advantage with the inclusion of a USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, "Surface connect" port, and a microSD port.
The devices' varying specifications and pricing indicate that they will appeal to different users. Yet, concluding by the operating system, experts claim that the iPad Pro 9.7 is not a good choice for PC replacement, contrary to Apple's claims. The Microsoft surface Pro, however, features Windows 10, a full desktop OS which is suitable for office apps.
Wacth a clip of a deeper comparison here: