It marks a return to the classic computing rivalry that has enthralled us for the past three decades. Despite the fact that both the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 4 have a ‘Pro’ in their names, they have very different approaches to delivering on their vision of a work-and-play-ready tablet.
Which is the one for you, though? We pit both head-to-head over several weeks of use to find out.
Key Highlights: Apple iPad Pro
- Display: 12.9-inch 2732x2048 resolution LED-backlit widescreen Multi-Touch
- Processor: A9X chip with 64-bit architecture with M9
- Rear Camera: 8-MP iSight
- Front camera 1.2-MP
- Battery: Built-in 38.5-watt-hour
- Price and Capacity: Rs 67,900 (32GB Wi-Fi), Rs 79,900 (128GB Wi-Fi), Rs 91,900 (128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular)
Key Highlights: Microsoft Surface Pro 4
- Display: 12.3-inch PixelSense Full-HD 2736x1824 pixels
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Processor: 6th generation Intel i5/i7
- RAM: 4/8GB
- Storage: 128/256GB
- Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, USB 3.0 x 1
- Battery: 38 Whr
- Price: Starting from Rs 89,990
Design
Visually, the iPad Pro feels much bigger than the Surface Pro 4, almost comically large for a tablet, but is discernibly thinner and lighter. The Surface Pro 4 feels a lot more manageable courtesy its smaller footprint, and then there’s the big benefit of the built-in variable-angle kickstand – a luxury that the iPad with its single-angle prop-up cover does not enjoy.
If you’re considering either of the two as laptop replacements, the iPad’s sleek and elegant profile comes at the cost of connectivity. While the Surface Pro 4 comes with a laptop-worthy set of ports (full-sized USB, microSD card and MiniDisplay), the iPad Pro comes with one Lightning port, that’s all.
Also Read: Review: Apple iPad Pro is Capable of Replacing Your Laptop
Oh, and while I’m nitpicking – the Pro 4 has a magnetised edge which allows for easy stowage
of the Surface Pen, there’s no such provision on the iPad Pro.
Winner: Surface Pro 4
Display
The difference may seem insignificant – 12.3 inches with 2,736 x 1,824 pixels on the Pro 4 vs 12.9 with 2,732 x 2,048 on the iPad Pro – more so if you consider one has more pixels but the other packs its pixels more densely. But the iPad’s display looks and feels a lot larger, which aids side-by-side multitasking while you’re working. It also makes media consumption more immersive.
Of course, the Surface Pro’s display, by virtue of it running Windows 10, is a lot more flexible – you can’t run two windows of the same app in iOS next to each other, for instance. Or run more than two apps at one time, for that matter.
That said, both displays look great in terms of colour,
viewing angles and brightness.
Winner: A tie!
Performance
Audio: The iPad Pro’s four-speaker setup (one on each corner) is surprisingly good for a tablet, with the two top speakers handling the mids and highs no matter which way you hold the tablet.
That’s not to say the Dolby-equipped Surface Pro 4 speakers were a pushover, but the iPad Pro’s speakers were that much better, both in terms of volume and the range it could handle.
Winner: iPad Pro
Keyboards: With both tablets laying stake to the laptop-replacement tag, the accompanying-but-strangely-not-included-in-the-price keyboard cases are crucial to the experience of using both, though I have to say that courtesy Windows that’s more the case with the Surface Pro 4 than the iPad – you can run the iPad Pro without the Smart Keyboard cover but you will need one to prop it up for watching movies.
Also Read: Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Is Portable, Powerful but a Luxury
The Smart Keyboard (Rs 14,900) cover isn’t a bad first attempt and it is water/stain resistant, but personally I preferred the Surface Pro’s
Surface Type Cover Keyboard (Rs 12,490) case – it includes a trackpad, has backlit keys and better typing experience.
Winner: Surface Pro 4
Stylus: Pen or Pencil? Microsoft scores big with the Surface Pen, not least because it is included in the retail package and you have to shell out an additional Rs 8,600 for the Apple Pencil.
The Pen also has a neat eraser that doubles-up as a quick-access button. While they’re both comparable in terms of levels of pressure sensitivity, I found the Apple Pencil to be super responsive and more of a proper drawing instrument than the Pen, which feels altogether sterile and technical.
Winner: A draw (pun intended!)
Cameras: Public Service Announcement: Do not use your tablets to take photos. But if you really must, the rear camera on the iPad Pro takes sharper, brighter photos and the
front camera takes more evenly exposed selfies.
Winner: iPad Pro
Platforms
No, we’re not venturing into pointless Windows 10 vs iOS debates, but which platform is better really boils down to what you need to do with the device. Simplicity vs flexibility, really.
As a tablet OS, iOS rocks on finger-friendly use, and while it packs a ton of widely accepted software via the App Store, if you need to run a specific app like Photoshop (or some obscure Windows app for work), you’re more likely to be be in luck with a Surface Pro 4.
Power and Battery Life
Take your pick – a full-blown Windows 10 OS delivering about 6 hours of use versus about the 9-odd hours on the iPad running iOS 9. Sure, as laptops go, the top-spec
Surface Pro 4 can pack a Core i7 with 16GB RAM which can theoretically blow the Pro’s Apple A9X and 4GB RAM out of the water, but bear in mind that the software written for the iPad runs swimmingly on the iPad Pro, so you’re probably better off with better battery life. If you had to make only one tablet last a whole work day and leave the charger at home, you know which one to pick.
Winner: iPad Pro
Verdict
Microsoft’s done a really bizarre pricing job on the Surface Pro 4, with the base Core i5/128GB/4GB variant just a shade under ninety grand. Add in a
Surface Type cover and you’re almost left wondering whether Microsoft intends on selling any of these in India. The iPad, while not cheap by any measure, looks like a steal, costing nearly ten grand less for the 128GB WiFi version.
So, which one should you buy? Apple’s iPad Pro is a great tablet, and it gains some productivity chops with the keyboard cover, while the Surface Pro is a legitimate productivity device which can do regular notebook duty when needed, but won’t last the whole day.
Our take? If it’s a notebook you need, pick up one of many slightly less portable but ‘proper’ Windows / Mac laptops for far less!
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