Earlier today, Apple announced a new iPad Pro device which is a smaller version of the iPad Pro which they announced last year. Apple once again took the same marketing message which Microsoft uses, they claim that iPad Pro can replace your laptop. Microsoft announced Surface 3 almost an year back and it still has got the looks and performance to turn heads. Microsoft claims that Surface 3 is the perfect productivity device for school, home, and on the go.
Take a look at the tech specs comparison of Apple iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface 3.
| Feature | Microsoft Surface 3 |
Apple iPad Pro |
| Processor | Quad Core Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700 processor (2MB Cache, 1.6GHz with Intel Burst™ technology up to 2.4GHz) | Apple A9X chip |
| Display size | 10.8” | 9.7” |
| Display Resolution/Pixel Density | 1920 x 1280 // 227 ppi | 2048 x 1536 // 264 ppi |
| Size and Dimensions | Length: 187 mm Width: 267 mm Thickness: 8.7 mm Weight: 622 g | Length: 240 mm Width: 169.5 mm Thickness: 6.1 mm Weight: 437 g |
| Storage | 64GB and 128GB | 32GB, 128GB and 256GB |
| RAM | 2GB or 4GB | 2GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)Bluetooth 4.0 | Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)Bluetooth 4.2 |
| LTE | Yes (Optional) | Yes (Optional) |
| Primary camera | 8MP Auto-focus | 12MP Auto-focus |
| Secondary camera | 3.5MP wide angle | 5MP |
| Main video camera | 1080p (Full HD, 1920 x 1080) | 4K (3840 X 2160) |
| Secondary video camera | 1080p (Full HD, 1920 x 1080) | 720p (HD, 1280 x 720) |
| Expandable memory card type | MicroSD | Not available |
| USB | USB 3.0 | Not available |
| Stylus | Surface Pen (Optional) | Apple Pencil (Optional) |
| Built-in Kickstand | 3-position Kickstand | Not available |
| Native keyboard Accessory | Type Cover | Keyboard cover |
| Sensor | Ambient Light Sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity Sensor, Magnetometer | Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Three-axis gyro, Barometer |
| Power And Battery | Unknown battery capacity, 10 hours of video playback | 27.5 watt hour, 10 of video playback |
| Video Calling/Audio Calling | Skype | FaceTime |
| Built-in Apps | Edge, Xbox Video, Mail, Skype
Bing/Bing Smart Search Clock Xbox Store Photos Windows Store People Maps Calender Camera Xbox Music OneNote OneDrive Movie Moments Xbox SmartGlass Reading List Xbox Games Alarm Calculator Fresh Paint |
Safari, Newsstand, Videos, Photo Booth
Messages Siri Clock iBooks iTunes Store Reminders Game Center Photos App Store Contacts Maps Calendar Camera FaceTime Music Notes |
| First Party Apps | Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook
MSN News MSN Weather MSN Finance MSN Travel MSN Sports MSN Translator |
iPhoto, iTunes U, iMovie, Podcasts
GarageBand Find My iPhone Pages Find My Friends Numbers Remote Keynote iTunes Trailers |
| Colors | Silver | Space Gray, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold |
| App Platform | Runs millions of Windows desktop programs and touch apps from the Windows Store. | Only runs apps from the App Store. |
| Price | 64GB Model: $399 | 32GB Model : $599 |
As you can see, Surface 3 is behind iPad Pro in some areas like camera, thickness and display resolution. But none of them are deal breakers. Here is the most interesting part, for the price of an entry level iPad Pro which comes with 32GB storage, you can get an 128GB, 4GB RAM, LTE Surface 3 device with Surface Pen.
The following SKUs are available from Microsoft for order,
