Microsoft Surface Pro 4 vs Apple iPad Pro

The iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 4 are two of the most powerful tablets,but they're not designed for the same type of shopper. Apple iPad Pro  packs a big and beautiful 12.9-inch screen and quad speakers, and it works with an optional Pencil and keyboard.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is a laptop replacement using a 6th-generation Core processor to run full Windows 10. It also features both a built-in kickstand and an included pen

Design

iPad Pro sports a 12.9-inch display. Made of a sturdy magnesium, the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 is big, but it's more manageable because of its more compact footprint.

Winner: Surface Pro 4. While the iPad Pro is thinner and lighter,  the Surface's extra ports and built-in kickstand give it the edge.

Display

The screens on the Surface Pro 4 and the iPad Pro are pretty evenly matched. The iPad Pro has a larger 12.9-inch canvas, compared to the 12.3-inch  on the Surface Pro 4 . However, the Surface's display packs more pixels per inch than the iPad's (267 dpi versus 264 dpi) and is brighter than Apple (382 nits versus 372 nits).

Winner: Draw. Both of these screens are excellent.

Audio

t's hard for two speakers to beat four speakers on a tablet. The iPad Pro's quad-speaker setup produces loud and surprisingly balanced audio, whether you're streaming Pandora or immersing yourself in a flick. The two top speakers on the iPad Pro handle the mid and high frequencies, and all four deliver bass. When you flip the tablet around, the two speakers now on top handle the mids and highs. Clever.

Powered by Dolby Audio, the two front-facing speakers on the Surface Pro provide a pretty good sonic punch.

Winner: iPad Pro.

Keyboard

The Surface Pro 4's $129 keyboard is a necessity if you want Microsoft's tablet to replace your laptop. The improved design offers a more spacious layout . Plus, the keyboard is backlit. Just as important, the Type Cover comes with a built-in touchpad, complete with a satisfying click.

The pricier $169 Apple Smart Keyboard lacks a touchpad, and has smaller keys with less travel. It's also not backlit. 

Winner: Surface Pro 4. Microsoft's keyboard is cheaper yet more functional.

Pen/Pencil

Winner: Draw  Although the iPad Pro offers a better drawing experience that will appeal to the creatively inclined, the Surface's included pen has an eraser and is easy to stow.

Performance

The iPad Pro's A9X processor is certainly the fastest chip ever in an Apple tablet, and in our review, it had no problem editing 4K video. The Surface Pro 4 gives shoppers a wide range of CPU options, including a 6th-generation Intel Core M3, Core i5 and Core i7. We tested the Core i5 version.

Based on our testing, the Surface Pro 4 offers faster performance.

For example, in the Geekbench 3 test, which measures overall performance, the Surface notched 6,811 while the iPad Pro notched 5,296 

Winner: Surface Pro 4. Apple's A9X chip is impressive, but it doesn't match the sheer horsepower of a 6th-gen Core i5.

Battery Life

If you're on the fence between the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 4 and endurance is important to you, the iPad Pro is probably the way to go. 

Winner: iPad Pro. You can leave its charger at home.

Apps

The winner of this category really depends on what you're looking to do with your device. The iPad Pro leads the way with apps that are optimized for fun and creativity, thanks to the App Store, which has more than 725,000 apps. Microsoft's Office apps are also available for iOS,

On the other hand, the Surface Pro 4 runs all of the most popular Windows apps, including the full-fledged Photoshop and Premiere photo-editing and video-editing programs. 

Winner: Draw. The iPad Pro has more touch-friendly and pen-friendly apps, but the Surface Pro 4 has more desktop programs.

Cameras

We won't judge you for using a ginormous tablet for taking photos or videos. If you do, you'll find that the iPad Pro's rear 8-megapixel camera takes sharper and brighter photos. Based on our tests, the Surface Pro 4's camera can be glitchy, as there was noticeable pixelation and artifacts in the top-right corner of the live-view windows.

The Surface Pro 4's 5-MP front camera took fairly sharp selfies but blew out our background. The iPad Pro's 1.2-MP camera isn't as hi-res, but it took a more evenly exposed selfie.

Winner: iPad Pro. It simply takes better-looking images.

Storage

It's also worth noting that the iPad Pro starts with just 32GB of storage, versus 128GB for the Surface Pro 4. You need to spend $150 more on the iPad to get 128GB.

Overall Winner: Surface Pro 4

The Surface Pro 4 wins this face-off overall, Microsoft's 2-in-1 has a more versatile design and it offers a more comfortable keyboard and faster performance.  The chief advantages of the iPad Pro are its 4 more hours of battery life, superior App Store and how well the optional Apple Pencil works for drawing and sketching.Source