A number of experts have pointed out the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 as one of the best gadgets of the past year. Some sources are even of the opinion that it is the best technology product of 2015.
The tablet from Microsoft has a 2-in-1 feature which means that it is a hybrid between a tablet and a laptop. An external keyboard can be attached to the tablet which transforms it into a laptop lookalike. This particular aspect is the USP of the device as it can be usedon the desk and can also be carried around by the user because of its portable nature.
However, the device is facing tough competition from two other top devices in the market- the Apple iPad Pro and the MacBook Air. Its tablet/hybrid nature is pitting it against these two beasts from the Apple stable.
The iPad Pro sports a 12.9-inch screen with a resolution of 2732 x 2048 pixels, whereas the Surface Pro 4 comes with 12.3-inch screen which has a resolution of 2736 x 1824 pixels. These two devices have a similar appearance and feel.
The Surface pro runs on Windows 10 while Apple’s own iOS 9.1 is used in the iPad Pro. The Windows 10 OS provides a robust performance to Surface Pro users as compared to the limited functionality of the iOS 9.1.
Under the hood, the Surface Pro 4 packs a powerful 6th Generation Intel m3 i5 processor. Another variant of the device is also available which comes with the latest i7 processor. The iPad Pro is fitted with an A9X CPU which gives the device a considerable amount of power overhaul compared to the iPad Air 2.
A full size keyboard called the Smart Keyboard can be connected to the iPad Pro using a Smart Connector and it comes with a stylus which is called the Apple Pencil. The Surface Pro comes with a similar stylus called the Surface Pen and the Keyboard cover of the device is available in the form of an optional accessory.
Despite the similar tech-specs, the Surface Pro has managed to edge past the iPad Pro in terms of sales figures in the past year. Not only has it been referred to as a better device than the iPad Pro, experts are also of the opinion that the Surface Pro 4 has the capability to go toe-to-toe with the MacBook Air which is a renowned name in the laptop world.
The MacBook Air packs a lesser hard drive space and RAM compared to the Surface Pro 4 and despite its powerful 2.2 GHz dual core Intel Core i7 processor, the device falls short of beating the Surface Pro 4 in a stiff competition.
Apparently, Apple is somewhat falling behind in the competition with Microsoft and the stock market figures of Apple is reflecting the same. The stocks of Apple showed a downward trend during the end of 2015 and it has resulted in investors beginning to worry about the future of the tech giant.
A number of variants of the Surface Pro 4 is currently available in the market. The variations are in respect of the RAM, processor and hard drive space of the device.
Some of the variants of the Surface Pro 4 currently available in the market include- the 128 GB Intel Core m3 processor powered variant with 4GB of RAM,which is priced at $899, the 128 GB Intel Core i5 processor powered variant with 4GB of RAM and a price tag of $999, the 256 GB Intel Core i5 processor powered variant with 8GB of RAM and a price tag of $1299.
The ipad pro doesn’t come with the pen, you must purchase it. The SP4 comes with the pen in the box. Both need to buy their own keyboards though.
The ipad pro doesn’t come with the pen, you must purchase it. The SP4 comes with the pen in the box. Both need to buy their own keyboards though.