Clash of the 13-inch titans
It's been interesting to watch the evolution of Microsoft's Surface line. Just over two years ago, Microsoft took a massive $900 million charge on unsold Surface RT inventory, and for a moment, it seemed like Acer might have been right when it warned the Redmond outfit against competing in the hardware sector. Doing so would be like "hard rice," which is "not so easy to eat." Yes, Acer actually said that.
Well, Microsoft stuck to its guns, and while it may have been like trying to eat hard rice in the beginning, selling consumers on the Surface is proving to be easy as pie these days. That's because Microsoft is no longer selling a device without a true identity, but as the company likes to say, it's now a tablet that can replace your laptop.
That's truer than ever with the introduction of the Surface Pro 4, which will be available later this month (pre-orders are taking place now). One thing that's interesting about the current state of the Surface Pro line is that it's almost in a class of its own. Sure, you can compare it to a MacBook Air, and in the past, Microsoft has done that. But with the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft says the two devices are no longer in the same class.
You can argue the merits of that statement, but in the meantime, we chose to compare the Surface Pro's spec sheet with Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro. Why? They're similar in size, they both wield compelling hardware, and comparing the Surface Pro 4 to the iPad Pro would be like putting a young Mike Tyson in the ring with Glass Joe.
Let's begin.
Form Factor and Dimensions
The Surface Pro 4 is a tablet. It's also a laptop if you add a keyboard, though you'll pay extra for the privilege. Perhaps it's for these reasons that Microsoft says the Surface Pro 4 can replace your laptop, not that it necessarily does.
Anyway, it measures 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches (292 x 201 x 8.4 millimeters) and 1.73 pounds (786 grams). It has a nice kickstand for sitting upright at an angle, and if you add a Type Cover, you gain the ability to use it like a full fledged laptop.
If you've typed on a Type Cover before, you might have lamented the mushy key action. Keyboard planks are generally inferior to dedicated keyboards, especially mechanical keyboards, but the keys on the Type Cover could definitely be better.
Now they are, according to Microsoft. The newest Type Cover is thinner and lighter than before, but also more sturdy. More importantly, Microsoft made an effort to improve the typing experience. The key switches now have 1.3mm of travel and more spacing in between (19mm), and it supposedly feels soft when you type. Microsoft also enlarged the trackpad by 40 percent, in case you felt the previous one was too small.
Still, it's an optional (and detached) keyboard, whereas the MacBook Pro's plank is permanently affixed. Overall, it's a nice keyboard, and the "Force Touch" trackpad is nifty too -- it has "force" sensors that detect the amount of pressure you apply, which in turn can affect how you interact with objects on the display.
We've yet to type on the new Type Cover, but given our past experience, we're skeptical that it will beat the MacBook Pro's. The other thing to keep in mind is that it's a bit awkward trying to balance a Surface Pro on your lap, with or without a keyboard.
As for the dimensions, the MacBook Pro measures 12.35 x 8.62 x 0.71 inches (313.7 x 218.9 x 18 millimeters) and weighs 3.48 pounds (1,578.5 grams). In other words, it's bulkier and heavier than the Surface Pro 4.
Which is better than the other? That all depends on whether you want a hybrid tablet/laptop or a traditional notebook.
Winner: Draw
Processor
The latest generation MacBook Pro laptops run fifth generation Broadwell processors from Intel. These run the gamut from a 2.7GHz Intel Core i5-5287U to a 3.1GHz Intel Core i7-5557U, both dual-core parts. These chips are paired with 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR3-1866 RAM.
Microsoft hasn't detailed the specific processors it's using in Surface Pro 4, other than to say they're based on Intel's newest Skylake architecture. There are three options -- Intel Core m, Intel Core i5, and Intel Core i7, which can be paired with 4GB to 16GB of RAM.
Both Broadwell and Skylake are built on 14nm manufacturing processes, though Skylake is a newer part with various architectural improvements that make it more efficient. In theory, the Surface Pro 4 should win this round, though without knowing what specific processors Microsoft is using and running some benchmarks, it wouldn't be fair to make that determination.
Winner: TDB
Storage
This category is a little easier to gauge. Surface Pro 4 shoppers will be able to choose from 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options, all of which are of the solid state variety. Certain storage options are only available with select configurations -- an Intel Core i5 with 4GB of RAM is stuck with 128GB of storage, but if you bump up to 8GB or 16GB of RAM, you can choose between 256GB or 512GB. The 1TB option is exclusive to Intel Core i7 configurations.
The MacBook Pro has two storage options -- 512GB or 1TB, the latter of which adds $500 to the build. Ouch! Storage upgrades aren't exactly cheap for the Surface Pro 4 either, but you're not forced to pay more for a larger SSD than what you might need.
Winner: Surface Pro 4
Display
Microsoft is hyping up the Surface Pro 4's 12.3-inch "PixelSense" touchscreen display. It's only 4 microns (0.4mm), the thinnest yet in the Surface Pro family, and the only tablet to use Gorilla Glass 4.
"It's the best technology on the planet on a screen right now," Microsoft's Panos Panay said when introducing the Surface Pro 4 on stage. "It's the thinnest optical stack-up that anyone can ship."
Cutting through hype, the Surface Pro 4's display features a 2763x1824 resolution with a 267ppi pixel density, 3:2 aspect ratio, and 10-point multi-touch.
The MacBook Pro? It's rocking a bright and vibrant 13.3-inch display with a 2560x1600 resolution, so it's bigger with a bit more real estate. However, the pixels aren't packed quite as tight at 227ppi, and of course you can tap the display all day long to no effect, other than potentially ruining the screen. Plus there's no stylus support.
Given that the resolutions between the two are similar, the Surface Pro 4 takes the edge by virtue of touch support.
Winner: Surface Pro 4
Price
The Surface Pro 4 starts at $899, though you need to add $130 for a Type Cover if you want the laptop experience (at least as Microsoft intended it -- you could also plug in a $10 plank from KMart). That brings the true cost of entry to $1,029, which again only applies if you want a full fledged laptop experience.
On the high end, you could shell out as much as $2,699, or $2,829 with Type Cover, for a configuration that includes an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. That's pretty expensive for a tablet-turned-laptop.
The 13-inch MacBook ranges in price from $1,299 on the low end to $2,699 on top end, which includes an Intel dual-core Core i7 processor clocked at 3.1GHz, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, plus a keyboard.
Not taking into account value (both subjective and objective), the Surface Pro 4 wins at the low end with a lower cost of entry, while the MacBook Pro wins at high end with a slightly cheaper price tag for a decked out model.
This is sure to stir up controversy, but we're still giving the win to the Surface Pro 4. Why? Simply put, the price difference at the top end ($2,829 versus $2,699) is less meaningful than it is when evaluating the cost of entry, as some buyers may find the MacBook's starting price of $1,299 cost prohibitive.
Winner: Surface Pro 4 (by a hair)
On paper, the Surface Pro 4 stacks up nicely against the MacBook Pro, provided you want a hybrid tablet/laptop form factor. However, there are still several unknowns, such as how it will actually perform, what typing on the Type Cover will feel like, and what battery life will be. We assume these will all be an improvement over (or at least on par with) the Surface Pro 3, but we won't know for sure until we get a chance to test one out.
Based on what you know so far, what's your opinion on the Surface Pro 4 and/or the Surface line in general? Are you sold on Microsoft's hybrid strategy, or do you prefer a traditional laptop, MacBook or otherwise?
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