Tablets Compare: iPad vs. Surface Pro Pro 4 review: what is the best?

Both Apple and Microsoft make this year a tablet with keyboard out. One is primarily a tablet, the other is mainly a laptop. Who made the best device

Microsoft was ridiculed by many when it introduced the Surface: a tablet with a keyboard dock that can be used as a laptop. Characteristic of the Surface is the kickstand on the back, which you him can put upright. Surface Pro 4 is the latest model of Microsoft, which has been on sale since November this year.

iPad Pro is from November sale, and can be just like the Surface Pro 4 will be put upright. Apple has even developed a keyboard cover that allows you the big iPad also can use as laptop. The Smart Keyboard is not yet available in the Netherlands, but Logitech offers its Create-keyboard solution.

Both devices are quite similar, but differ in use. The iPad Pro is primarily a tablet: a large iPad you can attach a keyboard. The Surface Pro 4 is especially a laptop, which can not really be used as a functional tablet by the lack of apps.

Design and screen
the iPad Pro features a 12.9-inch screen with a resolution of 2732 by 2048 pixels. Below the screen is to find the same fingerprint scanner as in the iPhone 6S . The housing is made of aluminum, as with other Apple products. The size of the iPad Pro is similar to two iPad Minis which are placed next to each other. To put it simple: the iPad Pro is primarily a bigger iPad

The Surface Pro 4 has a slightly smaller 12.3-inch screen with a resolution of 2736 by 1824 pixels. The screen looks with its widescreen aspect ratio more like a screen of a normal laptop. An advantage of the Surface Pro 4 are the connections, such as USB and a microSD port. The Microsoft tablet is thicker than the iPad Pro, but they weigh almost the same.

Unlike the iPad, the Surface Pro Pro 4 can be put in many different positions. This is due to the handy aluminum kickstand at the back, which you can rotate in any desired position. This gives the user the ability to use the Surface Pro 4 in bed, on the lap or while cooking.

keyboard
Both tablets are not supplied with a keyboard, but are intended to be used with the accessory. The Surface Pro 4 has a keyboard that is largely similar to a normal laptop. The plastic keys can be good impressions and letting you type fast. At the bottom is also a trackpad present, with which you control the mouse pointer. The trackpad works alone are not always accurate, making the tiny bluetooth mouse from Microsoft is often extracted from the backpack.

The official iPad Pro keyboard from Apple is not yet for sale in the Netherlands. For the review we have therefore used the Create Logitech, which also acts as a protective cover. The plastic keys can be just like the Surface Pro 4 good impressions, although the iron bottom during winter days quite cold to the touch. In addition, the keyboard has no touchpad. Apple does not support such displays are not in iOS.

The lack of a touchpad is the first major difference between the two devices. While the Surface Pro 4 used primarily as a normal laptop, you have the iPad Pro frequent use your fingers to open apps for example. So you change much between the keyboard and the screen, which works fine less than the combination of a keyboard and trackpad.

Stylus Both devices also come with
a stylus. The stylus Microsoft is shorter and thicker, the Apple Pencil longer and thinner. The coarser material of the Microsoft stylus is finer in use, but the Apple Pencil looking back at what nicer. In practice, they are very similar: you can push hard or soft for a thick or thin line, and both tablets respond quickly and accurately to presses, even if you lean your arm or hand on the screen

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An advantage of the Microsoft stylus that has a rubber cup at the top that allows you to erase. When the iPad Pro you should select the eraser in the menu on the sign-app. Additionally, you can attach the Surface stylus via a magnet to the side of the tablet, while you have to take apart Apple’s Pencil.

Microsoft’s stylus is powered by a small AAAA battery energy, you can quite easily replace. Apple Pencil uses a different method. The top of the stylus is a cap that you can remove it. Underneath you’ll find a Lightning connector that can be stabbing in the port at the bottom of the iPad Pro. Let him sit for fifteen seconds and get back thirty minutes to draw.

One problem: the charging method is dangerous because the connector can break at the slightest provocation. That’s why Apple offers another charge connector in, so you can charge your Apple Pencil in the same way as the iPad Pro: simply using the supplied charging cable. Be careful that you do not lose that connector because the white plastic thingy is really extremely small.

Software
The big difference between the Surface Pro 4 and iPad Pro is the software. The former runs on Windows 10, the Pro iPad on iOS 9. Windows 10 is especially designed for PCs and laptops, but also on tablets, phones and even rotate consoles. iOS was originally developed for smartphones, and that you can see. The row of icons consists of four apps, creating a lot of screen space remains unused. This frequently gives the impression that you’re using an iPad for which the software is not optimized at all.

That is not so. For example, the iPad Pro supports multitasking app with two screens side by side. This can be useful if you are in the first screen, composing an e-mail and search the second screen information. The Surface Pro 4 supports multitasking with two screens side by side. On both devices, it works fine and productive. The iPad Pro runs only apps, the Surface Pro 4 also supports ‘normal’ computer programs. Take for example Photoshop. On the iPad Pro, you can only use the slimmed iOS version of the program allows the Surface Pro 4 editing you with the full version of Windows images.

The Surface Pro 4 on the other hand not really use as a tablet. Many Windows programs are not optimized for touch control, so the buttons are too small to have good press. The apps have been optimized for the touch screen also works not as smooth as iOS apps. The Surface Pro 4 can be used well as a tablet while watching a video, but not much more than that.

An innovative feature of the Surface Pro 4 Hello Windows, which allows you unlock the computer by looking at the front camera. This works remarkably well. Your face is often recognized within a second, even in dark environments. Pressing the fingerprint scanner or entering a PIN or password to feel a little deeper in comparison with Windows Hello.

The advantage of the iPad Pro is then that the battery life is significantly better than that of the Surface Pro 4, the iPad Pro consumes in standby mode much less energy, making you look much longer can use.

Conclusion
Both the Surface Pro 4 and the iPad Pro from November in The Netherlands for sale. The prices of the Surface Pro 4 start at 999 euros for the entry level, the more powerful variant will cost at least 1799 euros. The keyboard is sold separately for 149 euros. The price of the iPad Pro starts at 919 euros for the WiFi model with 32GB of storage and runs until 1249 for the 128GB model with 4G support.

Because both devices are mostly used as a laptop, you can often more with the Surface Pro 4 than the iPad Pro. That’s not to say the iPad Pro is worse. The device is suitable for another purpose.

Are you looking for a great tablet that sometimes you can use as laptop? Then the iPad Pro is the right choice. Looking just a laptop that you can sometimes use as a tablet? Simply choose the Surface Pro 4. It is that simple.

Source • RTL Z / Daniel Verlaan