UPDATED 08:13 EDT / NOVEMBER 30 2012

Microsoft Surface Pro vs. iPad, Galaxy Tab and Other Top Tablets

Microsoft has yet to release the Surface Pro tablet but they’ve officially announced the price for their high-end tablet.  The Surface Pro will be available in 64GB and 128GB versions with prices at $899 and $999 respectively.  Though the Surface RT has made waves, the more serious type is looking for something that could ultimately replace their PCs, so hopes for the Surface Pro are quite high.

But what does the Surface Pro have that other tablets don’t?  Check out our comparison below.

Screen size and display

Windows Surface Pro: 10.6” ClearType HD Display, 16:9 (widescreen), 1920×1080 pixels, 5-point multi-touch

Windows Surface RT: 10.6″ ClearType HD Display, 1366×768 pixels, 16:9 (widescreen), 5-point multi-touch

iPad 4th Gen: 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, 2048-by-1536

Google Nexus 10: 10.055” screen with a whopping 2560×1600 display, 300ppi, 16:9, WQXGA, HD PLS, Corning Gorilla Glass 2

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: 10.1″ WXGA(1280×800) TFT LCD, 149 ppi, 4-way rotation, Corning Gorilla Glass 2

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga: 13.3″ HD+IPS capacitive multitouch display (16:9 widescreen) (1600×900)

Dimensions

Surface Pro: Width – 10.81 inches, Height – 6.81 inches, Depth – 0.53 inches, Weight – 903 grams

Surface RT: 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37in, about 680 g

iPad: 185.7 mm x 241.2 mm x 9.4 mm;  Weight (Wi-Fi) – 652 g, Weight (Wi-Fi + Cellular) – 662 g

Nexus 10: 263.9mm x 177.6 mm x 8.9mm x 603 g

Galaxy: 262 x 180 x 8.9 mm x 600g (3G), 597g (WiFi)

Yoga: 333.4 x 224.8 x 16.9 mm x 1.54kg

Storage


Surface Pro:  64GB and 128GB

Surface RT: 32 and 64GB

iPad:  WiFi – 16, 32 and 64GB; WiFi+Cellular – 16, 32 and 64GB

Nexus 10: 16 and 32 GB, 2GB

Galaxy :  16/32/64GB User memory + 2GB (RAM), microSD (up to 64GB)

Yoga: 128GB SSD (256GB coming soon)

Battery


Surface Pro: 42 W-h

Surface RT: 31.5 W-h

iPad:  Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music; Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network

Nexus 10: 9,000 mAh Lithium polymer

Galaxy : Standard battery, Li-ion 7,000mAh

Yoga: 8 hours

Processor


Surface Pro: Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5

Surface RT: Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3, 2GB RAM

iPad: Dual-core A6X with quad-core graphics

Nexus 10: Dual-core A15 Eagle, Mali T604 GPU,

Galaxy: 1.4GHz Exynos Quad-Core Processor

Yoga: 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3517U, 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3317U, 3rd generation Intel Core i3-3217U

Wireless


Surface Pro: WiFi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 technology

Surface RT: Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 technology

iPad: Wi-Fi – (802.11a/b/g/n; 802.11n on 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 technology; Wi-Fi+Cellular (802.11a/b/g/n; 802.11n on 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 technology, GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, LTE4, GPS and GLONASS, CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B

Nexus 10: Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (MIMO+HT40), Bluetooth, Dual-side NFC (Android Beam)

Galaxy : Bluetooth technology v 4.0 (Apt-X Codec support), AllShare Play / AllShare Cast, Kies / Samsung Kies air, USB 2.0 Host, Samsung, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Channel Bonding

Yoga:  802.11 b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth

Camera


Surface Pro: Two 720p HD LifeCams, front- and rear-facing

Surface RT: Two 720p HD LifeCams, front- and rear-facing

iPad: FaceTime – 1.2MP photos, 720p HD video; iSight – 5MP photos, Autofocus, Face detection, Backside illumination, Five-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, ƒ/2.4 aperture

Nexus 10: 5MP main camera, 1080p video; 1.9MP front camera, 720p video

Galaxy: Main(Rear): 5MP Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash, Sub(Front): 1.9MP

Yoga: 1.0MP 720p HD integrated webcam

Input/Output


Surface Pro: Two microphones, Stereo speakers, Full-size USB 2.0, microSDXC card slot, 3.55 mm Headset jack, HD video out port, Touch or Type Cover port, nano SIM

Surface RT: Two microphones, Stereo speakers, Full-size USB 2.0, microSDXC card slot, 3.55 mm Headset jack, HD video out port, Touch or Type Cover port, nano SIM

iPad: Mic, 3.5mm headphone jack, Lightning connector, speakers

Nexus 10:  Micro USB, Micro HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, Mic

Galaxy: 30-pin dock connector port, 3.55mm stereo jack, surround sound speakers, mic

Yoga: 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 USB 3.0 port, Combo jack, HDMI, 2-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC)

Sensors


Surface Pro: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass

Surface RT: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass

iPad: Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor

Nexus 10: Accelerometer, Compass, Ambient light, Gyroscope, Pressure, GPS

Galaxy: Accelerometer, Digital compass, Light, Gyroscope

Yoga: —–

OS


Surface Pro: Runs current Windows 7 desktop applications and integrates with your existing enterprise management infrastructure. Use the programs and the apps available in the Windows Store

Surface RT: Windows RT –  a version of Windows 8; Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote). Works exclusively with apps available in the Windows Store

iPad: iOS 6

Nexus 10: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Galaxy : Android 4.01 Jelly Bean

Yoga:  Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro

Price and availability


Surface Pro: 64GB for $899, 128GB for $999, available January 2013

Surface RT: 32GB for $499, 32GB with black Touch Cover for $599, 64GB with black Touch Cover for $699

iPad:  Already available, Wi-Fi – 16GB for $499, 32GB for $599, 64GB for $699; Wi-Fi + Cellular – 16GB for $629, 32GB for $729, 64GB for $829

Nexus 10: Available on November 13, 16GB for $399 and 32GB for $499 on Google Play in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.

Galaxy :  16GB for $499 and $549 for 32GB

Yoga: Starts at $999

Conclusion

There are lots of factors to consider when you want to purchase a new device, and you have to carefully weigh your options.  If you’re looking for something to possibly replace your PC or laptop then Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga or the Surface Pro would probably suit you.  But if you’re looking for a more laid back tablet that’s not going to break your bank, then the Nexus 10 would be your best bet.  As for the portability, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is the smallest and lightest of the bunch so if you’re always on the go, this would come in handy.  And if you’re looking for tablets that comes with a stylus, then the Surface Pro and the Galaxy Note 10.1 would fit your taste.


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