Apple on Monday unveiled a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the latest addition to its iPad lineup. As rumors suggested, the smaller iPad Pro shares many of the same features as its bigger 12.9-inch sibling but also sports better cameras and a new color management system for an improved screen experience.

If you are in the market for a small (around a 10-inch screen size) productivity tablet, you will likely end up picking between Microsoft’s 10.8-inch Surface 3 and the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

First, we take a look at the technical specifications for each device and then we dive into some of the standout features that set them apart.

9.7” iPad Pro vs. 10.8” Surface 3: Tech Specs

Display

Apple claims the new iPad Pro has their “most advanced display” and that it’s the brightest and least reflective display on any device, anywhere — we’ll have to wait for the reviews to come to find out if this holds water. Apple also claims the display offers up to 25 percent greater color saturation than previous iPad models.

Also new is True Tone which uses four-channel ambient light sensors to change the color and intensity of the display to match the ambient light and mimic how white paper reflects light differently in varying light conditions.

At 10.8-inches, the Surface 3 offers a 1920 x 1280 Full HD display. Although it lacks the fancy features introduced on the smaller iPad Pro, Full HD is a very reasonable display quality.

Both displays support stylus-input. For a full breakdown, check out how the Apple Pencil compares to Microsoft’s Surface Pen.

Processor, RAM and storage

Like its bigger sibling, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is powered by Apple’s A9X chip and M9 motion coprocessor with up to 1.8x the CPU performance of the iPad Air 2. Benchmark tests have put Apple’s A9X chip more or less on par with Intel’s 2013 Core i5 CPUs.

By comparison, the Surface 3’s Quad Core Intel Atom x7 chip has less raw horsepower. If you’re looking for better performance, you can opt for a Surface Pro 4 with a Core i3, i5, or i7 chip.

We don’t know how much RAM the new iPad Pro has but expect it to be the same 4GB the 12.9” version comes with. As for storage, options now includes a new 256GB model, a first for iPad.

The Surface 3 tops out at 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, but it does have a microSD slot so you could expand the storage.

Ports

The iPad Pro is limited to a lightning connector (for charging the device and Apple Pencil) and a smart connector for the keyboard. However, Apple has introduced both a USB and SD card adapter for transferring photos to the iPad.

The Surface 3 includes a full-size USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, and a microSD card reader in addition to the charging port and cover port. This allows you to connect a range of peripherals, including an external display

Cameras

Taking photos is probably low on the list of things you want to do with your tablet, but if you do, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro received a significant camera upgrade over its sibling. It sports the same 12MP iSight camera and 5MP FaceTime camera as the iPhone 6s range with Live Photos, True Tone and Retina flash, and 63MP Panorama shots.

The Surface 3 features a more modest 8MP and 3.5MP camera combo.

Keyboard and Stylus

Neither tablet comes with a keyboard or stylus included and you’ll have to spend a bit extra for these — the Surface 3’s accessories are a little cheaper, though.

Pricing and availability

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro starts at $599 for the 32GB model and pre-orders open March 24. The Surface 3 is more affordable at $499 for the 64GB model.

Screenshot: SiliconANGLE via Apple