Apple and Microsoft are both making headlines thanks to rumors regarding their upcoming tablet offerings. Apple hopes to reverse declining iPad sales with its larger-screen iPad Pro while Microsoft is likely to go from strength to strength with its upcoming Surface Pro 4.

With a recent report from Good Technology revealing that Apple’s iPad lost enterprise market share to offerings from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Microsoft, these two devices will be competing head-to-head for attention.

With a flood of rumors doing the rounds for both the Surface Pro 4 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, we take a look at how these tablets are likely to stack up against each other.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 vs. Apple iPad Pro

Design, dimensions and weight

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Said to be thinner than the Surface Pro 3 and made from magnesium-aluminum alloy, the 12-inch Surface Pro 4 should be lighter than its 800-gram predecessor and slimmer than 9.1 millimeters. Apart from a “thinner, lighter device,” don’t expect a huge change in looks as the changes in the design are said to be only “incremental” and Microsoft has promised business users that the new device will be compatible with Surface Pro 3 accessories.

Apple iPad Pro: Rumors suggest Apple larger-screen iPad will take design cues from the company’s iPad Air 2 and feature a thin chassis, slim bezels and include speakers and microphones on all four edges of the device for stereo sound. With a 12.9-inch screen, this will be Apple’s largest iPad to date but it may measure in at just 7 millimeters thick. Color options should include Apple’s standard silver, gold and space gray.

Display

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: The device will come in two display sizes: a 12-inch model and a 14-inch model offering 2k and 4k resolution respectively, both multi-touch.

Apple iPad Pro: iOS 9 code and analytics information suggest the iPad Pro will boast an ultra-high-resolution display (2732 x 2048) with 264 ppi. Additionally, various reports point at Force Touch technology being incorporated and (maybe) an optional Force Touch-enabled stylus.

Processor

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Rumors suggest the Surface Pro 4 will come with Intel’s new Skylake CPUs, offering significant performance improvements over the Surface Pro 3. The larger, more expensive version will likely boast 16GB of RAM while the smaller, cheaper version will pack 4GB of RAM.

Apple iPad Pro: The device will most likely come with Apple’s next-generation A9 chip and 2GB of RAM to drive the extra screen real estate and support iOS 9’s new multitasking features.

Storage

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: The Surface Pro 4 range is said to include Samsung SSD storage available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 500GB with a microSD card slot to expand storage.

Apple iPad Pro: We don’t expect any surprises here, with Apple likely sticking to the 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB options.

External ports and connectivity

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: To keep the Surface Pro 4 compatible with Surface Pro 3 accessories, Microsoft will likely stick to the same selection of external ports, including a full-size USB 3.0 port (possible inclusion of USB 3.1), microSD card reader, headset jack, Mini DisplayPort and a Micro USB charging port.

Apple iPad Pro: The device may feature NFC-capability, allowing it to act as an Apple Pay terminal for business use, a USB-C port, USB 3.0 port and Apple’s Lightning connect port.

Camera

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Rumors suggest an 8-megpixel rear camera (up from 5-megapixels on the Surface Pro 3) and a 3.5-magapixel front-facing camera, although we don’t understand why the Surface Pro 4 would essential downgrade from the 5-megapixel front-facing camera found on the Surface Pro 3.

Apple iPad Pro: There have been no hints at what spec camera the iPad pro will get; however, it may benefit from the same 12-megapixel rear camera Apple is rumored to introduce on its upcoming iPhone 6s.

Sensors

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Similarly to the Surface Pro 3, the Surface Pro 4 should include an ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and digital compass.

Apple iPad Pro: Like the iPad Air 2, the iPad Pro will probably offer a motion coprocessor with several sensors, including a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, barometer, and compass functionality.

Battery

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: No details are available, but the device should be more power efficient than its predecessor thanks to Intel’s new Skylake CPU.

Apple iPad Pro: Despite the larger screen size, improved efficiencies in iOS 9 and new power management options should improve the iPad Pro’s battery life over previous iPads.

Operating System

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Windows 10 with Windows Hello biometric sign-in.

Apple iPad Pro: iOS 9

Price and availability

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Rumors suggest Microsoft will unveil the Surface Pro 4 in October, with October 4^th being floated as a more specific launch date. The high-end version could retail for around $1,300 and the lower-end version for around $500.

Apple iPad Pro: Following reports of supposed delays due to challenges with the larger display units, Apple may introduce the iPad Pro alongside its new iPhones on September 9, or at a stand-alone event sometime in October. The device is speculated to cost around $1,000.

Image credit: PIX1861 via Pixabay