Surface Pro 3 vs iPad Air 2 Comparison, Review: Laplet or Tablet?
With Apple's new iPad Air 2 to be released into the market soon, it's definitely going to be getting some competitors. Much like the smartphone market, contenders aren't scarce and Apple is always looking to be challenged by tech companies. In the line of tablets, computer makers like Microsoft dominate the scene.
For Microsoft, it's going to be their hybrid transforming laptop-tablet, the Surface Pro 3, which was recently released earlier this year.
The Surface Pro 3 is the third one in Microsoft's line of "laplets," a laptop-tablet hybrid. It has a 12-inch display with a thin and light profile. The tablet itself can be connected to a type cover where it can then be used like a laptop.
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There are three models to choose from, all using the same Intel Haswell processor. The Intel i3 with a 1.5GHz processor, an Intel i5 with up to a 2.9Ghz processor, and an Intel i7 with up to a 3.3GHz processor. Storage options go from 64GB to 512GB with 4GB or 8GB RAM options. The Surface Pro also supports microSD slots of up to 128GB.
The iPad Air 2 on the other hand is simply a tablet, without any of the transformable features of the Surface Pro 3. This time however, the tablet is even thinner than the previous iPad Air only 6.1mm thick and weighs some 437g.
One of the more prominent upgrades on the iPad Air 2 would be the inclusion of a TouchID fingerprint sensor and the more powerful 64-bit A8X chipset, which was created especially for the tablet. Unlike the A8 chip on the iPhone 6, the one on the iPad Air 2 is more powerful with a 40-percent faster CPU speed and a 2.5 times faster GPU.
It's difficult to say which one takes the crown for the better tablet but when it comes to pure functionality as a tablet, the iPad Air 2 might just be it. However, Microsoft is close behind with the Surface laplet line and in terms of business uses, the Surface Pro 3 is better with its dual functionality.
