American multinational Microsoft recently unveiled the Surface Pro 3 tablet which bravely stated its catch-all premise for tablet and laptop users. However, there are people who might prefer to use Surface Pro as a tablet only. In this case, how does Surface Pro 3 compare with Apple iPad Air?

Price

According to Microsoft's press release, the starting price for Surface Pro 3 tablet is at US$799 which translates to $863 in Australia. On the other hand, Apple iPad Air is sold at the starting price of US$450 in Amazon which is just AUD$486. Given the huge price difference, a user can already buy two iPad tablets for the price of one Surface Pro 3.

Hardware

The Verge mentioned that Surface Pro 3 measures 10.81 inches in height, 6.81 inches in width, 0.53 inches in thickness, and weighs 1.99 pounds. It has an adjustable kickstand which can be tilted up to 150 degrees. Meanwhile, iPad Air's specifications are found in Apple Store, It is few notches smaller with its measurement of 9.4 inches in height and 6.6 inches in weight. But it is thinner and lighter with just 0.29 inches in thickness and 1.05 pounds in weight.

Software

Surface Pro 3 runs on Windows 8 operating system complete with Microsoft essential like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Meanwhile, iPad Air runs on iOS 7operating system with built-in apps included like FaceTime, iTune Store, Newsstand, iBooks, and many others.

Processor and Storage

Surface Pro 3 is made with Intel Core i5-3317U processor clocked at 1.7 GHz. It has 4 GB RAM, 64 GB internal size, and microSD support. There is also 3.5mm headphone port, and USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, and Dolby enhanced sound. On the other hand, iPad Air has A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor. It also has Nano-SIM card tray, 3.5 mm stereo headphone mini-jack, built-in speakers, and dual microphones.

Display

Surface Pro 3 comes with 10.6-inch diagonal multi-touch LCD screen, 1920 x 1080 display, and 207.82 pixels per inches (ppi) image density. While iPad Air has 9.7-inch diagonal LED-backlit multi-touch display with IPS technology. It also has 2048 x 1536 display and 264 ppi image density. In addition, there is built in retina display and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating included in the gadget.

Connectivity

Both Surface Pro 3 and iPad Air have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. But unlike Surface Pro 3, iPad Air also has HSPA and LTE connectivity.

Camera

Surface Pro 3 has 720p video resolution for both front facing and rear facing cameras. On the other hand, iPad Air has 720p video resolution and 1.2 megapixels for the face time high definition camera. There is also 5 megapixel iSight camera and 1080p resolution for video recording.

Battery

Surface Pro 3 has 42-watt-hour rechargeable battery which can last up to nine hours of Web-browsing usage. On the other hand, iPad Air has built-in 32.4-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery which can lasts up to 10 hours of usage such as surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video or listening to music. It is chargeable using 12W power adapter or USB to computer system.

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