Surface Book or the Surface Pro 4: Which one to choose?

When it comes to a comparison between the surfaces’ it’s a real battle we can say. Microsoft manufactures some of the best in class hand held and convertible tablets in the world and it’s called the Microsoft surface. This is one kind of a power packed device which can easily replace your laptop. When it comes to ease of use, this hybrid laptop is the one. And everything that blows you out costs money for sure. Which means these are pretty pocket draining gadgets. Few things you gotta know about Microsoft Surface Pro:

After the release of this hybrid, we come to know about the standardized design/layout of the device itself. Its pretty much a 13” – 13.5” inch tablet with a detachable tablet with a promising keyboard and a stylus. And the specs are the highlight here. Its amazing how such a beast is packed in such a small device.

1. Price

The main factor is price. And you know why. So if you have $1,000 + to spend on a 2-in-1 or hybrid laptop or whatever it is known as, then this is the best you can get. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 starts at $1,029 with keyboard and the Surface Book Pro starts at $1,499. And the price goes up enormously as the specs increase, like with SSD upgrade, its like $350.

2. CPU

The next factor after price is CPU. This is the highlight here. The Surface Book is available with a 6th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 whereas the Surface Pro 4 is available in three variants : 6th Generation Intel Core m3, Core i5, or Core i7 (Skylake).

3. Display and Display resolution

The surface Book is a 1.5 inch pixel sense display with a contrast ratio of 1800:1 and has a resolution of 3000*2000 at 267 ppi with an aspect ratio of 3:2. Whereas the Surface pro is slightly smaller device with 12.3 inch pixel sense display with a resolution of 2736*1824 at 267ppi with an aspect Ratio: 3:2.

4. Storage and Memory

The surface book is available in 128GB , 256GB , 512 GB variants and its available only in SSD. And that applies the same for the Surface Pro 4 and its available in four variants  128GB , 256GB , 512 GB , 1TB , SSD only.

Looking at the memory, the surface book is limited with 8GB or 16GB RAM whereas the Surface Pro 4 is available in 4GB , 8GB and 16GB.

Basically these are the things people look for before looking at the device and here’s the complete comparison :

Category	Surface Book	Surface Pro 4
Software	Windows 10 Pro	Windows 10 Pro
Display	13.5-inch Pixel Sense display Contrast Ratio: 1800:1	12.3-inch PixelSense Display Contrast ratio: 1300:1
Display Resolution	3000 x 2000 at 267ppi Aspect Ratio: 3:2	2736 x 1824 267ppi Aspect Ratio: 3:2
Processor	6th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7	6th Generation Intel Core m3, i5, or i7 (Skylake)
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB Solid State Drive (SSD)	128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB Solid State Drive (SSD)
Memory	8GB or 16GB RAM	4GB, 8GB or 16GB
Graphics	i5: Intel HD graphics (non-GPU), i5/i7: NVIDIA GeForce graphics (GPU)	m3 Intel HD graphics 51, i5 Intel HD graphics 520, i7 Intel Iris graphics
Rear Camera	8MP with autofocus, 1080P recording	8MP with autofocus, 1080P recording
Front Camera	5MP Full HD (1920 x 1080) Windows Hello face-authentication	5MP Full HD (1920 x 1080) Windows Hello-compatible
Speakers	Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby audio	Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby audio
Ports	Two full-size USB 3.0, Full-size SD card reader, Surface Connect, Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort	Full-size USB 3.0, microSD card reader, 3.5mm headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Type Cover port, Surface Connect
Sensors	Sensors, Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer	Sensors, Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer
Security	TPM chip for enterprise security	TPM chip for enterprise security
WiFi	802.11ac 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible	802.11ac 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Battery Life	Up to 12 hours	Up to 9 hours
Pen	Surface Pen 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity Magnetic storage	Surface Pen 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity Magnetic storage
Power Supply	36W power supply with USB chargin port 65W power supply with USB charging power (discrete GPU SKU)	24W power supply (Intel Core m3) 36W Power supply with USB charging port (Intel Core i5 and Core i7)
Weight	Clipboard: 1.6lbs, Non-GPU: 3.34 lbs, GPU: 3.48 lbs	i5/i7: 1.73lbs (786g), m3: 1.69lbs (766g)
Dimensions	Laptop: 9.14 x 12.30 x 0.51- 0.90 in ( 232.1 x 312.3 x 13 -22.8 mm) Clipboard: 8.67 x 12.30 x 0.30 in (220.2 x 312.3 x 7.7 mm)	11.50 x 7.93 x .33 in (292.10 x 201.42 x 8.45 mm)

Conclusion:

Basically these two devices are pretty similar. And we can say they are special and one of a kind in some perspective. Like if you’re gamer these are kind of you’ll look with something with higher graphics. If you’re an editor, you look for something with higher storage capacity. However, with these two devices, these are something that’s perfect for some casual use such as web browsing, editing docs , watching videos and casual gaming. If you want some light device with a pretty good battery life, then its the Surface Pro 4.

But the low end is that, if you go for a laptop instead of a convertible, you’d get the benefit of every penny you pay for. But paying high for convertible doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its use.