Hybrids started to intimidate existing devices in the digital showground, making users realize their need and at the same time providing them the convenience of a laptop and a tablet in a single, handy and not-so-bulky device. The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 has already found its way to taking over a large portion of this market, magnetizing huge and popular enterprises. However, many believe that an iPad Air 2 has no reason to be threatened, as it doesn't need a kickstand to stand out among the rest. Sure enough, between these two distinct heavyweights is a specs showdown waiting to happen.
Put side by side with the Surface Pro 3, the iPad Air 2 becomes all too peewee, which is not at all bad though. The former comes with a huge 12-inch display and a 9.1 mm body, which is impressively thin for a 2-in-1 gadget. The latter is at 9.7 inches, with a sleek 6.1 mm build. These devices look great, too. The shell of the iPad Air 2 is caked with aluminum. Surface Pro 3's exterior is encrusted with magnesium.
These two are dressed up elegantly and are complemented with superior specs, as they should. The Surface Pro 3 boasts a 2160 x 1440 pixel resolution, which translates to 216 ppi pixel density. However, iPad Air 2 wins this department and it's because of its smaller size and bigger pixel resolution: 2048 x 1536 delivering a 264 ppi pixel density. Sharp details are guaranteed by Microsoft's product but crisper visuals come from Apple's offering. To top it all off, the latter has an anti-reflective display to tone down the glares.
The iPad Air 2 houses a powerful processor, the 1.5 GHz 64-bit tri-core A8X. It is then paired with a 2 GB RAM. The high-speed performance of the tablet is attributed to its desktop-material anatomy. The Microsoft hybrid is half desktop, half tablet and it is surely a potent device as well. It is loaded with 4 GB or 8 GB RAM, which is then complemented with one of three 64-bit dual-core Intel processors — i3, i5 or i7, which clocks in around 1.5 GHz to 3.3 GHz. Storage capacities are poles apart, basically due to their designed functions. The iPad Air 2 is a tablet, which deems 16, 64, and 128 GB enough. The Surface Pro offers more sizeable storage like 64, 128, 256 and 512 GB, as part of its laptop border.
Imaging capabilities are not big when it comes to full-sized devices. The iPad Air 2 has an 8-megapixel rear-facing shooter and a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera. The Surface Pro 3, on the other hand, has 5-megapixel front and rear cameras.
The Apple's tablet outlasts Microsoft's amalgam by one hour, as per the maker's advertisements. The latter can stay up to 9 hours for its user, an hour shorter than iPad Air 2's juice. The Surface Pro 3 comes with a refined aluminum stylus. The iPad Air 2 has this, too, but as a perk. The tablet's is noticeably not as sophisticated as the hybrid's. It bounces back though, with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which heightens tablet security.
Lastly and most importantly, the price tags. The iPad Air 2, which costs $500, is expectedly less pricey. The Surface Pro 3 is at $800. Those who want to use it more as a laptop can get a keyboard to go with it by adding another $130.
