Microsoft Surface Pro 9 will be the following tablet in the tech giant’s Surface product line, which was announced during Microsoft’s 2022 Surface hardware reveal event.
We had a chance to use the new tablet firsthand and were impressed. Microsoft Surface Pro 9 will undoubtedly land a spot in our ranks of the best Windows tablets and, breaking beyond Microsoft’s previous struggles, may even make it onto the list of the best tablets overall.
Apple iPad Pro, Apple’s premium tablet for professionals, is a very strong competitor, nevertheless. It’s at the top of our list of the best tablets, and Microsoft will have to work hard to knock it off.
But what if the new Surface Pro 9 turns out to be the superior tablet? Microsoft appears to be optimistic, but with Black Friday quickly approaching, we might see some significant iPad Pro discounts. Since the Surface Pro 9 debuts on October 25 (or November 8 if you live in the UK), it is doubtful that it will receive a sizable price reduction during this year’s sales events.
New technology is always interesting, but it’s not always better, as we like to say. Is the iPad Pro, which is currently more than a year old, really better than the Surface Pro 9? Let’s look at it.
Microsoft is releasing updates for the entire Surface line of tablets, laptops, and even desktop computers, with the Surface Pro 9 receiving the most attention. With Intel 12th Gen processors and a new 5G edition that is powered by the updated Microsoft SQ3 ARM processor, a Microsoft exclusive produced by Qualcomm, the most recent model of the iconic Surface tablet PC is receiving an excellent improvement that was to be expected.
Surface has been the undisputed market leader for Windows-based tablet PCs for years, and it looks like the company will keep up the momentum in 2022. What about the Apple iPad, another well-known and powerful tablet? With its potent, laptop-grade processor and support for laptop-emulating accessories, the upgraded iPad Pro in particular is competing to replace your mobile device.
Which is better Apple iPad Pro or Microsoft Surface Pro 9?
Features
Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (5G)
Apple iPad Pro (12.9-Inch, 2021)
Lowest Price
$999
$1,299
$1,099
Operating System
Windows 11 Home
Windows 11 Home
Apple iPadOS
Dimensions
11.3 by 8.2 by 0.37 inches
11.3 by 8.2 by 0.37 inches
11.04 by 8.46 by 0.25 inches
Weight
1.94 pounds
1.95 pounds
1.5 pounds
Screen Size
13 inches
13 inches
12.9 inches
Screen Resolution
2,880 by 1,920 pixels
2,880 by 1,920 pixels
2,732 by 2,048 pixels
Display Type
IPS
IPS
mini LED
Touch Screen
Yes
Yes
Yes
CPU
Intel Core i5-1235U or Core i7-1255U
Microsoft SQ3
Apple M1
Memory
8GB, 16GB, or 32GB (LPDDR5)
8GB or 16GB LPDDR4x
8GB or 16GB
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe graphics
Microsoft SQ3/Adreno 8CX Gen 3
Apple M1 eight-core GPU
Storage Capacity
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
128GB, 256GB, or 512GB
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1
5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1
5G (optional), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
Front-Facing Camera
5MP
5MP
12MP
Rear Facing Camera
10MP
10MP
12MP, 10MP, LiDAR
Battery Life
Up to 15.5 hours
Up to 19 hours
Up to 10 hours (tested at 5:28)
Surface Pro 9 vs. iPad Pro: Pricing and Availability–
Starting at $999, the new Microsoft Surface Pro 9 will be made available for pre-order later this month. This model has a 128GB SSD for storage, an Intel Core i5 processor, and 8GB of RAM.
For $1,899, you can purchase a different version that has a more potent Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The top-tier Intel-based Surface Pro 9 configuration costs $2,599. It has the same Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage.
However, there is also a second model of the Surface Pro 9 tablet, created in close cooperation between Microsoft and Qualcomm, that features 5G mobile broadband and an Arm-based Microsoft SQ3 CPU.
The entry-level Surface Pro 9 (5G) costs $1,299 and has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The most expensive 5G model’s top configuration costs $1,899 and includes 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Compared to the 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro from the previous year. The capable tablet’s base model, which comes with the Apple M1 CPU, 8GB of memory, and 128GB of SSD storage, costs $1,099 to purchase. Scaling up the storage costs more—up to 2TB costs a staggering $2,199—and adding 5G mobile connectivity costs an additional $200.
With this slight price difference, you may purchase a more comprehensive Surface Pro 9 for less money up front than an iPad Pro, which also doesn’t come with a keyboard in the box.
Surface Pro 9 vs. iPad Pro: Build and Color Options
The thin system is housed in an anodized aluminium chassis with a built-in kickstand for hands-free operation on tables and desktops. The Surface Pro 9 maintains Microsoft’s popular tablet PC design. With a range of configurations that extends out to 165 degrees and any position in between, the kickstand may be adjusted to whatever screen angle is most comfortable.
The Surface Pro 9 is available in a variety of hues, including Graphite Gray, Sapphire Blue, and Forest Green, or you may choose to have the aluminium chassis finished in a bare-metal Platinum finish.
As part of Microsoft’s celebration of 10 years of Surface, there is also a special edition that includes the blue hue but also has laser etchings and a pattern design on the keyboard that goes with it.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Microsoft SQ3 processor-equipped Surface Pro 9 (5G) is only offered in the Platinum shade. Only the Intel variants are available in the other colours.
On the other hand, the iPad Pro 12.9-inch is only available in Silver and Space Gray. It’s challenging to name a clear victor in this comparison because the criteria are so arbitrary, but Microsoft clearly offers more colour options.
You can choose from a variety of configurations for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9, including consumer and business models, Intel processors, and the 5G Surface Pro 9. (The Arm-based model also has mobile broadband and a Qualcomm chip.)
However, the configurations are not limited to the silicon you choose. The use of Qualcomm Adreno 8CX Gen 3 graphics in the 5G variant contrasts with the majority of models, which include Intel Iris Xe graphics due to the divide between Intel and Qualcomm processors.
On the Intel variants of the Surface Pro 9, you may choose between 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, while the 5G model offers you the alternative of 8GB or 16GB of the more antiquated LPDDR4x RAM.
The 2020 MacBook Air is powered by the same Apple Silicon found in the iPad Pro, which is priced similarly. The iPad has never had power like that, and you can select between 8GB and 16GB of RAM.
Apple uses the eight GPU cores in the M1 to accelerate graphics processing, creating a powerful workstation for media editing and even some light gaming. Additionally, you have the option to go overboard with storage by upgrading from the standard 128GB of SSD storage to 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or even 2TB.
Overall, the two tablets’ basic processing capability is relatively comparable, although the Surface may be more appealing due to its detachable storage. The Surface Pro features removable drives, in contrast to the iPad Pro, which has soldered-down storage, enabling the potential of repairs and upgrades months or years down the road rather than constraining you to use all of your drive options at purchase. This is a win for the Surface Pro 9.
The iPad Pro 12.9-inch and Surface Pro 9 are essentially comparable in most situations because both devices offer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for network connectivity and wireless connectors for peripherals.
The iPad Pro only offers Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 technology, whereas the Surface Pro 9 features Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1. Our explanation of What Is Wi-Fi 6E? contains further information on the specifics of Wi-Fi standards. However, for our purposes, the key distinction is that, provided you have a Wi-Fi 6E router, 6E gives lower latency and can support more devices at once.
On the Bluetooth front, it also means that the Surface Pro 9 has more Bluetooth antennae at its disposal. This enables it to locate the device, optimise signal for that device’s position, and preserve device attributes for quicker pairing with peripherals that are frequently used.
Even though there are minuscule changes, the more you use these wireless connections, the more probable it is that you will enjoy a superior wireless connection with the Surface Pro 9—the lone victor in our comparison.
Given Apple’s preoccupation with ever-slimmer and thinner designs, which has led it to eliminate even common connections like the headphone jack, it should come as no surprise that a Microsoft device would offer more physical connections than an Apple rival.
However, Microsoft isn’t exempt from closing connections, and the Surface Pro 9 doesn’t have a wired audio connection either. As a result, the port choices between the two devices are relatively similar. The Surface Pro 9 does, however, have an additional USB-C port for further usefulness, particularly when used in conjunction with an external dock.
Along with a Surface Connect port and a special connection for Microsoft’s auxiliary keyboard, the Surface Pro 9 features two USB-C connections with Thunderbolt 4 support. The Surface Pro 9 5G version also has two USB-C ports, however due to the SQ3 processor’s restrictions, it can only support conventional USB 3.2 overall.
The iPad Pro, on the other hand, has a single USB-C/Thunderbolt port for charging as well as connecting to external displays, a magnetic connector for the Apple Pencil accessory, as well as a Smart Connector for adding the Apple Smart Folio keyboard—take Apple’s the keyboard cover Microsoft invented for the Surface. This round of comparisons is won by the Surface Pro 9 solely because it has more ports.
Both Apple and Microsoft have branded high-end display technology for their own tablets, with the iPad sporting a Liquid Retina XDR screen and the Surface Pro 9 featuring a PixelSense Flow Display. And what do those labels actually mean?
The PixelSense Flow Display, a 13-inch touch panel with 2,880-by-1,920-pixel resolution, is found on the Surface Pro 9. In addition, it features a 3:2 aspect ratio, which is a touch more squared off than what you’d see on the Apple iPad or most Windows laptops. With its amazing 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, it can adapt to other frame rates when playing games or watching movies, which may employ a variable flicker rate.
We anticipate the Surface Pro to look rather nice when we eventually get to test it because Microsoft says that the panel supports a 1,200:1 contrast ratio and Dolby Vision HDR capabilities.
Apple does, however, have its own patented display technology, which is used in the iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR panel. Its own image has a precise resolution of 2,732 by 2,048 pixels, P3 wide color gamut reproduction, and excellent brightness.
It has Apple’s distinctive rounded corners, which, depending on the programs or material you’re viewing, may actually cut off a few pixels in the corners or render at a slightly reduced size on screen. At 12.9 inches, it is just a hair smaller than the 13-inch Surface Pro.Whether that matters to you is a matter for personal opinion, but the majority of media editing apps on the iPad will automatically adjust for this.
The iPad delivers 264 pixels per inch (ppi) to the Surface Pro 9’s 267ppi in terms of resolution, while the two screens may have different screen-specific resolutions. The resolution disparities between the two aren’t important because the 3-pixel difference won’t be visible to the human eye.
The usage of tiny LED illumination, however, distinguishes the iPad Pro. Both displays have IPS LCD panels, but the iPad’s screen is supported by over 10,000 tiny LEDs that are organised into more than 2,500 programmable dimming zones.It’s a minor technological adjustment, but it allows the iPad to give tighter illumination control for deeper blacks and improved contrast perception.
It’s a difference that our assessment calls “staggeringly good,” and it appears that Apple will win this contest unless the Surface Pro 9 surprises us with an exceptional display.
Both the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 9 have front- and back-facing cameras, which is more prevalent on mobile devices than on PCs. It favors the iPad in this situation.
A 1080p front-facing camera, Windows Hello, and the best video processing and chatting features from Microsoft are all included with the Surface Pro 9. With a webcam capability that moves with the user during a video call, it even competes with the iPad Pro. However, the tablet’s back only includes a single 10-megapixel (MP) camera for taking pictures and movies.
The Apple iPad Pro also features a 10MP camera on the rear and a front-facing camera with Apple ID for facial recognition-based security. However, this tablet also features a LiDAR depth sensor and a second 12MP camera. The method makes the iPad’s camera superior for both basic images and videos and more complex AR functions.
Although we haven’t tested the Microsoft Surface Pro 9, we may compare its expected battery life to that of the iPad Pro’s tested and predicted battery life.
According to Microsoft, the Intel-powered Surface Pro 9 can operate normally for up to 15.5 hours, and the Qualcomm-powered 5G device can operate normally for up to 19 hours. Apple claims that the iPad Pro’s Wi-Fi variant gives 10 hours of online browsing or video viewing, while the 5G model offers 9 hours.
Microsoft appears to have won out there, although it’s important to note that we haven’t personally tested the battery life. And those 10 hours of claimed battery life translated into 5 hours as well as 28 mins in our video rundown tests when we tested the iPad Pro back in 2021. In actual use, however, where the modem and processor would be subjected to a different as well as more varied load than our video playback test can sufficiently simulate, those occasions would likely be shorter.
Openly designed as a Windows PC, the Surface Pro 9 supports keyboard input as well as touch-screen or mouse interaction. To that end, a variety of add-ons are available for the Surface Pro 9, including the Surface Slim Pen ($129) and the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard ($179), which together transform the svelte tablet into a potent PC that is also conveniently portable.
The Apple iPad Pro approaches it from the opposite side. Apple first creates the iPad as a stand-alone tablet, but the Pro line has added features and accessories that bring it closer to being a true laptop substitute.
These are the Apple Pencil ($129) as well as the Smart Keyboard Folio ($199), which provide the same kinds of pen-on-screen and keyboard-as-screen-cover functionality that were the Surface line’s early differentiators.
The Magic Keyboard ($399) from Apple’s Mac lineup is also compatible with the iPad Pro, but that feature isn’t very compelling given that the Surface can also be used with just about any Bluetooth keyboard available. The Surface and iPad accessory selections are tied for first place, with no obvious front-runner.
The software and ecosystem are, ultimately, where the Surface and the iPad diverge most. The Surface Pro 9 comes pre-installed with Windows 11 Home; Windows 11 Pro is also available for commercial devices, but for the purposes of this comparison, we’ve only included consumer models. And it’s the genuine article—Windows 11, complete with all of your beloved programmes and features—not a version of Windows 11 with limitations. It is all present.
In contrast, Apple equips the iPad Pro with iPadOS 16. Although this is Apple’s most potent mobile OS to date and is designed for the increasingly potent iPad, it is still not entirely macOS. If you already have a Mac on your desk, the addition of keyboard and mouse compatibility is a major step in the right direction. iPadOS also works exceptionally well with macOS.
However, some tasks are still not quite possible on the iPad, such as using Apple’s own Logic Pro X software or using all of the functionality available in applications like the Adobe Creative Cloud apps (Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere, and so on). Although having a more powerful iPad is nice, a Mac is still required for the best performance and functionality.
Without a question, the best operating systems are Windows 11 and iPadOS, which have received some of our highest ratings and Editors’ Choice awards. The Surface Pro 9 is just able to check off more boxes that make it a more complete mobile computer. The iPad Pro has developed into a fantastic, ultraportable computing platform. The best choice will still be a Microsoft Surface tablet if you want the complete PC experience in a tablet form factor.
Are iPads or Surface Pros better?
The iPad Pro outperforms the Surface Pro 8 on most criteria. It is more portable, boasts better cameras, a longer battery life, and a more colourful display. Other than the Magic Keyboard’s absence, we have few grievances to raise against Apple’s M1-powered tablet.
Is it worthwhile to get an iPad Pro rather than a laptop?
Although the new Apple iPad Pro 2021 is a good laptop substitute, you might want to hang onto your larger device. For a while now, the Apple iPad has been the top tablet on the market. With the 11-inch iPad Pro for 2021, Apple has continued that history.
Follow Techmodena for the latest tech news, games, tech tips, how to, iPhone issue, tech news, tech reviews, gadget reviews, etc., For the latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube Channel.