If you work a lot at your office or don't mind the extra weight: Surface Book Software differences If you want great battery life on the go or at a desk: iPad Pro / Surface Pro 4 In my personal experiences with the iPad Pro, the tablet's had incredible battery performance-I've regularly been getting 14 total active hours without recharging when sketching, writing, and listening to music.
I didn't do extensive battery testing on the Surface or Surface Book, so I'm taking Microsoft at its word on battery life (and for more on that, you can always visit Windows Central). Detach to use as a tablet, and you're looking at just 3-4 hours of battery life.
(Buy a more powerful Surface, however, and expect that battery estimation to go down.) The Surface Book's a different story altogether: It stores most of its battery in that gigantic keyboard. If you plan to use it chained to a desk or in a lap: Three-way tieīattery is a big deal here: The Surface Pro 4 and iPad Pro have pretty comparable battery life, packing a 38.2 and 38.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery, respectively and promising 9-10 hours of battery life. If you plan to carry your tablet in-hand: iPad Pro All are pretty comfortable when writing or drawing sitting down. The tablet feels much more well-balanced, even when holding it with a thumb and forefinger by a corner in contrast, both Surface models feel much more weighty when held lightly in one hand. The Surface Book sans keyboard is a few ounces heavier at 1.6 pounds, though if you attach its keyboard base, be prepared for a whopping 3.34 pound total the Surface Pro 4's base model comes in at the heaviest of the three tablets at 1.74 pounds.Īs I picked up all three tablets sans their keyboard options, there wasn't a noticeable difference in weight, but I do prefer the overall feel of the iPad in both landscape and portrait mode. In terms of weight, the iPad Pro comes in at the lightest of the three tablets (unsurprisingly, given its lack of additional chips), at 1.57 pounds (1.59 if you have the Wi-Fi and Cellular model). If you want a laptop or second screen replacement: iPad Pro If you want a desktop replacement: Surface Book If you're looking for something to replace to your laptop and work alongside your desktop powerhouse, the iPad Pro is a much more compelling option. If your goal is to do all your artistic work on your laptop-no desktops allowed-then the Surface is going to be a lot more appealing to you. My ideal tablet should work in tandem with my desktop computer, rather than replace it entirely. When it comes to using either device as a sketchpad/writing platform, however, I don't really care about 60FPS gaming possibilities: I want long battery life, smooth interaction with the tablet's stylus of choice, fast brush rendering in artistic apps, and comfort on my lap and in my arms. The iPad Pro, in contrast, has an impressive amount of power for a tablet device, but it can't compete against 16GB of RAM or a Core i7 processor. Both the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book are marketed as whole computer replacements, and as such, have the capacity for an impressive amount of power-power that rivals MacBook Pro standards.