If you are currently on the hunt for a tablet that is humongous and powerful enough, perhaps to replace your laptop, you now have some options to pick from (or if you're at the receiving end: You now have an array of choices to ask from).
We are giving you these three choices that are deemed the most advanced, greatest 2-in-1 slates in the market today: Apple iPad Pro, Samsung Galaxy TabPro S, Microsoft Surface Pro 4.
Apple iPad Pro
Not so long ago, Apple pushed out its latest slate, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
During the announcement of the device, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller said that the company's new tablet is not only the "ultimate upgrade for existing iPad users," it is a "replacement for the PC users" as well.
Now, let's take a look at what this tablet has to offer for those who are on the lookout of a new device to snag from the market.
Perhaps one of the best-selling points of the new iPad Pro is its 9.7-inch display with 2,048 x 1,536 pixels resolution. Apart from having a fully laminated display with antireflective coating and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, this slate has also a special feature named True Tone. This feature dynamically adjusts the screen's white balance in line with the room's lighting.
As what's found under its bigger sibling's hood, the iPad Pro 9.7 comes fitted with the same A9X processor and M9 coprocessor.
In terms of its storage, this iPad Pro is available in three options: 32 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB.
Its camera is deemed better as opposed to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This sports a 12-megapixel main camera with a True Tone flash feature and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfie and video chat with a so-called Retina Flash feature. Of course, this can now record 4K videos and Live Photos, a great functionality showing off a 3-second video of a photo that has been captured.
This touts two speakers at the bottom part and two at the top, just like the iPad Pro 12.9.
This latest iPad Pro features a 27.5-watt-hour rechargeable battery. The company says that this tablet offers 10 hours of battery life.
For easier unlocking of the device, this slate comes equipped with a Touch ID built into its Home button.
This iPad Pro is offered in a variety of color options, ranging from Space Gray, Silver, Gold and Rose Gold.
With regard to its accessories, users of this device can use Apple's first stylus Apple Pencil. It likewise has a Smart Keyboard, which is easily connected to the device via its Smart Connector.
Price-wise, the tablet's price tag starts at $599. The base Wi-Fi and LTE model, in the meantime, costs $729.
Is it a possible replacement for your laptop?
In our recent review roundup about the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, we cited Walt Mossberg of The Verge saying that the new iPad Pro is not a "full and complete laptop replacement - yet."
"But it's certainly much more than a way to watch Netflix," says Mossberg. "Even more than previous standard-sized iPads, it's a way to handle many common tasks once only possible on a heavier, bulkier laptop."
He went on to say that with just a few key improved apps, he could already ditch his laptop for the iPad Pro.
Another downside of the tablet is it does not yet run an OS X.
Samsung Galaxy TabPro S
A few weeks ago, Samsung's Windows 10 2-in-1 tablet, named the Galaxy TabPro S, has already begun hitting store shelves in the United States market.
With regard to its price, it carries an $899.99 price tag.
Microsoft says, this 2-in-1 slate is optimized both for entertainment and productivity, making it an ideal device for both the enterprise and consumers.
The TabPro S touts a 12-inch super AMOLED display, considered the best screen in the market thus far. The screen features a 2,160 x 1,400 resolution.
This device is lightweight, giving 1.53 pounds and 0.25-inch thickness.
Samsung says it has a battery life of 10.5 hours.
Under its hood, it is crammed with a 4 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD of storage and 2.2GHz Core M3 processor.
What makes the deal sweet is at $900, it already comes packed with the device's keyboard case. However, the dedicated pen for the device has yet to arrive soon.
So, can it replace your laptop?
While it can already run a full desktop operating system, the TabPro S is still lacking for it to be a good laptop replacement.
For instance, the device has only one USB Type-C port, making it limiting. Experts also believe its 4 GB RAM is not enough. Its keyboard, experts say, is also in need of a stronger keyboard base.
Of course, the TabPro S is still impressive, in a lot of ways, making it a strong rival for the iPad Pro and Surface Pro. And, yes, it seems it is a great entertainment and productivity machine. With a few improvements, though, in the next iterations of the device, perhaps one could already ditch their laptops for the slate.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4
In October, Microsoft unveiled the successor to its Surface Pro 3, the Surface Pro 4, packing in a brand new design, larger screen and, of course, beefed up specs.
As compared with the iPad Pro and TabPro S, this slate is the most humongous, featuring 12.3 inches, without the actual size of the device being enlarged. The device's display includes 267 pixels per inch.
Microsoft touts the Surface Pro 4 is powerful. In fact, it says it has 30 percent more power as opposed to Surface 3.
What makes it great is it comes packed with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB internal storage, which is way more than what other slates offer.
The company also places four USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port along with two 4K DisplayPorts.
Alongside the introduction of the device, Microsoft also launched a new Type Cover that apart from being thinner and lighter than the earlier version, it also rocks a new keyset that replicates what is found on a keyboard of a laptop. What makes it great is it has a fingerprint reader and works well with the Surface Pro 3.
Its Surface Pen is likewise enhanced. It now offers 1,024 levels of pressure. It also has a tail eraser that is an added functionality for the pen.
The device is priced at $899.
Lately, Microsoft has pushed out a Twitter post which somehow claims that its Surface Pro 4 has met all the criteria to make it a good replacement for PCs.
#Surface checks every box. pic.twitter.com/8iWfWj0OBS
- Surface (@surface) Marso 21, 2016
Our review roundup about the Surface Pro 4 in October, though, says that its Type Cover keyboard "is not at par with a desktop keyboard." However, one expert says that this keyboard is an improvement over the old one, as its key travel is firmer and it now has space between the keys.
What makes the device premium and closer to the PC experience is it suits CAD/CAM applications and is also able to harness the full capacity of a sixth-generation Intel Core m3, i5, i7 processor, meaning one can do serious work using this slate.
#Surface checks every box. pic.twitter.com/8iWfWj0OBS
— Surface (@surface) March 21, 2016
Our review roundup about the Surface Pro 4 in October, though, says that its Type Cover keyboard "is not at par with a desktop keyboard." However, one expert says that this keyboard is an improvement over the old one, as its key travel is firmer and it now has space between the keys.
What makes the device premium and closer to the PC experience is it suits CAD/CAM applications and is also able to harness the full capacity of a sixth-generation Intel Core m3, i5, i7 processor, meaning one can do serious work using this slate.
