Microsoft has finally announced the successor to the Surface 2 — unsurprisingly dubbed the Surface 3. The device is being hailed as the best in the Surface series so far, capable of even taking on the iPad Air 2.
Apple has largely dominated the tablet arena ever since the iPad was first released. As of late, however, other companies have become greater contenders. How do the Surface 3 and the iPad Air 2 compare?
Design
Apple is the undisputed king of design, and the iPad Air 2 is certainly no exception to this. The device is extremely thin and sleek and comes in color choices of silver, gold, and space gray, all of which are very classy and flashy.
The Surface 2 is a little more fun. It comes in silver, but also presents color choice for the keyboard, giving it personal flair. iPad users can also purchase a keyboard in a variety of colors, but the use of the keyboard is much more central to the Surface experience. It's quite a bit thicker than the iPad Air 2, and unlike the iPad, it features a USB 3.0 port and a Mini DisplayPort, a microSD card reader and a micro USB charging port.
The fact that the Surface 3 includes these ports makes it much more of a likely candidate for laptop replacement than a strict tablet. This is further emphasized by the device's use of the keyboard.
Processing, Storage and RAM
The Microsoft Surface 3 comes with a quad-core Intel Atom x7 processor, which is quite a high-performing processor for a device of this class. The base frequency of the processor is 1.6 GHz, and it is able to reach 2.4 GHz at maximum.
The Apple A8X processor, which is featured in the iPad Air 2, has a base frequency of 1.5 GHz. The iPad Air 2 also comes with 16 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB storage options, with 2 GB of RAM. This is similar to the Surface 3, which comes with either 64 GB or 128 GB of storage and either 2 GB or 4 GB of RAM.
Software
The Surface 3 comes with a full version of Windows 8.1, and it will be upgradable for free to Windows 10 once the new operating system is released. It also comes with a free one-year subscription to Microsoft's Office 365, making the device very business-oriented right out of the box.
Of course, the iPad Air 2 runs Apple's iOS 8, Apple's latest mobile operating system.
Other
The Surface 3 outclasses the iPad Air 2 in a number of other features, offering a larger display and a better front-facing camera at 3.5 megapixels, compared with Apple's 1.2 megapixels. The front-facing camera is also able to capture 1080p video, while Apple's offering still sits at 720p.
Conclusions
It's a classic case of business vs. home use here. Microsoft's offering is clearly better suited toward the business-minded, while the iPad is a little easier to use, making it the better choice for those who want to surf the Web and watch YouTube videos.
