 |  |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Surface Go | iPad Air |
| BUY NOW | BUY NOW |
| PROS | PROS |
| Excellent design. Surprisingly strong graphics. Decent price. Fantastic display and speakers. | Excellent display. Strong battery life. Snappy performance. Support for Apple’s Smart Keyboard. |
| CONS | CONS |
| Still no accessories included. Less powerful than an iPad. Screen could be sharper. Windows desktop mode feels cramped. | Uses the goofy old Apple Pencil. A design that’s getting rather tired. Only two speakers. |
DESIGN
| Microsoft Surface Go | iPad Air | |
| Dimensions | 10.31 x 6.26 x 0.39 inches (262 x 159 x 9.8 mm) | 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.24 inches (248.9 x 172.7 x 6.1 mm) |
| Weight | 504.0 g | 464.0 g |
| Materials | Back: Plastic | Back: Aluminum |
| Biometrics | Fingerprint (touch) | |
| Colors | Plum, Plum, Twilight blue, White | Gold, Gray, Silver |
Microsoft Surface Go:
On this device, what I like the most about the design is the in-built stand which looks nice and also useful if you are watching videos or using it as laptop.
The back of the device looks really smooth and modern as well. While holding the device in the hand it also feels comfortable and durable as well. However, it is also a little heavier in comparison to iPad Air, it weights 1.15 pounds and it is 8.3 millimetre thin.
iPad Air:
The design of this device is consistently similar to other iPad Air’s. By having a look at the device, it feels quite minimal and modern. It also has the aluminium body and while holding this device it feels comfortable and modernized as well. It weights 1.03 pounds and it 7.5 millimetre thin. There is also touch ID sensor on the front which is nice for security purposes and it is quite fast as well.
DISPLAY
| Microsoft Surface Go | iPad Air | |
| Size | 10.0 inches | 10.5 inches |
| Resolution | 1200 x 1800 pixels, 216 PPI | 2224 x 1668 pixels, 4:3 ratio, 265 PPI |
| Technology | IPS LCD | |
| Screen-to-body | 69.42 % | 79.41 % |
| Features | Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3), Ambient light sensor | Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor |
Microsoft Surface Go:
This device has got 10-inch display with 1800 x 1600 pixels. Which is perfectly fine for me, but what’s more disappointing on this device is the large bezels all around the display which looks like a outdated design.
However, the panel is nice as the colors are sharp, bright, and contrast is good as well. This device maxes out at 350 nits. So overall this is also a nice display and to be frank you will find that there is not too much difference between both the screens, when you put them side by side.
iPad Air:
iPad Air comes with 10.5-inch retina display with 2224 x 1668 pixels. This display is much brighter and it is easily visible in sunlight without any issues. There is also P3 color gamut and true tone display which basically adjust the white balance according to the environment.
There is no air gap between the pixels and the display because the display is completely laminated. Sadly, pro-motion technology is not available but still you will get 60Hz refresh rate. Overall this is a beautiful display and you would definitely love to use this screen to watch movies or any types of videos.
HARDWARE & PERFORMANCE
| Microsoft Surface Go | iPad Air | |
| System chip | Intel Pentium 4415Y | Apple A12 Bionic APL1W81 |
| Processor | Dual-core, 1600 MHz, 64-bit, 14 nm | Octa-core, 2490 MHz, Vortex and Tempest, 64-bit, 7 nm |
| GPU | Intel HD Graphics 615 | Apple 4-core GPU |
| RAM | 8GB | 3GB |
| Internal storage | 128GB | 256GB |
| OS | Windows 10 | iPadOS (13.x) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, dual-band | 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, dual-band; MIMO |
| Bluetooth | 4.1 | 5.0 |
Microsoft Surface Go:
There are two stereo speakers and because the speakers are on the side of the device, the audio here is really loud and crisp.
There is a Intel Pentium 4415Y in this device which is not as powerful as A12 bionic chipset but it is powerful enough to do all the work related stuff like emailing, browsing internet, writing some documents, etc.
The RAM is not sufficient enough to handle all that things at once. Overall this is not the best device in terms of performance and it’s certainly not as powerful as iPad Air’s but it is decent enough and usable as well.
iPad Air:
2 Speakers are located at the bottom of the device. I would have loved if there were four speakers on this device. Quality-wise, the sound is pretty clear and loud.
Now, the performance on this device is going to be top class as there is A12 bionic chipset. This processor is really powerful enough to do video editing without any issues and also there were no issues while playing high-end games like PUBG. Apps like Youtube, chrome, Facebook or Instagram works perfectly fine and doing multi-tasking is really great as well.
CAMERA & BATTERY
| Microsoft Surface Go | iPad Air | |
| Rear | Single camera | Single camera |
| Main camera | 8 MP | 8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) |
| Video recording | 1920×1080 (Full HD) | 1920×1080 (Full HD) (120 fps) |
| Front | 5 MP | 7 MP (HDR) |
| Battery Capacity | 26.12 Wh | 8134 mAh |
Microsoft Surface Go:
This device has also got 8 MP camera on the back and there is 5 MP camera on the front. These camera’s are also decent enough nothing too special.
This device has got the 26-watt hour battery which is a little smaller than the iPad Air. This device is a little power hungry as it has Windows OS. It only lasted for 6 hours. This device will not last more then 6 hours which is just like using mobile phone with 10-inch screen.
iPad Air:
The iPad Air has got 8 MP camera on the back of the device and there is a 7 MP camera on the front. These camera’s are good enough to take quick photos or you want to do facetime. In general, tablets are not made for camera.
The battery on this device is 30.2 watt hour battery which is quite a lot. While I was using this device it lasted for 10 hours which is almost half the day and if you are not heavy user then it may last for 2 days.
WHICH ONE YOU SHOULD BUY?
If I want to buy one these devices then I would definitely buy the Apple iPad Air as it is really great device in every aspect. The design is better, performance is great, display is really beautiful and bright. The battery life is also better in comparison to Microsoft Surface Go. If you are someone, who do lot of office related work then Microsoft Surface Go would be great option to buy.
