Microsoft's Surface is its own-brand tablet, but there are two models, the Surface RT and Surface Pro. So what are the differences between the two and which one is the right one for you? We take a look in our Surface Pro vs Surface RT comparison review.
On the, er, surface, both tablets seem pretty similar. While they have an almost identical design, they vary wildly in specification and come with different versions of Windows 8.
We'll compare to two Surface tablets section-by-section to highlight the differences between them.
See also: Microsoft Surface RT review.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Dimensions
It's hard to tell the difference between the Surface Pro and the Surface RT since they share similar dimensions – both are 275 x 172mm. However, with a beefier spec packed in, the Surface Pro is thicker at 13.5mm compared to 9.5mm.
It's not a surprise that the Pro is also heavier at 903g while the RT is 686g.
See also: Microsoft Surface RT vs Apple iPad comparison review.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Price
The Surface RT starts at £399 and goes up to £559. Microsoft has only announced US pricing for the Surface Pro which will start at $899 and launch in January 2013. See also: Microsoft Surface Pro price in the UK.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Screen
Both of Microsoft's tablets use a 10.6in 'ClearType' screen, designed to be used predominantly in landscape mode. Each has an aspect ratio of 16:9 but there are a couple of differences to mention.
The main one is resolution – the Surface RT uses 1366x768-pixels while the Surface Pro has a full HD resolution of 1920x1080. This means the Pro's pixel density of 208ppi is greater than the 148ppi on offer from the RT.
Another difference is that the Surface RT supports up to 5-point multi-touch, but the Surface Pro offers double with 10-point input.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Processor
Running on the tablet-specific version of Windows 8, the Surface RT has the popular nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM.
However, Microsoft has given the Surface Pro the kind of hardware line-up you'd typically find in an Ultrabook laptop. It uses a third generation Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processors and 4GB of RAM.
See also: What is an Ultrabook?
We don’t know the exact Core i5 model but at the least this will be dual-core with a clock speed of 1.7GHz and integrated Intel HD4000 graphics.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Storage
Both Surface tablets come with two storage capacities to choose from. The Surface RT has 32GB or 64GB while the Surface Pro has 64GB or 128GB.
All models come with a microSDXC card slot for additional capacity and the full-size USB port on each can be used to attach an external hard drive.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Cameras
There's no difference when it comes to cameras. Both the Surface Pro and Surface RT have 720p front and rear cameras. The rear camera is angled such that it's level when the tablet is on its kick stand.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Connectivity
Connectivity is very close to identical between the Surface Pro and Surface RT. Both have a full-size USB, Bluetooth 4.0, headphone jack, microSDXC card slot and a 2x2 multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antennae for 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi.
The differences are that the RT's USB port is version 2.0 and it has a micro-HDMI port while the Pro has USB 3.0 and Mini DisplayPort.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Software
As we’ve mentioned, the two Surface tablets run different versions of Windows 8. You can guess which version based on the name of each Surface model.
While in the tiled Modern UI, the tablets are no different, apps for this part of Windows 8 can be downloaded from the Windows Store.
However, the desktop mode is drastically divergent. For the Surface RT it's merely a place to use Office, Internet Explorer and not much else beyond control panel and file explorer.
The Surface Pro, on the other hand, doesn't come with Office pre-installed but, importantly, you can install use regular x86 Windows 7 programs.
Microsoft Surface Pro vs Surface RT: Battery
The Surface RT has a 31.5Wh battery while the Surface Pro has a proportionately larger 42Wh battery. However, Microsoft has confirmed on Twitter that the Pro will only offer half the battery life of the RT – amounting to about 4 hours.
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Comments
Jeffkaczor said: Dont you have a cell phone How hard is it to share your mobile wifi Tethering takes less then 15 sec And you only need one internet conection The other way your paying for 2 devices with internet conection Your way is old this is the new age way for all mobile devices So your post is pointless
FXi said: Mobile broadband was surveyed to not be used much Thats changing and its changing fast The trigger is really LTE for which there is a long term value proposition on top of the sheer take it anywhere factor Not having built in broadband on a high end device is foolhardy In 2012 Wifi only sold ok In 2013 itll be low end only People will take wifi only models to save money but LTE models need to be available
PDADocWP said: I am more than willing to consider either the RT or the Pro though Im leaning towards the Pro for its ability to run desktop apps since the App Store is still anemic but one major issue is stopping me NO MOBILE BROADBANDIn this day and age Im surprised that Microsoft didnt at least offer a spec with mobile broadband as an option Whats even more irritating is that other tablet manufacturers running Windows RT have offerings like this with 4G radios in them like Lenovo Asus and even DellIve already adopted a Windows Phone 8 device and ditched my iPhone for now but Im going to have to hold onto my iPad with LTE until I can test one of the other offerings or Microsoft gets their act together and releases a 4G model Im not an Apple fan by any means in fact I PREFER the Microsoft products and operating system but theyve got to at least come up with something that traveling professionals can use After all I cant be bothered running around looking for WiFi all the timeDont freeze out those of us that are trying to stand by you Microsoft
Dave Foster said: I was 100 on board with Surface Pro I was set to pitch it at our organization in the hopes of sinking the ipads which have no real use in the Corp world However a price tag of 899 and no office included has changed my mind WhyOffice would come with the RT and notPro is beyond me its like Microsoft wants to shoot itself in the foot Oh and they will be releasing office for the ipad which starts to make them a bit more useful Of course we cant use sccm to deliver apps or bitlocker to encrypt on an ipad but Im betting office will be way cheaper on the ipad
disqusted said: It looks to me as if the ASUS TF700 out-guns the Surface in every way
Jezclayton said: I would really like to buy a Surface Pro but1 Like the Samsung Ativ am frustrated at the delays in hardware being available2 Will I be able to try before I buy or do I have to wait for a Windows store to open in the UK first3 Im disappointed there is no office pre-installed - thats another expense4 A sim slot would have been nice for those of us not residing in central London Tethering seems inconvenient and dongles just get snapped offGuess I will have to suck it and see just wish there was something to suck Perhaps I will just wait for Windows 9