October 26 2015
Microsoft's Surface Book laptop and Surface Pro 4 tablet went on sale today, but you might have trouble finding the former. The 13-inch Surface Book sold out within five days during a pre-sale period earlier this month, and only limited quantities are available for today's retail launch.
The Surface Book is Microsoft's first-ever laptop, and the company envisions it as a direct competitor to Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro. In fact, Microsoft called the Surface Book the fastest 13-inch laptop ever made during a live event earlier this month, and pitted it against the MacBook Pro in a speed test.
The most notable difference between the two computers is the Surface Book's hybrid design. The Surface can function both as a laptop and a touch-screen tablet, a convenient combination for real estate professionals who use tablets for limited, on-the-go tasks and a separate laptop or desktop computer for more involved tasks.
So how do the two machines really compare? We broke down the specs of each in the table below:
Surface Book | 13-inch MacBook Pro | |
Price | Starting at $1499 | Starting at $1299 |
Operating system | Windows 10 Pro | OS X El Capitan |
Screen size | 13.5" PixelSense display | 13.3" Retina display |
Resolution | 3000 x 2000 (267 PPI) | 2560 x 1600 (227 PPI) |
Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB options | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB options |
Processor | Intel Core i5 or i7 | Intel Core i5 or i7 |
RAM | 8GB or 16GB | 8GB, configurable to 16GB |
Weight | 3.34 pounds | 3.48 pounds |
Battery life | Up to 12 hours | Up to 10 hours |
Graphics | Intel HD graphics; i5/i7: NVIDIA GeForce graphics | Intel Iris Graphics 6100 |
Camera(s) | 5.0MP front-facing camera, 8.0MP rear-facing camera with autofocus and 1080p HD video recording | 720p FaceTime HD camera |
Audio | Dual Microphones, front and rear facing; Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby audio | Stereo speakers, Dual microphones |
USB ports | Two USB 3.0, full-sized SD card reader | Two USB 3.0 |
Other ports | Surface Connect, Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort | SDXC card slot, HDMI port, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack |
Warranty | 1-year limited | 1-year limited |
To learn more about Microsoft's Surface Book, watch the video below:
Wondering how the Surface 4 tablet stacks up to Apple's upcoming iPad Pro? Stay tuned—we'll be comparing the two in the weeks ahead!