Apple doesn't fall on its back and keeps pushing its tablets as full-fledged PC replacements even with the latest iPad Pro 2020 models that come with... a Magic Keyboard that sports a trackpad like on cough, Surface tablets, cough.
Despite all the 2010s hubris that tablets and especially iPads will kill laptops, that didn't happen, and instead tablets are becoming more and more like them. The big initial advantage of iPads and other tablets was the battery life, but, with laptops now closing that gap and weighing down to two or three pounds, the main tablet advantages are becoming less and less so by the day.
Apple iPad Pro 2020 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 7 specs, price and feature differences
In the case of the iPad Pro 2020 however, the situation is more clear cut, as it not only allows you to access Apple's iOS ecosystem on a larger display, but also lets you choose from three input methods that are supposed to shake things up for both creatives and the business types.
In that respect, the iPad Pro 2020 resembles Microsoft's Surface efforts, and you can even use a mouse with iOS on it, bazinga! The base Surface even starts cheaper than the lowest form of iPad Pro 2020, but we'll use the Core-i5 model as an example, as Apple's A12Z Bionic chipset already demonstrated it's on par in benchmarks.
Apple iPad Pro 2020 vs Surface Pro 7 Core i5 benchmarks
Price: $1099 (iPad Pro 2020 256GB) vs $999 (Surface Pro 7 Core i5 256GB + cover promo)
Keyboards w/ trackpad: $349 (Apple Magic Keyboard) vs $160 (Signature Type Cover)
Stylus: $129 (Apple Pencil) vs $100 (Surface Pen)
Battery life: 10 hours (iPad Pro 2020) vs 10.5 hours (Surface Pro 7)
Displays: 12.9" (iPad Pro) vs 12.3" (Surface Pro 7) with basically the same pixel density
Cameras: 3 cameras and 4K video (iPad Pro) vs 2 cams and 1080p (Surface)
Features: LiDAR scanner and 120Hz display (iPad) vs USB-C port, finger scanner (Surface cover)
OS: iPadOS 13.4 vs Windows 10
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As versatile and high-tech as the iPad Pro 2020 has become, adding a trackpad, cursor and LiDAR scanner to the already-there top-notch 120Hz display, it is still a vessel for the iPadOS system and its creativity inclination, while the Surface Pro 7 counters with the productivity of Windows and ubiquity of regular ports.
For the kind of money that Microsoft and Apple are asking for their tablet or 2-in-1 gear, though, you may as well buy the real thing in the form of a pretty svelte laptop, Mac or PC, that will weigh and last just as much on a charge with the keyboard and trackpad coming standard.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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