Microsoft muscle against Apple agility in the battle of the tablets

The tablet market is getting pretty crowded but Microsoft feels it has something different to offer with the Surface 3, a new tablet that it claims has struck the perfect balance between performance and value.

In its sights is the iPad Air 2, Apple’s thin and light tablet that the tech firm also pitches as capable of handling almost anything.

Price-wise, they come in neck and neck, at €609 for the 64GB version of both tablets, before you start getting into extras such as smart covers and pens.

Both tablets offer a mobile-enabled version, though Apple has a built-in Sim that you can use to sign up for a limited number of mobile data tariffs. Apple also brings increased security with its fingerprint reader.

So how does the Surface 3 stack up against the competition? We pitched them head to head to find out.

Looks

One of the main selling points of the iPad Air 2 is its sleek frame. It’s thin, at 6.1mm, and weighs in at 437g. The Surface 3, while not weighty by any stretch of the imagination, is bigger and heavier, weighing 622g. That’s partly due to the larger screen: it is 10.8 inches, compared with the iPad Air’s 9.7in display .

It is still the thinnest and lightest Surface Microsoft has made to date, which goes in its favour. It also has a kickstand built into the device, which is handy for when you are using it with the keyboard cover or just want to prop it up to watch a movie.

There’s also a choice of colours with the iPad – silver, gold and space grey – which you don’t get with the Surface 3. It’s grey or nothing there, we’re afraid.

There’s also more of a bezel on the Surface, although the iPad isn’t the smallest on that front either. But overall the Air looks slick.

Winner

The Surface 3 has some great features, but when it comes to looks and portability, the iPad Air 2 edges it in our opinion.

Display

There’s a lot said about the Retina display on the iPad Air 2, and it’s deserved praise. The 9.7in display is pin sharp, at 264 pixels per inch. Colours are vibrant and text is crisp, even when you zoom in close. You get some glare off the screen when you go to extreme viewing angles, but not so much as to render it unusable – plus you probably won’t be trying to view the screen at those angles too often anyway.

The Surface 3 comes with a 10.8in display, and that extra room can be felt when you’re watching videos or typing a document. Its resolution clocks in at 1920 x 1080, compared with the iPad’s 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. Overall, it looks good, and like the Air 2, it has great viewing angles.

Winner

We liked the extra space the Surface gave us, but numbers aside, it’s hard to beat the iPad’s display.

Capacity

When it comes to capacity, it’s not just about the figures. The iPad Air comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB, whereas the Surface 3 is only available in 64GB and 128GB versions.

However, the operating system will take up a bit of space, which is worth factoring into your decision. Out of a 128GB iPad Air 2, we found there was a little over 113GB of free space available to us. The 128GB Surface, meanwhile, shows 110GB of free space, which means the iPad Air gives a little more to users.

However, there are two things you should take into account. First, the Surface 3 includes a full-size USB port. That means you can expand the storage cheaply and easily with either a USB key or an external hard drive.

Second, it also allows you to add a micro SD card to expand storage. The slot is hidden away under the kickstand.

Those are two points in its favour. The only option for expanding your storage space with the iPad is to take up cloud services, which aren’t an option if you move out of internet range.

Winner

The Surface 3 offers more options for less ; a micro SD card is far cheaper than choosing the higher capacity iPad to start with.

Camera

The camera on a tablet isn’t as big a consideration for most people as it would be on a smartphone – unless you’re that person holding their iPad up at a gig. But you still want something half decent, whether it’s for the odd snap here and there or for video-conferencing.

The Surface comes with an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera. That covers things off nicely, and it matches what the iPad offers and then some.

The iPad Air’s front-facing camera clocks in at 1.2 megapixels, although Apple has designated it as an iSight camera.

Although Microsoft’s tablet took clearer shots in our tests – the iPad was a little soft even in good lighting conditions – Apple’s tablet offered more options, such as time lapse and slow motion, than the Surface. Neither tablet has a flash built in, so low light shots are hit and miss.

Winner

The iPad just wins out here.

Software

The iPad Air, like all the others before it, runs iOS. That’s Apple’s mobile software, if you weren’t aware, so anything extra you want to install on it has to come from the App Store. That means it’s all vetted by Apple, which lessens the likelihood of malicious software slipping through, but it also limits you to what Apple says is acceptable to install on your machine. Despite a few hiccups, iOS 8 has its fans because it is relatively easy to get started with.

Previous Surface tablets were divided into the Pro version, which ran full Windows, and those that ran RT, Microsoft’s version of Windows 8 for mobile devices with ARM processors. That distinction has now gone, and the Surface 3 runs Windows 8.1, the full desktop software that you get with your laptop.

You can install regular software on the tablet or go to the Windows Store for apps. Obviously you aren't going to be installing heavy duty software, but it will run most productivity software, including Microsoft Office, without suffering from slowdowns. You can also download a few apps for Twitter, Facebook and photo editing. The best thing about it is that the tablet will be compatible with Windows 10 when the new operating system is released later this year, so you can upgrade for free.

Winner

While Windows 8.1 hasn’t exactly inspired people, the Surface 3 still wins this round for its flexibility.

Power

Both devices claim to have the same battery life at 10 hours apiece. Obviously, what you do with it will affect how much of that 10 hours you get, but on the whole, both batteries performed well.

However, when it comes to charging, the Surface 3 has the edge. That’s mainly because you can charge it off a micro USB, so there are no proprietary cables to worry about. Chances are if you forget your cable, you’ll be able to find one around the office. The iPad Air 2 has Apple’s lightning connection, so if you are an iPhone 5 or later user, you’re sorted. But the micro USB cable might be a little easier to lay your hands on in a rush – and cheaper to replace if something happens to it.

Winner

The Surface 3 is a little more convenient than the iPad Air 2, mainly down to the ease at which you could lay your hands on a cable in an emergency.

So there you have it. Ultimately though, it will come down to personal preference, and what you want to use the tablet for: work, play or a healthy mix of both.