USA PRICE CORRECTIONS: iPad Pro 12.9” 128GB - $1,099 iPad Pro 12.9” 256GB - $1,199 iPad Pro 12.9” 1TB - $1,799 Apple Pencil - $129 Apple Magic Keyboard - $349 Not sure what happened there - sorry. Though, you can get better prices like those listed in the video by using the Amazon links in the description, or at places like Target, B&H and Best Buy.

If I had to make the choice I would opt for the Surface Pro simply because it runs a full desktop operating system.

Brilliant as always. You are so thorough in balancing the two tablets against each other, like having a pair of scales and giving and taking away from each side. You’re right about competition and choice and I think we are very lucky to have this. Lucky, also, that we have you to help us evaluate the pros and cons. Thank you. Always enjoyable and although the numbers confound me, I get the gist and it’s helpful.

Just a great balanced review that thoroughly checks the pros and cons of both sides without the usual bias from too-cool KZfaq tech kids. Thank you - subscribed

I like the way you speak, very calm and convincing, and a very informative video you've made, well done, keep up the good work!

Fantastic as always. I picked up a 2nd hand surface pro 8 as I found the iPad just too limited for laptop duties.

Great review and glad to see someone reviewing these, actually stating with "12th Gen i7" is being reviewed, as there are a few i7's being used in the SP line up. For example, your reviewed an i7-1255u (2PC+8EC/12T @ 3.5/4.7GHz), your US hyper-link is to an I7-2640M (2C/4T @ 2.8/3.5GHz), a noticeably less powerful variant for "work" tasks. And there is also an I7-1265U (2PC+8EC/12T @ 3.6/4.8GHz) variant. The difference may seem small.. but it's actually relevant to the intend software use.. esp. if intended to use as closer to a laptop solution Also note, there is a powerful older SP8 with an i7-1185G7 - 4C/8T @ 3.0/4.7GHz), that you may want to take a look at.

A superbly balanced and informative comparison. Great job!

well reviewed and excellent comparison.. my pick is surface pro 9 also. It is a well made device and you can manage battery life per usage. Full external monitor support due to windows and kickstand beats IPAD, which you have to have M1 or M2 and some type of case, and it cannot work in clamshell mode when connected to an external display with stage manager etc.. Its obvious that ipad is artificially limiting some things. Speakers from pro 5 have definitely improved and SSD can be upgraded easily. Pro 9 also has WiFi 6E.

I recently bought the SP9 i7 16GB +256GB SSD version from Currys. They were reduced to £1429, they also had 15% off, and I also traded my old Surface Pro 3 in for £180 (which I thought was an excellent trade-in price). All told, I got this beast for £1034. I did update the SSD with a 2TB WD SN740 so an extra £180 on top of that, but, very happy with it

I'm a motorcycle traveller and a software engineer. I use Amazon Workspaces to log into my work and thought I could use my Android tablet. While definitely usable, it's nowhere near capable and easy. And I also record videos of my travel and just transferring files from the gopro to an external hard disk is a pita. I am now tempted to buy a Surface.

What I take from this video is that they’re both great tablets with pros and cons, it’s about what’s important to you and what works better with your workflow and the iPad works better for me and my ecosystem, but Great review!!!

Surface Pro 9 easily. It offers a full operating system, WSL, Intel 12 generation "U" CPU for better battery, and better for traveling sales or analysts using PowerPoint or Power BI. Also, adjustable SSD. A person can start with 256GB and switch to 1TB SSD for $99.

Well done. Facts and logic, with respect for viewer subjectivity thrown it.

Excellent comparison. Thank you!

Excellent review, incredibly informative and insightful, and allows the viewer to make the right choice for their circumstances.

I was in the position of making this choice, I used to have a Surface Pro through my work but due to needing to do more stylus and pen design work I went with the iPad Pro, now months later I have to say I made the wrong choice, for the functions and uses I need the device for Apple OS limits me far too much, I can't run the programs or even find apps with similar functions. So most of the time my iPad now sits idle doing very little and instead I go back to using my desktop PC. So from my experience and usage, the Surface Pro would have been a far better choice I now feel. Very nice video and comparison.

Excelente comparision!!

I just got my first ever Surface device, the Surface Pro 9 in Forest Green...hope this computer lives long enough and is worthy to live alongside the M1 Air ....

Very good job on this review. Thanks

That was a wonderful review my friend I have to say that I own an iPad pro 12.9 the latest generation with 512 gigs and I also own a surface book 2 which is not exactly what you're reviewing here but they're very similar and I have to say that I will keep the Microsoft Windows machine as my daily driver any day of the year because of the software experience and of course the hardware because that machine even though it may be slower than the iPad is no slouch and I love them both but I would prefer the surface product over though iPad pro

Excellent video, one of your best. THANK YOU 👍👍

I had both the Surface Pro 2017 and the Surface Pro 7. Both were amazing devices which happen to be very flexible to my needs.

well, the fact it run windows is a big plus, but still can be used for multi function daily driver, as a gamer, ROG Flow z13 is the ideal one, since it also capable of gaming

Good comparison video. Thank you bro

Excellent video! Now I know which computer to buy, SURFACE PRO 9. Thank you! 👍

Nice work and comparison

I cannot stress how important it is on the Surface Pro 9 to make sure 120Hz mode is enabled! MS has way to many jitters at 60Hz for Windows 11 on the Surface Pro 9. Even Dynamic Mode is half-baked and still jittery (small spikes in lag ) on some of the menus for the Windows 11 OS.

Thanks to a few side jobs the last few weeks, I was able to have both. The Ipad is wonderful, but I'm with you; if I had to pick only one it would be the Surface. I support 140 of them in a corporate environment, along with dock and dual monitors which is a nightmare. I've developed a hatred of the Surface because of this but used stand-alone it really is a no-brainer to go with the Surface. Very solid review!!

A very fair and honest video, kudos. I have the iPad Pro 12.9 5th gen and it okay for fun and light work task. But I need a real computer that operates full desktop. So I probably will purchase the surface pro 9 like the one you have. I am debating on the ram because I want to future proof it. Which sounds crazy because something better will be coming out next year.

Heyyy welcome back. Miss you guys and gals.

Thank you for a good video. The task to compare this two devices is not easy, but I think you did a good job and show pros cons and compromises well. To cohos the right device is not so easy. But I think I'll agree with you. Windows is offer more then the ipad os. :)

I have and LOVE my SP-X but I will not be going to the SP 9 because it doesn't offer wifi AND cellular like my SPX. You just can't be completely mobile without both connections. My SPX is always on and always ready to go. I don't have to look for a WiFi connection to do things. Plus now it's like $600 to start.

Great review. i've been looking at the Surface Pro as a possible Laptop/work station with tablet like capabilities when I have to go into the field. The ability to use in tablet mode is way more useful than walkig around with a laptop and having to find somewhere to rest it to use it (when mbile). I've tried Android options but the available apps don't provide the functionality that my Windows based apps do. Which leads me to this question.. Is software installation on the Surface Pro a similar experience to an actual laptop, meaning you could install from a flash drive, cloud storage, etc.. or is it "Pay/Windows store" based?

I have a Surface Pro 8 i5 16 GB, and I love it. But it would be nice to be able to switch off the fan, so you get completely silent device if needed.

Great review. Thx

This is a good review esp for those looking for alternatives

As a quick follow-up, I can also use ALL of my Adobe CS 6 apps in Win 11 while Apple essentially disabled ALL of those apps in Mac OS some years ago, which is an Apple killer for me going forward . . .

I think it really is a personal choice. If you were to ask me maybe a decade ago I would've said I'm fine with the ipad pro being a design and illustration student, My needs would just be to organise some files, notes, and a good sketching experience which I still think procreate is superior. Now however I've gotten into coding since then, with implementations like WSL and maybe better android apps support, a surface pro is fast becoming a very attractive product.

Wonderful review, I have a question - can I use Pro 9 like my regular windows laptop?

i agree with you *.*.. surface pro 9 and intel have leveled the field. now all intel needs is to boost up there iris graphics ...

great review!👌

Well done. I completely agree with your review. As usual, everything boils down to what you do with these devices. The Surface is a full fledged computer and also a decent tablet, whereas the iPad is a very good tablet, but it is not a computer replacement. It is conceived to be a mac companion and a wallet emptier.

Great video, Thank you for the detailed comparison!

In my opinion: Surface Pro is the better option. Using iPadOS is too limited, you don’t really have the possibilities of a fully integrated mobile operating system.

This is the most honest review I have seen on KZfaq

with the surface dock the surface is a full blown PC with a power that is more than enough for most people. and surface users had this for 10 years now. the iPad is still just a tablet and you'll always need an full Computer for certain tasks.

Nobody is talking about it, but the charger you need for surface is bigger, similar to the MacBook, it needs 65w. Where as iPad Pro can be charged with your iPhone charger (change the cable to usb c). Small, handy and cheap. All in all, of course, surface is a better device for all office work. For ex, try to compare folder and file contents of two folders, good luck w that on an iPad and count how many clicks and switches you need for this simple task

Absolutely excellent video. Really useful comparison, and your insights are very helpful. However. There were two things, kind of, missing. You touched upon them, but they are of greater importance than I first thought. 1. Ecosystem. 2. Use Case If you are already in the Apple Ecosystem - there is little point entertaining the Surface. Really - nothing will make an apple user get a surface device. It is not as good a companion to a MacBook, and as a full do-it-all computer, it would try to compete with it, while an iPad would not compete with a MacBook but would complement it very well. The performance comparisons mean nothing and would not form part of the equation. If you are already a windows user, getting an iPad will leave a person who needs windows on their PC, very dissatisfied. Also, for windows users., a portable PC is still a PC. That was on of the things which killed the Surface RT. It is ALMOST everything. PC users want something that WILL do everything not almost everything - especially if it does actually run windows. Needing windows on the go means you need x86 apps, and they will need ton run on windows. Some may run on iOS, but the typical windows user will want to have something they can know will work for them. The cost of these devices means that if you are getting it - you need it. There are many many cheap alternatives to these machines. unlike in the apple ecosystem, the PC ecosystem has many devices, full windows PCs, brand new at£300-400 which will do all they want. If they are getting a tablet sized machine - it is because that form factor makes sense for them. The gains here and there from an iPad M2 chip will be negligible in their impact on your decision. ONE caveat to that is battery life. The iPad will probably have close to twice or a third more battery life. The average user would want an all-day machine. That translates to having 25-30% at the end of a 7-8 hour day of mixed-use. All-day use is not about battery life but about the user's comfort. The user needs to feel that they are still delicate and have several hours available, so they don't need to go and get that adaptor. If you are 5 hours in and are at 40% - you start to feel like you will need the adaptor. The iPad will not give you that nervousness but the Surface will. This is quickly sorted with an excellent 60-100W PD charger (about £100) which will double the battery life. Thus a person can get that 10-12 hour battery life feeling when they want it. Once they get to 40%...a charge from the battery pack will boost back to 80% relatively quickly, and they can crack on. There is obviously a challenge to the portability, but it is not fatal and can easily be included in the workflow. The other area is the use case. You touched on this. If a person wants to run full desktop apps - the iPad is not even in the running. None of its features and benefits is involved in the choice, and it does not exist. If you are running iOS apps, then the Surface is not a choice because the touch interface on Windows and on the Surface is absolutely NOT a priority. It is not optimised in any way. Microsoft has, in fact, gone backwards. They made real strides in Windows 8, but since then, the touch interface has, as you said, actually been REMOVED. The touch device sold as a tablet has removed its touch interface. Haha. It is almost exclusively useable only with a keyboard and mouse. It is totally usable with only a house, which is a great way to use windows, actually - ...with a mouse and using only the screen keyboard when needed - just like an iPad now can with its magic keyboard. However, the iPad magic keyboard is not supposed to be the primary interface for the device (or they would have put the function keys on it). They were left out on purpose. Let's not entertain the idea that Apple "just couldn't get the fn keys on the keyboard" as they have on EVERYn MOTHER KEYBOARD THEY HAVE EVER PRODUCED. No - the keyboard is hobbled because it is NOT meant to be the primary interface. The finger first, and the pen second. And the keyboard third. The surface keyboard is supposed to be the primary input device for the Surface - then the pen and then the finger - primarily for scrolling. (Don't forget the dial, haha) Use case and Ecosystem have a more significant impact on selection than any of the incredible specs you pointed out and to pains to describe. Full disclosure. I have an SP9. I got the SP8 first, and it was great - I saw a pre-order deal for only a little more, so I returned the SP8 and got a similarly spec'd SP9. I would only have done that if I knew that the SP9 would have very little better than the SP8. The only saving grace is the button placement. NOTHING else makes a difference. None of the things I do with it would tax even an SP6, so I don't get the difference at the edges of performance. The SP8 can be got for great deals at the moment and will go down again in the new year. I recommend people wait and get that, then look to upgrade to the SP10 or 11 later down the line. The form factor is fantastic, and the versatility is astounding. The iPad is exceptional, and there is no tablet like it - including the Surface Pro ...BUT ... youjnahve to want to have an iPad. I didn't and didn't, so I have a Surface. Of course there are people for whom the ecosystem and use case still leave both as real options and so performance (outside battery life) is a real consideration , however I suspect that this a a smaller group of people. THe majority of people will either be in iOS or need windows and that will drive how they spend £12000-£1400 on a device of this type. I'd love to know your thoughts on my hypothesis and anyone else's. Haha. Once again - great video. Best, most comprehensive and level headed review I have seen so far. Some that try to do this have been completely unhinged - yoyurs was so useful because youmade it more real-world. Really appreciated that. Thanks.

Great review.

Great video

I certainly hope it’s battery will not bulge over time and push the screen from it seams as my Surface Pro 3 did. After that I never touched another Microsoft Pro device.

Lack of AUX port is a huge shame and a good reason to get the Pro 8 instead.

The battery life span also depends on how bright you keep the display. The brighter the less charge time

Nice video thanks. Has the podcast been discontinued?

iPad Pro by far for my needs and hardware stability. I tried using the Surface Pro 9 and I just couldn't deal with a tablet that runs hot and fans ablazin' watching KZfaq videos. It works much better in laptop form though the design isn't meant for lap use as the stand is not stable enough and works mainly on solid, flat surfaces. In theory it's a good concept but until they fix the heat and fans going off noisily it won't be on my list until then.

Thank you for the great video! What about Samsung Galaxy Tab S8? Have you sold it? Do you consider it as the good alternative for both of these devices? Moreover, its lifecycle is over soon and it sells with the good discount now I guess...

Can you please make video ues egpu on microsoft surface pro 9

I'm debating on getting a SP9 i7 from US Amazon for $1,049. Thank you for this video!

It's been an iPad beater since V1. It has a full featured OS.

Had it not because of my company’s stupid mandate on its apps exclusivity on iPadOS only, i would’ve comfortably chosen Surface Pro. No questions asked.

OK I have to admit I had a dabble with the M2 iPad and it was OK but I have such a lot of money invested in MS/ windows software, I found I was having to move between my tablet and my win 11 desktop to achieve the creative outcomes I needed. So I am biting the bullet and going back to windows. I had thought the intro of the M2 signalled a move by Apple into a new format such as Mac OS on iPad, but alas not. Apple are running out of inspiration

the exchangeable ssd is also so much easier for data recovery if the device dies.

Very, very well done as usual! Always enjoy your content.

One is a COMPUTER, and the other is a wannabe COMPUTER 😊

I've had an iPad for @ 6 years and just ordered the Surface Pro 9. The reason is the software (and ESPECIALLY Apple's walled ecosystem). The iPad is more of a toy/accessory while the Surface Pro will be much more useful for EVERYTHING I need to do. (I also have a MacBook Pro and a Mac Pro) as well as an HP Workstation.

I7 have npu coprocesor! Its calld dl boost.

The ipad pro has always been pointless. Massively overpriced and a the dreadful magic keyboard which is an awful typing experience for an absurd price. Also the Surface has a professional operating system.

Just the fact that you can run Android (blue stacks or memu) and windows on it which is the same apps as iOS beats a iPad hands down

Yea I want it, I tried the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard & Mouse 😢😩

Lovely vid, always thaught iPad Pro was so let down by its software, all that horsepower wasted. Also, are we getting the podcast back? :)

I love my antient iPad. I really love apple mobile devices and I have a lot of software for them. I do however make my living from a MS infrastructure, so I just decided to go surface pro.

my personal opinion is surface pro +keyboard, IPAD 11 + pencil. i bought the pencil slim 2 but i never use it with surface pro, i bought the ipad keyboard but i never use it with ipad, i wish i saved my money. for tablet use ( books, PDFs) go for ipad, office applications go for surface pro.

The thing is, an ipad is an upscaled mobile device that CAN be used as a computer if needed But something like a surface is more like a pc laptop with a detachable keyboard

What about the S pen? Do you have to press and hold the button for it to draw/write once it gets in contact with the screen?

Nice review and I agree with your choice even as I am deep into the Apple ecosystem.

Are you using APFS on the external drives? It is no guarantee, but in the past I have got quite a bit faster than using FAT, which is not really optimised for the iPad. APFS is Apple optimised standard storage so that would be fair, though you may already do that. It is likely still to be slower than the SP9 using USB3. That is likely the controller; Apple has probably tested out the optimised speed taking into account thermals, battery or not, load and safety (reduce risk of corruption).

I beleive on surface pro u can change colour profile to enhanced.

Great comparison... Lets go MS Pro 9.

This will be an iPad killer for field jobs that require Windows. I’m curious how the M2 iPad Pro will improve the USB4 data transfer speeds.

Great video, thanks! Can you comment on the fan noise of the SP9 i7 16gb ram? Does it start up a lot or is it annoyingly loud under normal office use?

Not sure if it is relevant to compare these devices in terns of performance as overall we know that apple M2 chip is more powerful compared to intel BUT that's pretty much it ..what you do with this power on IPAD ? Instead, on Surface Pro you have full operating system Win11 , that basically can be used as a regular laptop-tablet . You can run all programs you need , which you cannot do on iPad as it is not a PC Mac operating system installed there ...pretty much useless when it comes to the regular work such as word, excel , even coding ect and the power that Surface has is more than enough for these tasks

Very good job

iPad Pro 12.9 can i use it for Matlab

Awesome

Probably sending my SP9 back, ridiculous battery life

Your US prices are INCORRECT for iPad Pro M2 8gb RAM 12.9 256gb. Wi-Fi only is $1199 w/cellular is $1399. And the 1TB is $1799 Wi-Fi only w/cellular it’s $1999. Also the US price for magic keyboard and Apple Pencil are $349 and $129 respectively. The price for these accessories have remained unchanged for years now. Apple Store was sourced for the pricing.

I choose surface pro as well but still waiting for when it will be on sales😂

I recently purchased the i7 version, 16gb ram but i have i7-1265u cpu not i7-1255u as you say...???

I'm an apple user and I would go for the surface as iPad OS is after all these years uninspiring consumer like crippleware and should not be marketed as a pro device, my intentional "get some work done" iPad Pro has ended up a KZfaq consumption device because of its uninspiring large phone like experience. At least give the pro's the option to boot full blown Mac OS. No excuses really with the pencil for a pointing device on small ui elements and powerful silicon to boot. Surface also looks great as it supports the pro apps but lacks GPU power for 2d 3D art on the go.....sigh...

Using the Intel version with the 12th generation CPU, yes!!!

You so for real brother

I tested both. From my personal experience, i choose Microsoft Surface Pro 9...

if the surface is sold with an m2 chip it will literally be the best computer on the planet. too bad x86 is really holding it down.

Is there a huge performance difference between i7 and i5?

Ya, better on working task only If for entertainment or mobile gaming, still iPad win, no doubt. There's not even a single PC game support and utilities touchscreen like iPad. Whenever i want to game, i need to carry the windows tablet + mouse + keyboard, so heavy and uncomfortable. iPad itself can game without needing to connect to any accessories.

Do you have ghosting and overheating problem with it?

until today i still cannot replace windows laptop with ipad pro even macbook. feels like something missing when doing my job using apple device. but for video editing and multimedia apple wins especially for the optimize and monster battery life 😎

You should test the Surface Pro pen in apps that are properly optimized for inking, such as MS Journal, the Office apps, and the latest OneNote. The MS Whiteboard app is glorified web app that adds a lot of needless inking latency.

I love the form factor of the Surface. I still have my Surface 4 Pro, and I... hate it. I kept wanting like the thing. Great display, size, and the pen. The issue with it is the Surface feels more like an ultralight laptop without the keyboard part. The battery life is abysmal especially if you want to push the thing, Windows had update issues, and the keyboard cover constantly lost connectivity. Not sure how much they improved the product and build quality.