MacBook Pro vs Surface Book: Apple or Microsoft; which one has the better specs, features & price?

Last October 6, Microsoft rocked the technology and gadget world when it unveiled its latest Surface device, something that has never been seen in the market. Panos Panay, the creator of the Surface line, stated that instead of “doubling down and bringing in the thunder,” Microsoft has decided to “reinvent the category” and challenge their competitors, specifically Apple, to top it.

PC World reports that Panay clearly had the MacBook and MacBook Pro in mind when he decided to design the all-new Surface Book. A closer look between the two devices will reveal that most key points are similar, which include screen size, battery capacity, and even price. The only difference appears to be that Microsoft decided to add a stylus support and a touchscreen that can be detached.

Here is a brief comparison of the MacBook Pro vs Surface Book, starting from the specs, features, and price.

SPECS

According to Panay, Surface Book will twice as fast as the MacBook Pro due to the inclusion of Nvidia GeForce graphics, 1GB GDDR5 RAM, and Intel Core i7 (6th Gen), also known as the Skylake CPU. The MacBook Pro runs using an Intel Iris Graphics 6100 with 3.1 GHz Intel Core i7 (5th Gen) dual-core or a Broadwell-based CPU. In terms of operating systems, Surface Book will have Windows 10 while MacBook Pro will have El Capitan, both being the latest innovation from their respective companies.

FEATURES

Display

Slash Gear writes that while the MacBook Pro comes in two sizes, 15.4-inch and 13.3-inch with resolutions of 2880 x 1800 (220 PPI) and 2560 x 1600 (227 PPI) respectively, the Surface Book only has one display size and that is 13.5-inch with a resolution of 3000 x 2000 (267 PPI) and multi-touch capacity. Furthermore, Microsoft created the Surface Pen to work well with the 1024 levels of sensitivity once the Surface Book is converted to a tablet.

Battery Life

Microsoft’s Surface Book boasts of “up to 12 hours of video playback” while Apple’s MacBook Pro will either have “9 to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback”, depending on the display size.

Weight

Surface Book will be ultimately lighter than the MacBook Pro as it weighs only at approximately 1.6 lbs. as compared to the 13-inch 3.48 lbs. and 15-inch 4.49 lbs.

PRICE

This time, it appears that Microsoft’s Surface Book will be unveiled with at a higher cost, starting at $1499 as compared to MacBook Pro’s $1299; however, this may be due to the added features such as the Surface Pen and tablet conversion possibility, PC Mag writes.

In conclusion, Microsoft certainly created magic with its Surface Book invention but remember, Apple is due to improve the MacBook Pro so the company still has a few unrevealed tricks up its sleeves. The only way to find out is to wait as Microsoft unveils the Surface Book on October 26 and Apple’s 2016 MacBook Pro is launched this November.