Detailed Comparison: Microsoft Surface Go vs Apple iPad Air (2023)

Planning to buy a brand-new Tablet device? You should not miss this article before shedding out your hard-earned money for an Apple iPad or a Microsoft Surface if one of these is on your mind.

As Mobile Phones have gulped up so many devices like Calculator, FM Radio, Calendar, Phone List, Camera, Music Player, Voice Recorder, Maps, Flash Light, Scanner, Clock & Watches, Books, Newspaper and many more, Tablet is the next generation PC handy on the go. Tablets will eventually replace Laptops and Desktops completely as these Mini Computers will do everything what a normal computer does.

Analyzing the market trend, we have identified and compared 2 best Tablets available in today’s market and have categorized the comparison in best possible way for your evaluation. As per our study, Apple iPad Air (2019) is 39% smarter than Microsoft Surface Go. Want to know how? Here we go!

Design

• Apple iPad Air (2019) is 2.2 mm thinner than Microsoft Surface Go if we compare the thickness. Thickness of Apple iPad Air (2019) is 6.1 mm where on the other hand, Microsoft Surface is 8.3 mm thick.
• When we talk about weight, Apple iPad Air (2019) is 58g lighter in comparison with Microsoft Surface Go. It weighs 464g however Microsoft Surface Go weighs 522g.
• Apple iPad Air (2019) is 0.9mm shorter than Microsoft Surface Go. Height of Apple iPad Air (2019) is 174.1mm where Surface Go is 175mm tall.
• What makes Surface Go unique in front of Apple iPad Air (2019) is Surface Go has an option to connect a detachable keyboard however iPad doesn’t come with this feature.

Both the devices have a unique style however lacks backlit keyboard and weather sealed feature.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 vs Microsoft Surface GoChoosing between Android and Windows tablet made easy with this detailed research and analysis.

Display

• Apple iPad Air (2019) has 1.72 times higher resolution than Microsoft Surface Go. Apple iPad Air (2019) has 2224 x 1668px resolution which is far better than Microsoft Surface Go as it has 1800 x 1200px resolution only.
• Apple iPad Air (2019) has 21.66% higher pixel density with 264ppi where Microsoft Surface Go has 217ppi.
• Apple iPad Air (2019) has 5% bigger screen size with 10.5” display screen where Microsoft Surface Go has 10” display only.
• Both the devices have touch & IPS (In-Plane Switching) screen, LCD Display with 3 subpixels per pixel however deficits Amoled Display, 3D Display, E-Paper Display and sapphire glass display.

Where Apple iPad Air (2019) has an Anti-Reflection Coating & Force Touch / 3D Touch, Microsoft Surface Go has an LED Backlit Display with branded Damage Resistant Glass.

Performance

• When it comes to performance, Apple iPad Air (2019) again raised the bar with below differences.
• Apple iPad Air (2019) has up to 256GB Internal storage however Microsoft Surface Go has only 128GB storage which restricts you to keep all your favorite applications and data all the times.
• On the other hand, Microsoft Surface Go comes with up to 8 GB RAM where Apple iPad Air (2019) has 2 GB RAM which might give you unnoticeable slothful performance.
• Both the devices come with integrated LTE supporting 64-BIT platform however Apple iPad Air (2019) tops the rank with Integrated Graphics, AES (To speed up encryption and decryption), NX BIT (Protection from malicious attacks), Hardware Assisted Virtualization, Dynamic Frequency Scaling, Big.Little Technology (Processor cores switcher) with TrustZone Technology (Secured streaming and Payments).

Microsoft Surface Go has an External Memory Slot which is an added advantage for Home and Business users.

Smart Features

• Both the devices are equipped with Fast 802.11AC WiFi Connection, Gyroscope for angular rotation, Voice Command Reader, Infrared Sensor and an Accelerometer however runs out of few options which are available additionally in other devices.
• Both the devices have missing regular HDMI Port, NFC (Near Field Communication), DLNA Certificate, Electromagnetic Resonance to track positions of paired devices, 3D Facial Recognition, IRIS Scanner, Built-In Projector, WIMAX, ANT+ and features as Ethernet connectivity.
• Apple iPad Air (2019) leads Microsoft Surface Go with added features like Instant Markup, Dual SIM, Syncing OTA, Copy & Paste features in Web Browser, can be updated Over-The-Air, Airplay, allows WiFi Hotspot, Barometer, inbuilt Video Chat, option of tracking Current Position of a Mobile Device, GPS Navigation with Turn-By-Turn Directions, customizable Notifications, inbuilt Search Browser, free Navigation Software, option to take a Screenshot of your Phone’s Screen, Child Lock, Compass, option to Sync Bookmarks Across Different Devices, OPENGL ES 3.0 allowing improved Game Graphics, Cellular Module, Fingerprint Scanner, and last but not the least adding Widgets feature for a wonderful experience.

Battery

• Both Apple iPad Air (2019) and Microsoft Surface Go comes with Rechargeable Batteries with battery Indicator however Apple iPad Air (2019) leads with Fast Charging option.
• Both needs options like Wireless Charging and Removable Battery however Apple iPad Air (2019) tops the chart with Longer Battery Life as Apple iPad Air (2019) gives a backup of 10 hours where Surface Go lasts till 9 hours only.

Audio

• Music is an essential essence for a lighter mind and almost all gadget users play music now and then.
• Both the devices are equipped with Stereo Speakers, 3.5mm Audio Jack, however run short of FM Radio and Dedicated Media Keys for Play/Stop/Next/Previous options.
• Apple iPad Air (2019) tops the chart with 2 Microphones where Microsoft Surface Go comes with 1 Mic.

Camera

• Both the devices have 8MP rear camera however when we talk about front camera, Apple iPad Air (2019) leads with 7MP Front camera for better video calling instead of 5MP in Surface Go.
• Both the devices have CMOS Sensor however shortfalls Flash Light for brighter picture experience at night.
• As we know that tablets are not meant for photography, both the devices lack features like 3D Photo/Video Recording capabilities, Branded Lenses, Manual Shutter Speed, Manual Gain, 360 Degree Panorama Shot and Manual Focus.
• On the other hand, Apple iPad Air (2019) beats with features like Manual ISO, BSI Sensor, Manual Exposure, Serial Shot Mode, Slow Motion Video Recording, Time-laps Function and Continuous Autofocus Function while capturing videos and images.

Apple iPad Air (2019) also comes with advanced features like Touch Autofocus, Built-in HRD Mode, White Balance and Panorama in Camera Shots.

Few miscellaneous options like VGA Connector, Optical Disc Drive, and MagSafe Power Adapter are missing in both the devices however Apple iPad Air (2019) is ranked best among these two.

So, if you have deep pockets and are ready to experience the best Tablet available as of date, then it’s recommended to go for Apple iPad Air (2019).

A Few Nasty Surprises We Never Expected from...Perfection has always been Apple’s forte! But as we know there are always two sides of the coin, here are...