Surface Pro 3 vs MacBook Air head-to-head review
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Microsoft made a big song and dance about how great the Surface Pro 3 works as a laptop replacement when it unveiled the hybrid device. In fact, taking a page out of Samsung's book, Microsoft went so far as to claim the Surface Pro 3 will outperform Apple's ever-popularMacBook Air in a variety of ways.
However, given the number of niggling design flaws that hampered the Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 from really taking off in the enterprise as full-on laptop replacements, many buyers will be wondering how the Surface Pro 3 really compares with the MacBook Air, and here we put the two head to head.
Design and build
The MacBook Air's travel-friendly, super-thin dimensions and light carrying weight have been a constant selling point drawing users to them. Because of this, Microsoft appears to have deliberately designed the Surface Pro 3 to be thinner and lighter than Apple's current-generation MacBook, with the tablet section measuring in at 292x201x9.1mm and weighing 800g. By comparison the 11in MacBook Air measures in at 300x192x17mm and weighs 1.08kg.
The MacBook Air's travel-friendly, super-thin dimensions and light carrying weight have been a constant selling point drawing users to them. Because of this, Microsoft appears to have deliberately designed the Surface Pro 3 to be thinner and lighter than Apple's current-generation MacBook, with the tablet section measuring in at 292x201x9.1mm and weighing 800g. By comparison the 11in MacBook Air measures in at 300x192x17mm and weighs 1.08kg.
Microsoft has also made several design changes to make the Surface Pro 3 more pleasant to use as a laptop. It redesigned the Surface Pro 3's kickstand so it could hold the device at a variety of angles. While only a small tweak, it makes the Surface Pro paired with a Type Cover keyboard far more pleasant to use than its predecessor, which could only be set to stand at two preset angles.
Microsoft has also re-designed the Type Cover itself for the Surface Pro 3, increasing the size of its trackpad and adding full left and right-click buttons. This is a big deal, as the previous Type Covers had trackpad that were small with unresponsive buttons, which made doing even basic things such as highlighting text a fiddly and often frustrating experience.
While we have to applaud Microsoft for its work to improve the Surface Pro 3, the MacBook Air is still more pleasant to use as a laptop.
Comparing keyboards, the MacBook Air's is noticeably more comfortable to type on. This is largely because the keys feel significantly more responsive than those on the Surface Pro 3, but also because the Surface Pro 3's Type Cover still has a slightly bendy quality that makes typing on it feel slightly odd when transitioning from a regular laptop. However, to being fair to Microsoft, we did soon get used to this with ongoing use.
The same was true when we compared the trackpads. While the trackpad on the Surface Pro 3's Type Cover is a welcome step up from those on past models, it still isn't as responsive as the MacBook Air's, especially when being used for multi-touch input.
It's also worth noting that the Surface Pro 3 has fewer port options than the MacBook Air and comes with just a single full-sized USB 3.0 port, a Micro SD card slot and a Mini DisplayPort. By comparison the MacBook Air has two USB 3.0 ports as well as a Thunderbolt port and MagSafe 2 power port.
Winner: MacBook Air
Next: Display and operating system
Display
Screen technology is another key area where Microsoft claimed the Surface Pro 3 will beat the MacBook Air. Specifically, Microsoft said the Surface Pro 3's 12in ClearType Full HD 2160x1440 resolution screen will show significantly more content than both the 11in and 13in MacBook Air, thanks to its 3:2 aspect ratio display.
Screen technology is another key area where Microsoft claimed the Surface Pro 3 will beat the MacBook Air. Specifically, Microsoft said the Surface Pro 3's 12in ClearType Full HD 2160x1440 resolution screen will show significantly more content than both the 11in and 13in MacBook Air, thanks to its 3:2 aspect ratio display.
Comparing it with the MacBook Air's 11.6in LED, 1366x768 screen, we initially struggled to perceive a clear winner. Both the MacBook Air and Surface Pro 3's screens feature great brightness and contrast levels and wide viewing angles. However, with prolonged viewing, we found that the Surface Pro 3's display does deliver a better experience than the MacBook Air's.
Text and icons on the Surface Pro 3 were slightly crisper than they were on the MacBook Air. Colours were also slightly more vibrant on the Surface Pro 3.
The Surface Pro 3 is also the only one of the two to feature a touchscreen and a bundled digital stylus: the Surface Pen. These give the Surface Pro 3 an edge over the MacBook Air when it comes to versatility and productivity, but more on this later.
Winner: Surface Pro 3
Operating system
The Surface Pro 3 is powered by Microsoft's Windows 8.1 Pro, while the MacBook Air runs on Apple's OS X Mavericks. Traditionally, we've struggled to pick between Windows and OS X laptops, as the answer to which operating system (OS) is better is largely determined by the applications users need to run as well as subjective issues like personal preference.
The Surface Pro 3 is powered by Microsoft's Windows 8.1 Pro, while the MacBook Air runs on Apple's OS X Mavericks. Traditionally, we've struggled to pick between Windows and OS X laptops, as the answer to which operating system (OS) is better is largely determined by the applications users need to run as well as subjective issues like personal preference.
For those committed to Windows, the Surface Pro 3 will be a better option. Thanks to Microsoft's cloud account and OneDrive storage service, people using Windows 8.1 can easily synchronise settings between their smartphone and Surface, and can access numerous productivity and mobility applications including, Lync, Office 365, Skype and Outlook.
However, for those with greater experience of Apple's ecosystem, Mavericks' iCloud integration matches Windows' synchronisation features.
iCloud is more deeply integrated into Mavericks and makes the MacBook Air a more solid option for iPhone or iPad users. Once a user has signed in with their Apple ID, the iCloud allows them to sync numerous services including Mail, Contacts, Calendars & Reminders, Notes, Safari, Photo Stream and Documents across all their iOS and OS X devices.
The two devices are also fairly evenly matched when it comes to enterprise mobility applications, and most vendors are now usually offering their respective device-management, security, CRM and design applications for both Windows and OS X.
While this makes it sound at first glance like the Surface Pro 3 and MacBook Air are evenly matched from a purely software and productivity perspective, Microsoft has done a slightly better job of bringing the positive aspects of its OS to the forefront via the inclusion of its touchscreen and Surface Pen.
The new Surface Pen aids the Surface Pro 3's productivity offering in a variety of ways. For example, the new pen's top button can be used to launch OneNote at any time, even when the Surface Pro 3 is asleep or in its lock screen.
As an added perk, when scribbling notes in OneNote, the Surface Pen can also be used as an eraser. Users can also set this function to work in certain design tools such as Gimp. As an added perk the Surface Pro 3's display also has palm-detection technology, which instructs it to register only the pen's inputs when it's near the screen. This means you can rest your palm on the screen when sketching or taking notes as you would on a normal piece of paper without making errors.
For business users who are regularly on the move, the Surface Pen's wealth of additonal uses make the Surface Pro 3 a far more versatile productivity aid than the MacBook Air, which can only function as a regular laptop.
Winner: Surface Pro 3
Next: Performance, battery, storage and price
Performance
The Surface Pro 3 is available with Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 options. Apple is currently only offering the MacBook Air with either a Core i5 or i7 chip. Both are available with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM.
The Surface Pro 3 is available with Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 options. Apple is currently only offering the MacBook Air with either a Core i5 or i7 chip. Both are available with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM.
The Surface Pro 3 we tested was configured with a Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM. The MacBook Air used in our review featured an equivalent Core i5 chip but a lower 4GB of RAM. We'll update our review the moment we get an 8GB version.
With basic tasks, such as word processing, browsing the web and chatting on Skype, both the Surface Pro 3 and MacBook Air were lightning fast and in general we never experienced any performance issues.
However, neither the Surface Pro 3 or MacBook Air were capable of dealing with top-end 3D games. Running recent Triple-A titles with their graphics settings at maximum, both began to lag. However, for most business users this won't be too much of an issue.
Winner: Tie
Battery
The Surface Pro 3 features a 42Wh battery, larger than the MacBook Air, which is powered by a slightly smaller 38Wh battery. Both devices have identical nine-hour projected lives with web browsing.
The Surface Pro 3 features a 42Wh battery, larger than the MacBook Air, which is powered by a slightly smaller 38Wh battery. Both devices have identical nine-hour projected lives with web browsing.
Both devices' projected lives were slightly optimistic and both the Surface Pro 3 and MacBook Air generally lasted around eight hours with regular use. This entailed using both as our dedicated work laptops during the day.
Winner: Tie
Storage
Microsoft is currently offering the Surface Pro 3 with either 64GB, 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. Apple is currently only stocking 128GB, 256GB and 512GB versions of the MacBook Air.
Microsoft is currently offering the Surface Pro 3 with either 64GB, 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. Apple is currently only stocking 128GB, 256GB and 512GB versions of the MacBook Air.
The Surface Pro 3 is also the only one of the two that can have its storage upgraded after purchase, and features a Micro SD card slot that lets users add a further 128GB of space.
Winner: Surface Pro 3
Price
Apple products often come with a premium price tag and have traditionally been more expensive than comparable Windows machines. But Microsoft has managed to turn this trend on its head with the Surface Pro 3. While you can get a basic Core i3 64GB Surface Pro 3 for £640, when combined with the extra £110 you have to pay for the new Type Cover attachment the device costs the same as the more powerful Core i5, 128GB MacBook Air. To get the comparable Core i5 Surface Pro 3 with 128GB storage, you'd have to pay £850, making the Macbook Air better value for money.
Apple products often come with a premium price tag and have traditionally been more expensive than comparable Windows machines. But Microsoft has managed to turn this trend on its head with the Surface Pro 3. While you can get a basic Core i3 64GB Surface Pro 3 for £640, when combined with the extra £110 you have to pay for the new Type Cover attachment the device costs the same as the more powerful Core i5, 128GB MacBook Air. To get the comparable Core i5 Surface Pro 3 with 128GB storage, you'd have to pay £850, making the Macbook Air better value for money.
Winner: MacBook Air
Overall winner: Surface Pro 3
Featuring a better display, upgradable storage and an advanced Surface Pen digital stylus, the Surface Pro 3 is the winner of this vs review. However, having matched the Surface Pro 3 in performance and battery life, and featuring a more user-friendly laptop design, the MacBook Air definitely gave Microsoft's latest hybrid a run for its money and still is a significantly better choice for users more familiar with Apple's platform.
Featuring a better display, upgradable storage and an advanced Surface Pen digital stylus, the Surface Pro 3 is the winner of this vs review. However, having matched the Surface Pro 3 in performance and battery life, and featuring a more user-friendly laptop design, the MacBook Air definitely gave Microsoft's latest hybrid a run for its money and still is a significantly better choice for users more familiar with Apple's platform.
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