Nexus 9 vs iPad 2 vs Surface Pro 3 specs, price, features comparison: Comparing 3 of the top tablet brands

Microsoft Surface Pro 3Wikipedia

Folks on the prowl for a trusty tablet in the market today may cut it down to three of the popular ones to date. These are the Google Nexus 9, the iPad 2 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 3.

Each device has its own bragging rights and it may all depend on the person buying them on what to get. Will it be about performance? Features? Value for your money? Apparently these are some of the factors and surely, it boils down to what really stands out.

When it comes to features, each has its own.

Display and Portability
The Nexus 9 is the smallest of the three and offers an impressive 2048x1536 resolution display which is ironically similar to the iPad Air 2. The Nexus 9 has a slightly smaller display size (8.9 inches) than the iPad Air 2 (9.7 inches) and both weigh less than a pound. This makes them easier to bring around.

Nexus 9Google website

On the other hand, the Surface Pro 3 has a bigger display size and is heavier at 1.76 lbs. Moreover, the display resolution is a tad short since it can only render at 2160x1440 for its 12-inche display screen.

Hence, for people who place premium on display and graphics, it looks like the iPad Air 2 and Nexus 9 are the winners in this area.

Internal Specs
The Surface Pro 3 will most probably carry the best specs in the group, the simplest model relying heavily on an Intel 3 processor that is ably backed by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. The specs can be improved and may go higher but that also includes the price range.

The Nexus 9 and the iPad Air 2 have only up to 2GB RAM support and both with varying storage space models, the minimum of which is 16GB. The Nexus 9 also has a 32GB model while the iPad Air 2 has 64 and 128 GB variants.

With regards to the camera, the Nexus 9 and iPad Air 2 offer a 8MP main camera while the Surface Pro 2 only has a 5MP camera. So are you a power-hungry user? If you are, better consider the processor in use.

Apple's iPad Air 2[Photo credit: Apple]

Pricing
We finally get to one of the most important aspects of the tablets, the price. The base models of the Nexus 9 and iPad Air2 starts at $399 and $499 respectively while the Surface Pro 3 will cost $799 at the cheapest.

In this area, the Surface Pro 3 could encounter rough sailing despite being christened as a cross between a laptop and a tablet. Hence, it may all depend on what a customer is looking for. Are you looking for a powerful tablet or simply something to bring along and use when needed.