Microsoft Surface Pro 4 vs iPad Air 2 specs: Comparison between hybrid and tablet

Microsoft's upcoming hybrid product, the Surface Pro 4, will reportedly be revealed during the company's Build Developer Conference that will be held in San Francisco starting April 29 to May 1. Several sources told Techradar that the company is ready to "unveil its next-generation Surface Pro 4 tablet during the upcoming Build developer conference in April" before releasing it to the public in the second half of the year. 

Earlier reports claimed that the new Surface Pro 4 will be the Redmond-based tech giant's answer to Apple's new MacBook, but its specs can also be compared to other Apple products like the iPad Air 2. But how well can it fare against the Cupertino-manufactured tablet computer? 

Microsoft Surface Pro 3[Photo credit: Microsoft]

Here is a detailed comparison between the two devices:

Design and Display

The upcoming Surface Pro 4 is believed to be offered in two sizes: a 12-inch model and a bigger 14-inch version. These devices will come with a kickstand that can be used to transform the tablet to a laptop when attached to the type cover. On the other hand, the iPad Air 2 comes in a much smaller size, since it only has a 9.7-inch screen.

The Surface Pro 4 is said to be encased in a magnesium body, while the iPad Air 2 was released with an aluminum body. Both devices, nonetheless, feature dedicated touchscreens. 

Apple iPad Air 2Apple

Specs and Memory

The Surface Pro 4 is expected to come with a Broadwell processor, while the iPad Air 2 comes with Apple's A8X chipset as well as a triple-core CPU that is clocked at 1.5 GHz. The Surface Pro 4 also comes with a 4 GB RAM, while the iPad Air 2 only has a 2 GB built-in RAM. 

Camera

Both the Surface Pro 4 and the iPad Air 2 comes with rear and front cameras. The device from Microsoft will be equipped with an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 3.5-megapixel camera in front, while the iPad Air 2 has an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 1.2-megapixel secondary camera.