Price: My, How the Tablet Tables Have Turned
From the outset, these are both premium devices aimed at pro users, and the exact price will depend heavily on the components and accessories you’re after.
The Surface Pro for Business is, to be clear, notably more expensive than Microsoft's traditional Surface Pro (non-"for Business") consumer tablet. It starts at $1,949.99, which includes an Intel Core Ultra 5 335 processor (more on this later), 16GB of LPDDR5x memory, and a removable PCI Express Gen 4 256GB solid-state drive.
(Credit: John Burek)We reviewed a souped-up $2,799.99 configuration, which doubled the memory and added 5G support. Upgrading further becomes extremely expensive—I’ll run through the full memory and storage capacities in a later section—but the topped-out model with a Core Ultra 7 chip comes in at $4,699.99, and frankly, you could outfit a far more powerful laptop for that much money. This version of the Surface Pro is sold primarily for commercial use, and subsidized deals can reduce the cost of units purchased in bulk.
Then you have the accessories, which are, as always, sold separately. The keyboard is always depicted as a key part of making the Surface Pro into a laptop replacement, yet it has always been optional. The Flex Keyboard is quite expensive for this device at $399.99 on its own, or you can buy it bundled with Microsoft's Slim Pen for $499.99. Hopefully, you have a Flex Keyboard from an older device or can acquire one through other means.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)While the iPad Pro is also expensive, it’s surprisingly more reasonably priced. While Apple starts with an 11-inch model for $999, I'm focused on the 13-inch model as the natural comparison to the 13-inch Surface Pro for Business. It starts at $1,299 for the M5 chip (more on this later, too), 12GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD. Upgrades are expensive, but jumping to 1TB of storage and a slightly faster M5 CPU "only" reaches $1,899.
Adding the Magic Keyboard is an additional $349—not much better than Microsoft—while the basic Apple Pencil costs $79. Again, not a cheap setup, but the iPad Pro has this Surface iteration beat. The 13-inch iPad Pro’s starting price is $650 lower than the Surface Pro for Business, and it offers way more storage when configured in line with the Surface Pro's starting price.
Winner: iPad Pro
Operating System: Windows or iPadOS?
For many, this decision begins and ends at the operating system. It’s not just a matter of preference, though that weighs heavily as well, but a matter of your intended use cases.
The Surface Pro for Business delivers full-fledged PC functionality with Windows 11, the same as you’d enjoy on a regular laptop or desktop. This capability is key for getting work done, with access to all of the applications and features you’re used to at your desk—even those built in-house for work by your company. Plus, the Windows framework allows for business-specific security tools that aren't available elsewhere and might be required in your workplace.
(Credit: John Burek)If you don’t like Windows, have no need for Windows-specific apps, or know you’re planning on a lighter mobile-friendly workload, it’s not necessary. Still, having the same OS as a laptop adds a load of potential versatility, even if it’s not entirely optimized for mobile and touch.
The iPad Pro, meanwhile, runs iPadOS 26. Unlike iPads of the past running iOS, this operating system delivers nearly laptop-level functionality. It’s not macOS yet, but multi-window tools, resizing, and other multitasking-friendly features make this device more productive than iPads used to be.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Which is "better" depends on what you mainly want one of these devices for: Do you primarily want a tablet, or are you seeking laptop-like productivity at least some of the time? There is something to be said for the clean and touch-friendly iPadOS, but for its more robust and fully fledged OS in a tablet form factor, the edge goes to the Surface Pro for Business and Windows 11.
Winner: Surface Pro for Business
Design and Display: Convertible Differences, and an OLED Advantage
This is perhaps where these two devices are most similar. Both are tablets that can connect to optional keyboards—sold separately—that let you decide whether tablet or laptop mode best fits your needs at any given moment. But differences remain, so let’s look at the details.
The Surface Pro measures 0.37 by 11.3 by 8.2 inches (HWD) in landscape orientation and weighs 2 pounds. The tablet feels high-quality and, since the optional keyboard is so thin, the keyboard accessory does not add much weight while protecting the screen when folded.
(Credit: John Burek)Its base 13-inch LCD panel features a 2,880-by-1,920-pixel resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and, of course, touch support. However, Microsoft also offers an OLED upgrade option. It is a pricey $300 upgrade, but OLED is a big draw to many shoppers.
A key distinction with the Surface Pro is its built-in kickstand, one of the best among 2-in-1 tablets. Many lack a kickstand altogether and instead rely on a keyboard-folio-kickstand cover to prop up the device. This is a simpler, sturdier solution than the often-clumsy folding folios.
The optional Surface keyboard is a breeze to attach magnetically, can tilt for a more comfortable typing angle, barely adds weight to the device, and is comfortable to use. While I wish it were included, Microsoft has led the way with this removable keyboard for some time. The keyboard and kickstand make this one of the best laptop-replacement detachable 2-in-1 tablets.
The 13-inch iPad Pro is slice-thin at 0.2 by 11.1 by 8.5 inches and weighs just 1.3 pounds. As trim as the Surface Pro is compared with a laptop, this is a classic tablet build.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The iPad Pro display itself features a 2,752-by-2,064-pixel resolution, and it’s a pin-sharp screen in practice. It’s an Apple Ultra Retina XDR display and, while the company doesn’t sell an OLED screen, it looks vibrant and true to life with its P3 wide color support. You can opt into a high-end nano-texture glass option, too, as long as you pick one of the more capacious models.
Apple’s Magic Keyboard attaches easily as well, though it lies flatter than the Surface’s Flex Keyboard and doesn't tilt. Unlike the Surface Pro, you’ll need this keyboard to stand up the device at all. This is one of the key signifiers that this is primarily a tablet, rather than a full laptop alternative—though the Surface has a kickstand without the keyboard, which is only mildly more helpful.
For tablet-first use, the iPad Pro has the edge, mostly due to its slimmer design. The screens are about a wash on specs; the iPad Pro just feels lighter and more natural to carry around as a tablet. As more of a laptop replacement, the Surface Pro wins: The keyboard and built-in convertibility are superior to the iPad Pro’s transformation options. I only wish the keyboards were included—especially with the Surface Pro, which really sells itself with the keyboard as part of the concept.
Winner: Surface Pro for Business
Performance: M5 Processing Wins Out
Just as the OS should heavily factor into your intended use case, each device’s components and performance will decide how capable it is for your needs.
For the iPad Pro, it’s partially in the name: This is the iPad option for professionals, not just casual tablet use. To reflect that, it packs Apple’s quite capable M5 chip, the same one used in the company’s MacBook laptops. It comes in two variants: One with a nine-core CPU, the other with a 10-core CPU, and both have 10-core graphics units and 16-core neural processors.
The graphics on these chips are especially noteworthy, and fit in well with those seeking an iPad Pro for artistic and visual workloads. You can check out our in-depth testing in our review, but it’s a lightning-fast tablet, and the graphics in particular showed a big leap over the previous generation iPad. Versus other iPads and Android tablets, this is the clear choice for photo editing and other media workloads. However, in the various productivity tasks simulated in the Geekbench test, the iPad Pro pulled far and away from the Surface Pro, seen below.
The Surface Pro for Business also runs laptop-class chips from Intel’s Core Ultra 3 “Panther Lake” series. The model we tested includes the Intel Core Ultra 5 335, a chip with eight CPU cores (four Performance cores and four Low Power Efficient cores) and four Xe graphics cores. You can upgrade the system to a Core Ultra 7 366H processor.
Crucially, these chips are not one of the “X” entries in the Panther Lake line that come with Intel's boosted integrated Arc B390 graphics. An upgrade option for graphics-intensive workloads would be welcome; the Surface Pro for Business' integrated graphics performance is merely passable as is. Its processing speeds, though, are snappy enough for general laptop-grade use on the go. Just don’t expect a lot of muscle for particularly demanding tasks.
Winner: iPad Pro
Memory and Storage: Similar Ceilings
Memory speed and capacity directly affect performance, and you can order these devices in various combinations. Both can scale memory and storage capacity, and higher-capacity models will definitely cost you.
Apple bundles the 13-inch iPad Pro’s memory and storage capacities with certain configurations, so you don’t have total freedom to choose à la carte. Alongside the nine-core M5 chip, you can order the 13-inch iPad Pro with 12GB of memory and 256GB or 512GB of storage.
For greater memory and storage capacity, you have to opt for the 10-core M5 chip. With that, you can get 16GB of memory and 1TB or 2TB of storage. That’s plenty of speed and space to work with, but it is costly—ramping up from the bottom to the top model is a $1,000 increase.
(Credit: John Burek)Microsoft ties the memory and storage closer to wholly different models, versus just ramping up the capacity as outlined above. Still, even the base version comes with 16GB of RAM (more than the iPad’s 12GB) and a 256GB SSD. One note: You (or ideally your IT manager) can remove the M.2 SSDs yourself for upgrading or repairs through a panel under the kickstand.
Microsoft sells higher-end models with 32GB and 512GB, which you can attain with and without other upgrades like 5G. You can also access Core Ultra 7 models with 64GB of memory and 1TB of storage, but since the Surface Pro for Business is a commercial product, you must call to inquire about these advanced units.
While Surface’s base RAM is higher, it’s much more expensive to start, and the iPad Pro can scale up to 2TB of storage should you need it. You'll find near-parity here, but the iPad Pro is a bit more manageable to get the loadout you want.
Winner: iPad Pro
Cameras and Connectivity: Few Ports, Potent Wireless Options
As tablets, these devices don’t include the physical connectivity that many laptops do, though the thinnest and lightest laptops have also dropped most ports. The Surface Pro includes two 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports on the left and just a Surface Connect port on the right. The proprietary charger, at least, leaves both USB-C ports free, since they’re the only ports you have to work with.
(Credit: John Burek)All Surface Pro for Business models come with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, but you can also add a 5G radio. This is one of the more professional-focused features versus other Surface models, allowing users to connect away from home and on the road. It also features two cameras: The rear is a 4K 10-megapixel sensor, while the front-facing camera is a 1440p wide-angle Surface Studio webcam.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The iPad Pro serves up just one Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, as well as Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0. As with the Surface, you can also order an iPad Pro with 5G support. The iPad Pro has a rear 12MP camera and a user-facing 12MP Center Stage camera.
The Surface Pro easily wins on connectivity, which is important. However, since in our Surface Pro review we didn't find the cameras to be anything to write home about, whereas in our iPad Pro review the cameras are a clear positive, Apple's tablet wins there, resulting in a draw.
Winner: Tie