Compare tablets
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
256 GBApple iPad mini 2
Wi-Fi Only 16 GBA1490, A1491, A1489
| Global Score | |
| 68.5 | 72 |
| Basic Information | |
| Microsoft | Apple |
| Windows 8.1 Pro | iOS 8.x, 7.x |
| 2014-05-20 | 2013-10-22 |
| 11.50 x 7.93 x 0.36 inches | 7.87 x 5.30 x 0.30 inches |
| 28.16 ounces | 11.68 ounces |
| Gray | Black, Gray and White |
| Metal | Aluminium |
| $ 425.00 | $ 275.00 |
| Display / Screen | |
| 12 inches | 7.9 inches |
| 2160 x 1440 pixels | 2048 x 1536 pixels |
| IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| 216 pixels per inch | 324 pixels per inch |
| Capacitive, Multi-touch | Capacitive, Multi-touch |
| 7.3 | 8.5 |
| Performance | |
| Intel Core i5 chipset | Apple A7 chipset |
| 4300U (Dual-Core 1600 MHz) processor | 64-bit Cyclone (Dual-Core 1300 MHz) processor |
| 8 GB RAM | 1 GB RAM |
| Intel HD Graphics 4400 GPU | PowerVR G6430 (600 MHz) GPU |
| 8.46 | 9.18 |
| Storage | |
| 256 GB internal memory | 16 GB internal memory |
| microSD, microSDHC external memory slot | No SD card slot |
| 13.3 | 4.4 |
| Camera | |
| 5.00 MP + 5.00 MP | 5.00 MP + 1.20 MP |
| -- | f/2.40 aperture |
| -- | 33.00mm focal length |
| 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) video resolution | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps) (Full HD) video resolution |
| 6.05 | 7.92 |
| Networks | |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi |
| -- | Mobile Hotspot |
| -- | LTE (4G), HSPA, EV-DO A, EV-DO B, EDGE and GPRS |
| -- | Nano SIM |
| 2.4 | 6.5 |
| Battery Life | |
| -- | 6471mAh Li-Polymer Battery |
| Removable Battery | Non-Removable Battery |
| 1.36 | 7.92 |
| Other Features | |
| Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 |
| -- | GPS |
| Accelerometer, Compass and Gyroscope | Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope and Light Sensor |
Comparison review
IPad mini 2 is a little bit better than the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, with a general score of 72 against 68.5. The iPad mini 2 construction is noticeably lighter and thinner than Microsoft Surface Pro 3, even when both were released with only 7 months difference. IPad mini 2 works with iOS 8.x OS, while Microsoft Surface Pro 3 comes with Windows 8.1 Pro OS.
The Apple iPad mini 2 counts with a bit more powerful processing unit than Microsoft Surface Pro 3, because although it has 7 GB lesser RAM memory, and they both have 2 cores, the Apple iPad mini 2 also counts with a 64 bits processing unit and a graphics processing unit. The iPad mini 2 has a sharper screen than Microsoft Surface Pro 3, because although it has a much smaller display, it also counts with a better pixel density and a quite better 1536 x 2048 pixels resolution.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 features a much bigger storage capacity to install applications and games or saving photos and videos than iPad mini 2, because it has more internal memory. IPad mini 2 features a much longer battery performance than Microsoft Surface Pro 3. The iPad mini 2 captures way better photos and videos than Microsoft Surface Pro 3. Both of them have the same video frame rates, the same video resolution and the same resolution back facing camera.
In addition to being the best tablet of the ones we are comparing here, the Apple iPad mini 2 is also by far the cheapest.
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