The Best Microsoft Surface Pro Alternatives in 2024
The Microsft Surface Pro lineup of devices is pretty great, whether you're looking at the Surface Pro 9 or the Surface Pro 8. Of course, they can be a bit expensive, and if they're just not exactly what you're looking for, there are some alternatives you can consider. The Surface Pro was originally made to compete with the likes of the iPad Pro, so if you're in the Apple ecosystem, that's certainly one direction to consider.
M2 Apple iPad Pro
- Pros: Sleek and modern design, bright, vivid, gorgeous display, wild performance from the M2 chip
- Cons: Stage Manager needs more work, lackluster awkward front camera, prohibitively expensive
The M2 Apple iPad Pro, with its second generation of M-Chips from Apple, features a 12.9-inch screen with a 2732 x 2048 resolution and a liquid Retina XDR display. It has 16GB of RAM and offers up to nine to ten hours of battery life on the lowest usage. It comes with both Wi-Fi 6E and 5G Cellular.
Specifications:
- Screen Size: 12.9-inches
- Processor: M2 Chip
- RAM: 16 GB
- Storage: 1TB
- Weight: 1.52 pounds
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+
- Pros: Excellent performance for content creation, the 16-inch screen is gorgeous
- Cons: Touch Bar is still not useful, size can be unwieldy
The Galaxy Tab S8+ comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and 16GB of RAM. It has a large 12.4-inch screen that runs a 2800 x 1752 resolution.
Specifications:
- Screen Size: 12.4-inches
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Weight: 1.26 pounds
Chromebook Duet 5
- Pros: Very long battery life, excellent display, solid build quality
- Cons: Display is in the old-school 16:9 aspect ratio, limited to Wi-Fi 5, kickstand add-on is inconvenient
It features a 13.3-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor.
Specifications:
- Screen Size: 13.3-inches
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Weight: 1.5 pounds
ROG Flow Z13
- Pros: Bright, beautiful screen, ingenious design, comfortable keyboard and touchpad
- Cons: Poor battery life, dorky aesthetic, mediocre webcam, no Windows Hello
With an Intel Core i9-13900H processor and RTX 4050 GPU, it targets gamers looking for a tablet-like form factor with gaming capabilities.
Specifications:
- Screen Size: 13.4-inches
- Processor: Intel Core i9-13900H
- RAM: 16 GB
- Storage: 1 TB
- Weight: 2.60 pounds
Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro
- Pros: Excellent productivity performance, spectacular OLED display, very thin and light
- Cons: Not faster than all 12th-gen Intel machines, expensive at list price
Featuring an Intel Core i7-1360P processor and 32GB of RAM, it comes with a 16-inch AMOLED screen.
Specifications:
- Screen Size: 16-inches
- Processor: Intel Core i7-1360P
- RAM: 32 GB
- Storage: 1 TB
- Weight: 3.44 pounds
These alternatives were selected based on their portability, processing power, battery life, and keyboard usage, aiming to offer a strong mix of features for those seeking options beyond the Microsoft Surface Pro.
Analyst comment
Neutral news. The market for tablet devices is expected to become more competitive as these alternatives gain popularity. Consumers will have a wider range of options to choose from, leading to potential shifts in market share and pricing dynamics among tablet manufacturers.
