After the surprise announcement back in June, the Microsoft Surface has finally been released. Microsoft kept the tablet a tight secret which they probably needed to do to throw their competitors of guard. The tablet is Microsoft’s first real attempt at competing in the tablet market. So how does this unique hybrid tablet fare up against it’s competitors? Here, we will run down it’s features and help you make a decision on wether the Microsoft Surface is a good purchase or not.

Microsoft Surface Spec Analysis

The Microsoft Surface has a 10.6″ display with a resolution of 1366×768 and a 16:9 aspect ratio. This has come under some criticism as the display has been shown to lack space for content. As you can imagine, the aspect ratio is made for widescreen so the tablet does look fairly odd when being viewed in portrait mode. However a big win for the tablet is definitely the stunning detail of the screen, with the colours and blacks standing out superbly.

Microsoft is using their own “Clear type technology” which reportedly helps in having an excellent contrast and makes for crisp text. The display truly is magnificent. If Microsoft opted for a higher resolution display, the screen may have actually rivalled Apple’s Retina display.

As with most tablet’s, 2 720p cameras can be found on the Microsoft Surface. Taking photos with the camera will not yield excellent results as the rear camera is said to produce grainy and washed out photos. However the front view camera is great for video calls as it has a wide field of view.

In terms of specifications, the Microsoft Surface contains a quad core processor with 2GB of ram, a NVIDIA TEGRA 3 Chipset and either 32GB or 64GB of storage. Speed wise, the tablet is right up there with it’s competitors. Like with most high end tablet’s, it will be hard to determine which tablet is faster without performing benchmark tests. Flash playback is a big hit or miss though with HD videos delivering very choppy frame rates.

The Microsoft Surface has a beautiful build. Built from light alluminum it is extrememly sturdy and well made, rivalling the build quality of the iPad and outright beating most of it’s other competitors. The touch cover is quite slick as it does not add any bulk to the device, as the keys are touch sesitive and blended right into the cover, unlike other keyboard cases.

Microsoft Surface Vs The iPad

The iPad will arguably be the most fierce competitor for the Microsoft Surface. The iPad currently dominates the tablet market share although Android tablet’s are right behind them.

Here is a chart comparing the Microsoft Surface with the most popular tablet’s in the market.

(Source, Winsource)

The Microsoft Surface has taken the first real attempt of trying to replace a laptop PC altogether. Microsoft will have to address all the nagging issues with the tablet in order for it to rise to popularity. The reason why the iPad soared to the top of the tablet market was due to the fact that the tablet was pretty much flawless.

Microsoft will have to somehow stimulate their ecosystem as the lack of App’s will soon start causing problems. Consumers love a variety so Microsoft will need to convince developers that developing Apps for Windows will be worthwhile.

Written by:

- Inayat Cassambai, @Inu_SPN