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MacBook Pro or Microsoft Surface Pro? We compare design, performance, features, and user experience to help you choose the best device for your needs!
Microsoft and Apple both have their own premium ‘pro’ line of laptops: for the former, it is the Surface Pro model, and the latter has the Macbook Pro. Yet, while one would be forgiven for expecting these two similarly-named laptops to fulfil similar functions, both models are actually quite different, with each representing the epitome of each company’s laptop design philosophy.
So, by considering the metrics of performance, display and other general utilities (such as storage space, price, portability, and really just any other factor that might influence a prospective customer), this article will endeavour to provide insight as to which model suits which kinds of consumer.
In terms of performance, it is difficult to argue that the Apple Macbook Pro doesn’t come out on top. This is by and large thanks to the Apple M3 Chip, their latest generation of in-house hardware that gives their products a really impressive degree of performance. Putting aside the upgraded version of the M3 Chip that can be put within the Macbook Pro (and, naturally, costing an even more premium price), the base M3 is an unbelievably impressive feat. Its improved neural engine and advanced GPU offer it powerful performance in many capacities. For most basic functions like browsing the web or streaming media, this enables the Macbook Pro to work both rapidly and efficiently, without fear of overheating or excessively eating into battery life, but this even enables the Macbook Pro to be viable for more complex functions like gaming, which really serves to demonstrate the strength of the M3.
As for its Microsoft equivalent, the Surface Pro uses the 12th Generation Intel Core (I5-1235u), which is a really advanced piece of hardware for its build, but can’t really stand up to the M3 purely in terms of raw performance. The 12th Gen Core focuses largely on meeting the needs of an ‘ultrathin’ laptop like the Surface Pro, and thus focuses largely on efficiency and versatility rather than outright strength. This enables the Surface Pro to handle most basic functions with ease, though it might struggle with more complex functions (in particular, gaming, which can be very energy-intensive for an ultra-light laptop like the Surface Pro).
With a build largely focused around providing the best performance possible, its no wonder that the Macbook Pro can offer a really strong graphical performance. First off, the Macbook Pro’s screen can be either 14” or 16”, making it one of the larger screens out on the laptop market. Furthermore, with a Liquid Retina XDR display, Apple offers a very competitive 254 pixels per inch and a contrast ratio that goes up to 1,000,000:1, allowing for clear images and some really impressive graphical displays. Indeed, when paired with the advantages of the M3 chip, this enables the Macbook to render some very complex and graphically-intensive displays that lighter builds such as the Surface Pro might not be able to handle, making the Macbook a compelling choice from the perspective of a video editor or photographer whose careers or interests necessitate having a computer that can process and visualise really complex photos and graphics.
That said, with a lighter, more portable build, the Surface Pro doesn’t offer that same level of display. With a respectable 13” screen, the Surface Pro offers the best degree of graphical performance that an ultra-light laptop can, with a 1,200:1 contrast ratio and features deliberately engineered to rival many of the advanced qualities offered by the Macbook, such as a competitive 120HZ dynamic refresh rate (the same as the Macbook) and ‘Adaptive Colour’ technology that matches the True Tone technology of their Apple counterpart. That said, an additional bonus which the Surface Pro has that is not found anywhere within the Macbook is touchscreen technology: all Surface Pro models have full multi-touch support, including compatibility with a stylus pen. This makes the Surface Pro seriously attractive for anyone working in a design capacity, as while the laptop might not have the same kind of cutting-edge graphical capabilities of the Surface Pro, what it does offer is nonetheless fairly high-level- especially for an ultralight laptop- and the touchscreen technology provides for a level of interactivity not necessarily available within another laptop.
Continuing along with its design philosophy of being as beefy and powerful as possible, the Macbook Pro has the capacity to hold up to 1 Terabyte of storage. For your average user, this is so much storage they might never fill it up halfway through years of intensive use, though of course to specific professions looking for a large amount of storage this might be an attractive proposition. That said, it should be noted that there’s no real advantage to having a huge surplus of storage, so for your average user this might not mean much- after all, they can always buy a laptop with a more realistic amount of storage to what they might use and then potentially invest in more down the line than splash out on the premium cost that it takes to have a whole Terabyte of storage. As for the price, well the Macbook is certainly the more expensive option. At its lowest, the 14” variant with the base M3 Chip and 512GB of storage sits at a solid £1,699- pretty much on the upper quartile of the price range for a premium laptop- whereas the 16” variant with the M3 Max can go as high as £4,099 and beyond (if you buy additional storage on top of that), making the Macbook one of the most expensive options on the market for a user who wants the best possible specs. Another big drawback to the Macbook is its weight, which goes up to 1.62kg. This means for a user looking for easy and care-free portability, the Macbook doesn’t offer any real advantages, and so for a user looking to take their Macbook into work or school with them on a daily basis, the price you pay for these premium specs might well be to their back in addition to the sizeable blow to your wallet! That said, all that weight clearly pays off, as the Macbook is fairly durable and has tested well against wear and tear, meaning any Macbook purchase should hopefully last a number of years.
On the other hand, the Surface Pro’s storage varies depending on what package you buy, but it can have storages as high as 512GB. While this is lower than the cheapest Macbook storage, for most users its probably a more realistic assessment of the amount of storage you’d be using if your work is predominantly on documents and a few apps, though of course if you value high amounts of storage for purposes such as gaming, this might be a downside. In terms of price, the Surface Pro starts at £1,119 and can go as high as £2,199, making it considerably cheaper than the Macbook but still in the higher price range for premium laptops. Considering that the Surface Pro markets itself as ultralight, the laptop definitely follows through on this promise, with all models being lower than 900g (with the heaviest model being around 879g), making it just over half the weight of the Macbook. Even for your average laptop, this puts the Surface Pro on the lighter end, with most laptops being between 1.3kg and 2.6kg, but considering the high performance nature of the Surface Pro, this makes it one of the best picks when it comes to choosing between portability and performance. Finally, the Surface Pro is generally reported as being very durable, and while it might not pass the same kinds of stress testing that the Macbook does, most users report it seems they went through a good few years without complaint before they required any kind of repairs.
In short, the Macbook makes no apology for its weight or hefty price tag by providing maximal performance at any cost. With incredibly powerful processing capabilities, market-competitive prices and more storage than you’d know what to do with, the Macbook offers a premium laptop experience for those who need it.
That said, I would argue the Surface Pro will be the better pick for your average consumer. Certainly, it does not focus on providing the best of all worlds, with a comparatively above-average performance, solid graphical performances and a reasonable amount of storage. However, the Surface Pro is far more realistic to what the average user would want in a laptop: to fulfil a number of basic- and perhaps, some more complex- functions needed in day-to-day life while being portable and flexible. The Surface Pro embodies that philosophy entirely, being very easily portable while still offering competitive performance and graphics, making it the better choice for most consumers.
