Surface Book 2 Vs. Macbook Pro Specs - 5 Advantages Of Microsoft’s Tablet

Surface Book 2 details were just recently revealed, so many tech enthusiasts may be wondering how its specs stack up against the competition. From displays to CPUs, here are five big advantages to Microsoft’s new tablet.

1) A Bigger, Better Display: In terms of the raw data, both the 13.5 and 15-inch iterations of the Surface Book 2 have better displays than Apple’s MacBook Pro. At best the MacBook tops out at a 2880x1800 screen, while Surface Book tops out at 3240x2160 at the same size with better pixel density. At lowest the difference is 2560x1600 to 3000x2000. Even at minimum, the Surface’s 13.5-inch monitor is bigger than Apple’s low-end 13-inch. Simply put, despite the Mac’s Retina tech, your content will absolutely look better on Surface.

2) It’s Got A Touch Screen: This still relates to displays, but it’s important enough to get its own bullet. Just like its predecessor, the hallmark of the Surface Book 2 is that it has a fully enabled touch display. The MacBook, on the other hand, offers a Touch Bar instead. It’s cool, but it’s obviously a much smaller area for tactile feedback. Having a full touch screen may not matter to everyone, but, especially if you’re an artist or creator, there’s large imperative here to spring for a Surface.

3) Better Battery Life (Supposedly): We’ll have to wait for this to be fully tested, but, upon the Surface Book 2’s reveal, Microsoft has claimed it offers 70 percent more battery life than the MacBook Pro. In terms of the specifics, that’s a difference between 10 and 17 hours. Both products are pretty close to lasting through all-day use, but there’s clearly a Surface advantage as long as Microsoft’s internal numbers can actually be trusted.

4) Gaming Support Improved: Let’s make one thing abundantly clear: despite the expense of both of these products, neither one is ideal for hardcore PC gamers. That being said, the Surface Book 2’s dedicated NVIDIA GTX 1050 (only available at $1,999) is markedly better than a Macbook’s high-end integrated options. Even if you spring for Apple’s inferior Radeons, you’re paying several hundred dollars more than you would for a Surface with a GPU capable of supporting VR experiences.

It’s also worth noting that, because the Surface Book 2 runs Windows 10, your options for gaming are going to be far superior out of the box. You can dual-boot Windows on a Mac to open up your Steam selection, but, with a Surface Book, the optimal choice is already there.

5) Newer CPUs: Microsoft says the Surface Book 2 is “twice as powerful” as the latest MacBook Pro, and, while that claim is going to take some benchmarks to truly verify, there’s still an obvious advantage worth discussing here. A hallmark feature of the Surface Book 2 is that it features Intel’s very latest 8th-generation chips compared to Mac’s 7th-gen alternative. The 8th-gen has a lower base speed, but it’s got more cores at its disposal. That means everything is going to run just a little bit better even on the 13.5-inch Surface Book.

The Surface Book 2 starts shipping Nov. 16, and various MacBook Pro models are available now.

Should Apple be worried about the Surface Book 2? What specs matter most to you? Tell us in the comments section!