Surface Studio vs. iMac: Comparison Review Of Specs, Features and More

Microsoft showcased its all-in-one PC — the Surface Studio — on Wednesday. The device is designed to cater to artists and creative professionals. It comes with a starting price of $2,999. In terms of looks, it feels similar to the iMac, since it comes with a large desktop and a detached keyboard and mouse.

How does the Surface Studio fare in comparison to the iMac? Let’s find out.

Performance

The Surface Studio comes in both Intel Core i5 and i7 versions, while the iMac comes with just an i5 option. In terms of RAM, too, Surface Studio offers 8/16/32 GB models, while the iMac is limited to an 8 GB model.

Surface Studio has a 28-inch display, which folds down so that you can work and draw on it — whether you are composing music or drawing 3D models. In comparison, iMac has a 27-inch display that doesn't fold.

Design

Unlike Apple's iMac, Microsoft hasn’t put all the components behind the display in the Surface Studio. Instead, it has put them in the base, which makes the display more flexible to use and sleek to look at. Surface Studio is also slimmer than the iMac — with a thickness of 12.5mm, the Surface Studio (with a hinge display stand) resembles a tablet more than a desktop monitor. In comparison, iMac is thicker in the middle although it is slimmer around the edges.

Connectivity

The Surface Studio comes with a 2.1 speaker array ­— a combination of two main drivers and a bass one. It also has an HD webcam, which supports Windows Hello — a feature that lets you sign in to the PC with your face rather than a password.

The iMac has two speakers embedded at the back of the display and a 1.2-megapixel HD camera for Facetime. In terms of slots, both devices offer four USB 3.0 slots, but the Surface Studio offers an audio jack, which iMac doesn’t.

Display Resolution

The iMac offers a 5K model with 5120 x 2880 pixel resolution, while the Studio’s 28-inch display comes with a resolution of 4500 x 3000 pixels. The iMac is calibrated to satisfy DCI P3 standard used in movies, while the colorimeter score of the Studio is not yet known.

Both devices use 10-bit color LCD displays.

Software

The iMac comes with the recently announced macOS Sierra, while Microsoft has offered a 3D Windows 10 Creators update to all Windows users. Both OS come with digital assistants — the iMac offers Siri support, while Studio comes with Cortana.

But, Apple offers many additional apps for creators, while Studio users will have to depend on third-party softwares such as Adobe Final Cut Pro for functionalities like advanced video editing.

Accessories

The Surface Studio also comes with a physical scroll wheel that will let you scroll over your work and a Surface Pen, which offers 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and can be used for different functionalities including creating artworks over the display.