Surface Pro 4 vs MacBook Air - Core Specs

When Microsoft announced their new hardware last week in New York City Panos Panay specifically compared the Surface Pro 4 against the MacBook Air. This comparison of specs is between the i5 and i7 versions of each device.

Richard Hay, Senior Content Producer

October 12, 2015

1 Min Read
Surface Pro 4 vs MacBook Air - Core Specs

When Microsoft announced their new hardware last week in New York City Panos Panay specifically compared the Surface Pro 4 against the MacBook Air. 

We decided to compare the specifications for each of those systems and to focus on the devices configured with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

This comparison of specs is between the i5 and i7 versions of each device.

MacBook Air (i5) vs Surface Pro 4 (i5)

MacBook Air

Screen

11 inches

12.3 inches

Resolution

1366 x 768

2736 x 1824

CPU

1.6GHZ Intel Core i5

Intel Core i5 (1)

Memory

8GB

8GB

Storage

256GB

256GB

Battery

9 hours

9 hours

Touch

No

Yes

Keyboard

Yes

Not Included (2)

Weight

2.38 lbs

1.73 lbs (2)

Price

$1,199.00

$1,299.00

(1) Microsoft has not listed the clock speed of the processors in the Surface Pro 4 line.

(2) A Type Cover for Surface Pro 4 adds $129.99 to the overall device cost and 1.2 lbs

MacBook Air (i7) vs Surface Pro 4 (i7)

MacBook Air

Screen

13 inches

12.3 inches

Resolution

1440 x 900

2736 x 1824

CPU

2.2GHZ Intel Core i7

Intel Core i7 (1)

Memory

8GB

8GB

Storage

256GB

256GB

Battery

12 hours

9 hours

Touch

No

Yes

Keyboard

Yes

Not Included (2)

Weight

2.96 lbs

1.73 lbs (2)

Price

$1,349.00

$1,599.00

(1) Microsoft has not listed the clock speed of the processors in the Surface Pro 4 line.

(2) A Type Cover for Surface Pro 4 adds $129.99 to the overall device cost and 1.2 lbs

Beyond the core specs listed above each device has the following ports/connectivity options:

MacBook Air

  • 2 USB 3.0 ports

  • Thunderbolt 2 port

  • 802.11 ac Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n compatible)

  • Bluetooth 4.0

  • SDXC card slot (only on 13 inch model)

Surface Pro 4

  • 1 USB 3.0 port

  • Mini DisplayPort

  • 802.11 ac Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n compatible)

  • Bluetooth 4.0

  • microSD card reader

But, wait...there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

About the Author

Richard Hay

Senior Content Producer, IT Pro Today (Informa Tech)

I served for 29 plus years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer in November 2011. My work background in the Navy was telecommunications related so my hobby of computers fit well with what I did for the Navy. I consider myself a tech geek and enjoy most things in that arena.

My first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then I used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and WindowsObserver.com is the result of the work I have done on that site since 1995.

In January 2010 my community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when I received my first Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for the Windows Operating System. Since then I have been renewed as a Microsoft MVP each subsequent year since that initial award. I am also a member of the inaugural group of Windows Insider MVPs which began in 2016.

I previously hosted the Observed Tech PODCAST for 10 years and 317 episodes and now host a new podcast called Faith, Tech, and Space. 

I began contributing to Penton Technology websites in January 2015 and in April 2017 I was hired as the Senior Content Producer for Penton Technology which is now Informa Tech. In that role, I contribute to ITPro Today and cover operating systems, enterprise technology, and productivity.

https://twitter.com/winobs

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