On October 22nd, 2013, Microsoft finally released the new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, Nokia announced its first Windows RT 8.1 tablet, called Lumia 2520, with gorgeous display, a variety of colors and support for LTE — something Surface users felt left out –. And as expected Apple followed by announcing a new line of iPads: the “iPad Air” with three key features, thinner, lighter, and faster, and the new iPad mini, which carries the same hardware as the iPad Air (formerly known as “iPad”, yes, Apple changed its name), but with a smaller screen which as a result of both tablets sharing the same screen resolution, the iPad mini has a higher pixel density.
Now there are a couple of questions that many people are asking: What’s the difference between the tablets? And which one should I to buy? To make the decision a little easier, I created a table describing the technical specifications to compare Surface 2, Nokia Lumia 2520, and the new iPad Air.
Note that I didn’t include the Surface Pro 2 or the iPad mini, this is because these two tablets don’t quite fit in the group. The Surface Pro 2 is a more powerful machine that has no match compare to other tablets in the market, and the iPad mini doesn’t go hand-on-hand with the screen size, although has the same power as the iPad Air.
Three tablets, two operating system, only $500, and one important decision to take. Let’s dive into the details of Surface 2 vs. iPad Air vs. Nokia Lumia 2520:
Tech specs
| Technical Specifications | Surface 2 | Nokia Lumia 2520 | iPad Air |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows RT 8.1 | Windows RT 8.1 | iOS 7 |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) | Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) | Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) |
| Cellular (LTE) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Memory | 2GB | 2GB | NA |
| Processor | NVIDIA Tegra 4 (T40) 1.7GHz quad core | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core 2.2 GHz | Apple's A7 chip with 64-bit architecture dual-core 1.29 GHz and M7 motion coprocessor |
| Storage | 32GB 64GB | 32GB | 16GB 32GB 64GB 128GB |
| Display | 10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) | 10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) | 9.7-inch Retina (2048 x 1536) |
| Camera | Back: 5MP Front: 3.5MP | Back: 6.7MP Front: 2MP | Back: 5MP photos Front: 1.2MP |
| Ports | USB 3.0 MicroSDXC Headset jack HD video out port Cover port Power connector | Micro SIM Power connector Headset jack HDMI-D (micro) USB 3.0 Bluetooth 4.0 NFC | Headphone minijack Power connector (Lightning) |
| Weight | 1.49 pounds | 1.36 pounds | Wi-Fi: 1 Pound Wi-Fi + Cellular: 1.05 Pounds |
| Thickness | .89 mm | 8.9 mm | 7.5 mm |
| Colors | Magnesium (Silver) | White, Red (glossy) Black, Cyan (matte) | Space Gray Silver |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours of video playback 7–15 days idle life | Up to 11 hours Up to 25 days idle life | Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music |
| Power Supply | 24W | NA | 32.4W |
| Sensors | Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer | Ambient Light Sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Proximity Sensor Magnetometer | Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Ambient light sensor |
| Power Cover | Power Cover (due in early 2014) | Keyboard - wrap-around (provide up to 5 more hours) | No |
| Apps | Mail, Calendar, People, Internet Explorer 11, Photos, Music, Video, Games, Skype, Fresh Paint, Calculator, Reading List, Reader, Scan, News, Weather, Sports, Travel, Finance, Health & Fitness, Food & Drink, Help, Camera, SkyDrive, Sound Recorder and more | Recorder, Calculator, Clock, Calendar, Alarm clock, OneNote, Lync (Corporate IM) free download, SkyDrive storage for documents and notes, Office apps: Excel, Word, Powerpoint, OneNote, Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PDF, Word, OneNote, Powerpoint, XBox-Live Hub, and more. | Safari, Mail, iBooks, Photos, Maps, FaceTime, Newssstand, Messages, iTunes Store, App Store, Calendar, Music, Video, Siri, Reminders, Contacts, Camera, Notes, Photo Booth, Clock, Game Center, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iTunes U, Podcasts, Find My iPhone, Find My Friends, Remote, iTunes Trailers, and more. |
| Price | 32GB $449 64GB $549 | $499 | Wi-Fi only: 16GB $499 32GB $599 64GB $699 128GB $799 Wi-Fi + Cellular: 16GB $629 32GB $729 64GB $829 128GB $929 |
| Availability | October 22, 2013 | Q4 2013 | November 1, 2013 |
| Pixel Density | 206 ppi | 218 ppi | 264 ppi |
| Aspect Ration | 16:9 | 16:9 | 4:3 |
| Audio/Video support | MPEG-41, AAC1, MP31, HE-AAC1, ASF1, Dolby Digital (non-disc), AAC LATM, Dolby Digital Plus (non-disc), AAC LOAS, MP31, ADTS WMA1 (Standard, Pro, Lossless), WAV 1, MPEG-1 Layer I, Layer II, MPEG-2, ULAW, PCM, ADPCM; MPEG-4, ASF, MPEG-2 PS, 3GPP2, AVI, WMV 9Yes | H.264/AVC, MPEG-4, MP4, ASF, WMV, 3GP, 3G2, OMA DRM 1, MP4, AAC, MP3, M4A, WMA, MIDI, WMV, MP3, MIDI | H.264 video up to 1080p, 60 frames per second, High Profile level 4.2 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format |
| Accessories | Power Cover Touch Cover 2 Type Cover 2 Car Charger Music Mix Docking Station Wireless Adapter Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edtion | Keyboard (power cover) Nokia Purity Pro Wireless Stereo Headset JBL PlayUP Portable Wireless Speaker | No new accessories |
Also that with the purchase of every Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2, Microsoft is including 200GB of SkyDrive for two years and 1 year subscription to Skype Wi-Fi. For more information read this previous article.
Here is a quick first look at the Nokia Lumia 2520 with video review.
Did I missed something? Let me know in the comments. Thanks,