Gadgetory

what's up prize five fans i'm brian tong and this is a battle for one of these things is not like the other it's a prize 5-foot shout between Microsoft Surface pro 3 and Apple's MacBook Air 13-inch 2014 edition now Microsoft threw down the hammer with a direct comparison so we're putting it to the test our judges for this fight are senior editor Dan the man after man senior associate editor Joe The Big Show Kaminsky and Brian ringa linga ding dong we'll take all three judges blind scores and average them out to the nearest tenth each round the final prize by score will be an average of all rounds using the same system let's get it on round 1 is design Microsoft brings it's edgy and modern design with the slimmest Core i5 PC ever made that weighs 1.76 pounds without the keyboard case it's the power of a laptop in a tablet form it feels like a premium device but the kickstand still doesn't sit on your lap comfortably and its form factor is great as a tablet but just okay as a laptop now the MacBook Airs design is classic and iconic with its aluminum unibody weighing in at two point nine six pounds it's smooth hinge allows you to open it with ease but let's be honest this design hasn't changed for years it feels dated and we've said it over and over that getting a thinner bezel around the screen should be a priority both designs impress but they can also be better we're calling this a tie at four points apiece round two is features the surface pro 3 stands out with its 2160 by 1440 screen resolution touchscreen that pops compared to the airs 1440 by 900 display it's the most flexible portable with a kickstand and a keyboard cover with the responsive trackpad that really feels comfortable to use plus a stylus for drawing and sketching this truly allows you to use it the way you want it's also compatible with Windows software and the Windows 8 app store you might look at this as a dual experience that can be jarring at times especially when you have to go into the desktop version to tweak some settings but if you're looking at the surface pro you know what you're getting yourself into now Apple is still kept the MacBook Air pretty simple and straightforward and it's lack of a 1080p screen as a glaring omission with today's competition both systems include backlit keyboard HDMI out with a mini DisplayPort adapter SD card slots 802 11 AC and Bluetooth 4.0 Microsoft takes this round with the 4.3 and Apple gets a 3 so after averaging two rounds Microsoft leads round three is performance we're facing off a surface pro 3 with a 1.9 gigahertz core i5 processor with 8 gigs of RAM versus a MacBook Air with a 1.4 gigahertz core i5 with 4 gigs of ram now the proof is in the pudding and in our CNET's performance test Apple's MacBook Air performed better in the handbreak multi media multitasking test and it also performed better in the iTunes encoding test but the surface pro 3 outperformed the air in our Photoshop cs5 imaging process test now it's impressive that Microsoft didn't sacrifice performance for tablet but Apple gets the slight edge here with the 4.3 and the surface pro gets a 4 next round is battery life battery life has always been a Forte when it comes to Apple's laptops specifically the air Microsoft made valiant improvements to the surface pro 3 and in CNET's video battery drain test we were able to squeeze out 7 hours and 28 minutes of juice but this is where the MacBook is in rarified air and in our battery drain test we were able to get a whopping 16 hours and 26 minutes of apple juice it's truly an all-day device and the MacBook Air gets a perfect 5 and the surface pro 3 gets a 3 drops are a between four rounds Apple has taken the lead the final round that decides at all values the surface pro 3 starts at $7.99 if you're willing to go with the core i3 processor we're not but a core i5 with 128 gigs of storage starts at $9.99 the same price as the entry-level 13-inch air and the type cover is 129 so your total cost comes in at 1120 eight dollars before any other additions now a 13-inch air has gone down $200 in the past two years and starts at $9.99 it's arguably the best money that you can spend on a dedicated laptop at that price today so it's really the versatility of the surface pro that you're paying for and really they should include the keyboard in that price but in the final round our judges give the MacBook Air a 4.7 and the surface pro gets a three point seven so let's average out all five rounds and in a throwdown where the surface pro took an early lead Apple fought back with its performance and battery life taking this battle for point two to three point eight and the MacBook Air 13-inch 2014 edition is your prize winner now don't let the store tell the whole story we're fans of the surface pro 3 it's come a long way and its versatility makes it a truly unique product but comparing these categories it's still the air that reigns supreme I'm Brian Tong's thanks for watching I will catch you guys next time for another prizefight