Microsoft Surface Book Vs Apple MacBook Pro 2016: Australian Specs And Pricing Compared

Both Microsoft and Apple have launched new laptops that will ship later this year: the all-new Surface Book and the long-awaited MacBook Pro. Each of these notebooks are a considerable upgrade to their predecessors (though some may dispute this) and are the most powerful laptop devices Microsoft and Apple have to offer. If you’re in the market for a new laptop, we’ve made it easier for you to compare the new Microsoft Surface Book with the Apple MacBook Pro 2016 model.

This article originally appeared on Lifehacker.

Microsoft Surface Book 2016 Vs Apple MacBook Pro 2016 Specs

Yesterday, we looked at the Microsoft Studio next to the Apple iMac. We decided to pit the new 13.5-inch Surface Book against the new 15-inch MacBook Pro. While the MacBook Pro does come in a 13-inch form factor, the specs and pricing of the Surface Book are more comparable to the 15-inch version. We’re not saying that this is an apples-to-apples comparison; both devices have very distinct differences. But if you’re curious about how the two laptops look side-by-side in terms of specs, here it is:

Surface Book MacBook Pro 15-inch
OS Windows 10 Pro macOS Sierra
Dimensions 31.23cm x 23.2cm x 1.3cm (2.28cm at the thickest point) 1.55cm x 34.93cm x 24.07cm
Weight 1.647kg 1.83kg
CPU Intel 6th generation Core i7 Intel 6th generation Core i7
GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M 2GB GDDR5 memory One of the following (configurable to Radeon Pro 460 with 4GB of GDDR5 memory and automatic graphics switching):

  • AMD Radeon Pro 450 with 2GB memory
     
  • Radeon Pro 455 with 2GB memory
Storage 256GB, 512GB or 1TB SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD
Memory 8GB or 16GB RAM 16GB RAM
Display 13.5 inch high-resolution PixelSense display optimised for Surface Pen 15-inch improved Retina display with 500 nit brightness, higher contrast ratio and 25% more colours than sRGB
Special features Detachable screen. Can be rotated 180 degrees and reattached to the integrated keyboard Touch Bar for contextual functions and Touch ID
Battery Up to 16 hours Up to 10 hours
Wireless WiFi: 802.11ac wireless, 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible
 Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
WiFi: 802.11ac wireless, 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
 Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology
Camera/Video/Audio
  • Windows Hello face sign-in camera (front facing)
     
  • 5.0 MP camera with 1080p HD video (front facing)
     
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video
     
  • Stereo microphones
     
  • Stereo speakers with Dolby audio Audio Premium
     
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • 720p FaceTime HD camera
     Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display, as well as:
     
  • Supports up to two displays with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz
     
  • Supports up to four displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz  
  • Stereo speakers
     
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
     
  • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
     
  • VGA, HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)
     
  • Stereo speakers with high dynamic range
     
  • Three microphones
     
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
Connections & Expansions
  • 2 x full-sized USB 3.0 ports
     
  • Full-size SD card reader
     
  • Surface Connect
     
  • Mini DisplayPort
     
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
4 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports for:
 

  • Charging
     
  • DisplayPort
     
  • Thunderbolt (up to 40 Gbps)
     
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
     
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
Security
  • TPM chip for enterprise security
N/A
What’s In The Box
  • Surface Book
     
  • Surface Pen
     
  • Power supply
  • 15-inch MacBook Pro
     
  • USB-C Power Adapter
     
  • USB-C Charging cable

It’s also worth noting that both Microsoft and Apple have been using older CPUs and GPUs for their newest products. Click here for our previous article that explains why this is the case.

Pricing

The new Microsoft Surface Book prices start from $3799. Prices vary depending on the configuration you choose. Here’s the price list for the configurations on offer:

  • 265GB storage with Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM and dGPU: $3799
  • 512GB storage with Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM and dGPU: $4399
  • 1TB storage with Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM and dGPU: $5199

You can pre-order the new Microsoft Surface Book over at the Microsoft Online Store. It will start shipping on December 8.

The new 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro prices start from $3599. Prices vary depending on the configuration you choose. Here’s a condensed price list for some of the most common configurations:

  • 256GB storage with 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 2GB GPU memory: $3599
  • 512GB storage with 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 2GB GPU memory: $3919
  • 1TB storage with 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 2GB GPU memory: $4559
  • 512GB storage with 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 4GB GPU memory: $4409
  • 1TB storage with 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 4GB GPU memory: $5049
  • 2TB storage with 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 4GB GPU memory: $6329
  • 2TB storage with 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 4GB GPU memory: $6649 (when you max out CPU, GPU and storage options)

You can buy the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro 2016 over at the Apple Online Store.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.