Microsoft Surface Pro 4 vs Surface Book: which is better?

Camera

There's really no comparison to make when it comes to camera. Both offer a Windows Hello front-facing authentication camera, along with a 5MP front-facing camera for things like video-chatting. The rear-facing camera on the two devices is 8MP. Both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras can take 1080p video.

Surface Book back

Neither of the devices is incredible as far as cameras go, however for those that might want to a take a quick photo the snappers will be fine.

Battery

If battery power is a deal maker or breaker for you, then the Surface Book might be the better option. Microsoft doesn't list technical specifications for the battery on the two devices, however it says that the Surface Pro 4 offers a battery life of up to nine hours, while the Surface Book has a battery life of up to 12 hours.

Pricing and availability

The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet is obviously cheaper than the Surface Book laptop, however the amount of savings might surprise you considering how similar a lot of the specs are. The base model of the Surface Pro 4 costs $899 (£749, AU$1349), while the base model of the Surface Book is a cool $1,499 or AU$2,299 (around £979).

Surface Book

Prices for the fully loaded Surface Pro 4 range up to $2,199 (around £1436, AU$3,057), while the price for a maxed out Surface Book tops off at $2,699 (around £1,762, AU$3,751).

It's not ideal that there is such a huge price gap between the two, but it makes sense. The Surface Book seems to be aimed at a business user with professional needs, while the Surface Pro 4 might be more for an artist or general consumer.

Conclusions

When deciding between the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book, you really can't go very wrong. Each is a great device, however they seem to be targeted at slightly different audiences.

If you're a person who needs a new laptop for casual use at home or maybe to take notes at school, then the cash you'll save on the Surface Pro 4 is undeniable, especially considering the similar specs.

Surface Pro 4

What's also undeniable, however, is how classy-looking the Surface Book is, and for someone who really considers design to be important, perhaps the Surface Book is the better option.

Both devices take advantage of Microsoft's Windows 10, which is largely considered to be the best Microsoft operating system to date.

Christian is a writer who's covered technology for many years, for sites including Tom's Guide, Android Central, iMore, CNN, Business Insider and BGR, as well as TechRadar.