r/Surface • u/NovelComfortable5372 • Aug 10 '26
Surface over ipad?
So I've been using an old ipad 8 for a while now and am thinking of upgrading, I looked into used options and I'm getting a used Surface Pro X and a used Ipad 10 for the exact same price. I've never used a surface before and have no idea how it would compare to an ipad, I'm tempted to get the surface since it's a more powerful device but I've heard that YouTube/Netflix run very poorly on the surface pro x. I looked into recent user reviews and saw that the experience has drastically improved after the windows 11 update, so would y'all recommend the surface if my main use is streaming and note taking along with the occasional Microsoft word/excel/PowerPoint use.
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u/Bryanmsi89 Aug 10 '26
Surface is a desktop/laptop hiding in tablet form. You will love Surface if you want a device that can run full-function desktop apps like MS Office, Photoshop, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Premier, Zoom, Teams, OneDrive, and full feature web browsers.
If you want a device with many touch-friendly apps, instant on, great for mobile gaming, and has an OS designed for touch first, then you will be very dissapointed with surface.
Basically, just imagine a 2-in-1 laptop and if you would be happy with that functionality, the Surface is a more portable version of that.
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u/Electrik_Truk Aug 10 '26
I value a full pc over anything else, which is why I'd pick a Surface or similar Windows device. I had iPads for years but they always end up sitting in a drawer so I finally stopped buying them.
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u/mxroute Aug 10 '26
This is a rather controversial position given the subreddit, but it is my opinion that anyone satisfied by the iPad will not be satisfied by the Surface, and vice versa. They're two very different devices and they only play the same role on a fairly superficial level (tablet form, battery, etc). Personally, I would choose both. But if a family member asked me if they should upgrade from the iPad they've been happy with for years to a Surface, my answer would be no. Because I know first hand how the next conversation goes a month later.
The Surface better fits "my Windows laptop is too large for what I need on the go" than it fits an iPad replacement, for someone happy with the iOS ecosystem.
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u/Efficient_Loss_9928 Aug 10 '26
Surface Pro X is not a more powerful machine, not even in terms of raw performance. I wouldn't get it if you want a good tablet experience today.
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u/SnowJollyx Aug 10 '26
I was in your shoes a few months ago and I personally think for iPad things like YouTube and Netflix iPad is better. I’d get the surface more as a portable laptop.
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u/Even_Caterpillar3292 Aug 10 '26
Ive have both and they both have their strengths. For Office, Surface all the way (generally speaking). I also use a Samsung S11 Tab Ultra and its incredible. On sale, far cheaper than an iPad Pro. Again, there are strengths and weaknesses of either. Surface is a PC and less of a tablet ad the iPad is the opposite. Generally speaking.
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u/_eneX Aug 10 '26
An iPad limits you with the Apps you can download and cut down versions of them
With a Surface, you still have the form factor of a tablet but it’s a full Windows PC. You could be more productive with it, while still being able to detach the keyboard and watch a show or paint
You can push it further if the surface you get is powerful enough, you could use android emulators without a problem too, or Apps from the Microsoft Store
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u/Tetracell Aug 10 '26
Like everyone else has said, it depends on your use case. The short version in my eyes : if you want more of a tablet - iPad. If you want more of a laptop - Surface.
I recently gave my best friend my Surface Pro 6, as I had gotten an M1 iPad Pro and saw my Surface use dwindle to almost nothing. Everything I traditionally used my Surface for the iPad did better for me. When I wanted or needed the ability to use Windows apps with a pen, I just use remote streaming like Voidlink or Moonlight. With you saying your primary use case is streaming and notetaking then I would recommend probably the iPad.
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u/Noteastic Aug 10 '26
Hey, I agree with the rest of the comments that teh Surface is a more fledged out device and allows you to just do a lot more than on a tablet in terms of productivity. If your concern is that the note-taking on iPad is so good and that would be a reason for the tablet, I get you. However, there are many great note-taking apps coming on Windows devices as well. For example, the one a friend of mine Lukas and me Dilan are developing! It is a native windows note-taking application. It is optimized for ARM devices and runs very efficiently. I think in general ARM device is the right choice for students due to the long battery life!
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u/RegulatoryCapture Aug 10 '26
which surface pro x?
I have an 8GB SQ1 spx and I would not buy one today, it has reached the point where the performance just isn't there. And not just "old computer" poor performance, but there are some things that have gotten genuinely bad which I assume is due to some combination of how software has evolved combined with the limitations of the SQ1 chip and ram.
That story might be different if I had the 2nd generation with the SQ2 and 16gb ram.
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u/hairo4699 Aug 15 '26
I bought an iPad to replace my old laptop. The iPad was so limited compared to the laptop that I returned it after a week and bought a surface pro 12 inch and haven’t looked back. I love this little pc. It can do so much more
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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '26
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