Apple - iPad Air 11 M3 vs Microsoft - Surface Go 4

These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (57.4 vs 54.9). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.

Pick the iPad Air 11 M3 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. The biggest gaps in its favor are weight, peak brightness, screen size. The single most decisive one: Weight — 61.00 g less. 460 vs 521.

The Surface Go 4 similarly does not carry a headline advantage on the popular specs — look at the full table for category-specific deltas.

Both ship with comparable ram, storage, refresh rate, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.