Apple - iPad Pro 13 M4 vs Microsoft - Surface Pro 12

These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (60.3 vs 58.7). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.

Pick the iPad Pro 13 M4 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 peak brightness, weight, refresh rate, among others. The single most decisive one: Peak brightness — 300.00% more. 1600 nits vs 400 nits.

Pick the Surface Pro 12 if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are ram. The single most decisive one: RAM — 100.00% more. 16 GB vs 8 GB.

Both ship with comparable storage, stylus support, 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.