Surface Book vs. the competition: Flagship laptops go head-to-head

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Updated Tue, Oct 6, 2015, 2:02 PM·2 min read

And then there were three: with the introduction of the Surface Book, Microsoft has joined Apple and Google in offering a premium laptop that runs its own platform. But how does it stack up next to its rivals, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the Chromebook Pixel? We've put the specs of each side by side to help you sort things out. As you'll soon see, the three only share a few things in common. They reflect the unique philosophies of their creators, whether it's Microsoft's fondness for tablets, Apple's preference for powerful (if conventional) laptops or Google's desire for lean-and-mean web machines.

	Surface Book	MacBook Pro (13-inch)	Chromebook Pixel
Price	$1,499 to $2,699	$1,299 to $1,799	$999 to $1,299
Thickness	22.8mm (0.9 inches)	18mm (0.71 inches)	15.3mm (0.6 inches)
Weight	728g (1.6 pounds) tablet only / 1.51kg (3.34 pounds) with keyboard	1.58kg (3.48 pounds)	1.5kg (3.3 pounds)
OS	Windows 10	OS X El Capitan	Chrome OS
Display	13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen display	13.3-inch IPS LCD Retina display	12.85-inch touchscreen LCD
Resolution	3,000 x 2,000 (267 ppi)	2,560 x 1,600 (227 ppi)	2,560 x 1,700 (239 ppi)
Aspect ratio	3:2	16:10	3:2
Processor	Intel 6th-generation Core i5 or i7	Intel 5th-generation Core i5 or i7	Intel 5th-generation Core i5 or i7
Memory	8GB to 16GB of RAM	8GB to 16GB of RAM	8GB to 16GB of RAM
Graphics	Intel HD or NVIDIA GeForce	Intel Iris Graphics 6100	Intel HD Graphics 5500
Storage	128GB to 1TB SSD	128GB to 1TB SSD	32GB or 64GB flash storage
Ports	2 USB 3.0, SD card reader, Mini DisplayPort	2 Thunderbolt 2, 2 USB 3.0, SD card reader, HDMI	2 USB 3.0 Type-C, 2 USB 3.0 Type-A, SD card reader
Front camera	5MP	720p FaceTime HD	720p
Rear camera	8MP	NA	NA
WiFi	802.11ac	802.11ac	802.11ac
Bluetooth	v4.0	v4.0	v4.0
Tablet mode	Yes	No	No
Battery	12 hours	10 hours	12 hours
Accessories	Surface Pen	NA	NA

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Surface Book vs. the competition: Flagship laptops go head-to-head

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