Surface Pro (11th Edition) vs iPad Pro (M5)
Verified 2026-10-04
A factual specification comparison between the Surface Pro (11th Edition) and the iPad Pro (M5).
Image: Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft · TabletSurface Pro (11th Edition)
- Status
- Released
- Verification
- Verified
- Last checked
- Checked 2026-10-04
Image: Apple Inc.
Apple · TabletiPad Pro (M5)
- Status
- Released
- Verification
- Verified
- Last checked
- Checked 2026-10-02
Key differences
SpecificationSurface Pro (11th Edition)iPad Pro (M5)
Design & Build
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (differs) | 895 g | 11-inch: 444g (Wi-Fi) / 446g (Wi-Fi + Cellular); 13-inch: 579g (Wi-Fi) / 582g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) |
| Dimensions (differs) | 287 x 208 x 9.3 mm | 11-inch: 249.7 × 177.5 × 5.3 mm; 13-inch: 281.6 × 215.5 mm |
| Keyboard accessory support (differs) | Optional detachable Surface Pro Keyboard | Compatible with Magic Keyboard (with built-in trackpad) |
Display
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Display (differs) | 13-inch OLED or LCD, 2880 x 1920, 120Hz refresh rate | Ultra Retina XDR display, tandem OLED, ProMotion adaptive refresh 10-120Hz, Wide color (P3), True Tone, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating |
Performance
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset (differs) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (10-core) or Snapdragon X Elite (12-core) | Apple M5 — 256GB/512GB models: 9-core CPU (3 super + 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 12GB unified memory; 1TB/2TB models: 10-core CPU (4 super + 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory. Both: Neural Accelerators, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 16-core Neural Engine |
Memory & Storage
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage options (differs) | 256GB / 16GB RAM, 512GB / 32GB RAM, 1TB / 32GB RAM | 256GB / 12GB RAM, 512GB / 12GB RAM, 1TB / 16GB RAM, 2TB / 16GB RAM |
Camera
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Rear cameras (differs) | Main 10MP | Wide 12MP, ƒ/1.8 |
Connectivity
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi (differs) | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) |
| Bluetooth (differs) | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 6, Thread networking technology |
Software
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system at launch (differs) | Windows 11 Pro | iPadOS |
These are specifications where both devices have a confirmed value and the values differ. A difference is not a judgement that either device is better. Showing 10 of 11 differences; the full specifications below include all of them.
Full specifications
differs · Not disclosed: not published by the manufacturer · —: not recorded
SpecificationSurface Pro (11th Edition)iPad Pro (M5)
Design & Build
3 differences
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (differs) | 895 g | 11-inch: 444g (Wi-Fi) / 446g (Wi-Fi + Cellular); 13-inch: 579g (Wi-Fi) / 582g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) |
| Colors | Not recorded | Silver, Space Black |
| Dimensions (differs) | 287 x 208 x 9.3 mm | 11-inch: 249.7 × 177.5 × 5.3 mm; 13-inch: 281.6 × 215.5 mm |
| Stylus support | Not recorded | Apple Pencil Pro; Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover |
| Build materials | Not recorded | Aluminum and glass enclosure |
| Keyboard accessory support (differs) | Optional detachable Surface Pro Keyboard | Compatible with Magic Keyboard (with built-in trackpad) |
Display
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh rate (Hz) | 120 | Not recorded |
| Resolution | Not recorded | 11-inch: 2420×1668 pixels at 264 ppi |
| Peak brightness (nits) | Not recorded | 1600 |
| Display (differs) | 13-inch OLED or LCD, 2880 x 1920, 120Hz refresh rate | Ultra Retina XDR display, tandem OLED, ProMotion adaptive refresh 10-120Hz, Wide color (P3), True Tone, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating |
| HDR support | Not recorded | Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, and HLG |
Performance
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset model name | Not recorded | M5 |
| Chipset (differs) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (10-core) or Snapdragon X Elite (12-core) | Apple M5 — 256GB/512GB models: 9-core CPU (3 super + 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 12GB unified memory; 1TB/2TB models: 10-core CPU (4 super + 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory. Both: Neural Accelerators, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 16-core Neural Engine |
Memory & Storage
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage options (differs) | 256GB / 16GB RAM, 512GB / 32GB RAM, 1TB / 32GB RAM | 256GB / 12GB RAM, 512GB / 12GB RAM, 1TB / 16GB RAM, 2TB / 16GB RAM |
Battery & Charging
No differences
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Wired charging | Not recorded | USB-C; fast-charge capable, up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 60W or higher USB-C power adapter |
| Battery capacity (Wh) | Not recorded | 11-inch: 31.29 Wh, 13-inch: 38.99 Wh |
Camera
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Rear cameras (differs) | Main 10MP | Wide 12MP, ƒ/1.8 |
| Front cameras | Not recorded | TrueDepth Center Stage 12MP, ƒ/2 |
| Video recording | Not recorded | 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; 1080p HD at 25/30/60 fps; 720p HD at 30 fps; ProRes up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 256GB storage); slo-mo 1080p at 120/240 fps |
Connectivity
3 differences
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| SIM | Not recorded | eSIM only (not compatible with physical SIM cards) |
| Wi-Fi (differs) | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) |
| Bluetooth (differs) | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 6, Thread networking technology |
| Cellular technology | Not recorded | 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only) |
| Positioning | Not recorded | GPS/GNSS (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only); digital compass, Wi-Fi, and iBeacon microlocation (all models) |
| USB (differs) | 2x USB-C ports | Thunderbolt / USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s); USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); with DisplayPort support |
Audio
No differences
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers | Not recorded | Four speaker audio |
Software
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system at launch (differs) | Windows 11 Pro | iPadOS |
Security & Sensors
No differences
| Specification | Surface Pro (11th Edition) | iPad Pro (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Biometric authentication | Not recorded | Face ID (TrueDepth camera, facial recognition) |
Terms used on this page (9)
- ppi
- Pixels per inch: how densely pixels are packed on the screen.
- Nits
- A unit of screen brightness (candela per square metre). Typical, HDR and outdoor peak figures are measured under different conditions.
- Refresh rate (Hz)
- How many times per second the display can redraw the image.
- mAh and Wh
- Battery capacity. mAh is charge; Wh also accounts for voltage, so it is the more comparable energy figure across device types.
- eSIM
- A SIM built into the device and activated digitally instead of a physical card.
- Wi-Fi 6E / Wi-Fi 7
- Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi 6; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) adds wider channels and multi-link operation. Real speeds depend on the router and network.
- Aperture (ƒ-number)
- A lower ƒ-number means a wider lens opening that lets in more light.
- OLED
- A display whose pixels emit their own light, so black areas can be fully dark; LCDs use a separate backlight.
- Thunderbolt / USB4
- USB-C connection standards for high-speed data, external displays and charging.
Sources & verification
Surface Pro (11th Edition)
Verified 2026-10-04- Microsoft CorporationManufacturerTier 1
- Microsoft CorporationManufacturer specificationsTier 1
iPad Pro (M5)
Verified 2026-10-02- Apple Inc.Manufacturer specificationsTier 1
- Apple Inc.ManufacturerTier 1
Tier 1 sources are the manufacturer's own product pages, technical specification sheets, or support documentation. Tier 2 sources are reputable independent technical references, used only for facts that couldn't be confirmed from official documentation.