Comparison Windows RT: Microsoft Surface RT

It has taken its time but Microsoft has finally decided to bring Surface RT to Spain. As of February 14, your tablet with an ARM processor can be purchased through the Spanish Microsoft Store at the price of €479. Surface thus comes to complete the first batch of tablets with Windows RT that we have available in our country. This article will serve to put them in front of each other.

There are four tablets in total with the RT version of Windows 8 that are for sale in our country: Microsoft Surface RT, Asus VivoTab RT, Samsung ATIV Tab and Dell XPS 10We leave out convertibles like the Lenovo Yoga 11 or similar devices that move away from the prevailing concept of a tablet. All four offer the option of incorporating their respective keyboards, so we will take them into account in the comparison, although the important thing is the tablet itself and that will be what we will face in the next lines.

Microsoft Surface RT

Microsoft thought it would be nice to show the world how they imagine a good device for Windows 8 running on the ARM platform to be. That's where Surface RT comes from, a tablet with 10.6-inch screen and 1366x768 resolution Its size is slightly larger than its rivals but remains the same resolution, which results in the worst pixel density of the four tablets in the comparison. Its ClearType HD technology has received good reviews but it may lag a bit behind some of its rivals.

In its guts beats a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, similar to that of the Asus VivoTab RT, which, along with 2GB of RAM and the 31.5 W-h battery should offer a better performance/range combination than some of its rivals. With them it shares the option of 32 or 64 GB of internal storage and the microSD card slot. It also has a similar configuration of ports: USB 2.0, microHDMI (with another name), and audio output. On the other hand, it is somewhat lame in connectivity by not adding NFC or a 3G/4G module option to the WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 connections.

Its 247.6 mm length along with 172 mm height make it the most compact of the four tablets. In exchange, of course, for a greater thickness (9.4 mm) and for being the heaviest of all with 680 grams The built-in cameras are clearly the worst of the four, and with its meager 1.2 megapixels and the ability to record at 720p they fall far behind in the comparison.

What about the keyboard? Well, it is undoubtedly a differentiating element from its rivals, who opt for a keyboard dock capable of adding extra battery to the tablet. Instead, Microsoft compensates for the greater initial weight of the Surface RT with a couple of keyboard covers designed more to maintain mobility In the end this is a matter of taste , but the price of the Touch Cover and the Type Cover, 119 and 129 euros respectively, is very close to those of its rivals that also offer additional battery and some other added port.

Asus VivoTab RT

Asus is one of the great promoters, if not the most, of tablets with a dock-keyboard option with its Transformer family for Android. With a system like Windows 8, the option makes even more sense, as evidenced by the fact that many manufacturers have followed suit.The VivoTab RT is your bet for this type of tablet in Windows RT. For this, it has a 10.1-inch screen and 1366x768 resolution that seems to have become the standard in this first group of devices. In addition, the Super IPS+ technology of it puts it in a very good position against its rivals.

Inside we find a Tegra 3 with quad cores similar to the Surface RT and the 2GB of RAM required in this type of equipment. The battery is somewhat smaller, which is compensated by the extra provided by the built-in keyboard. Storage, ports and connectivity are some of the sections in which the four tablets share specifications, although the VivoTab is one of those that includes NFC and a supposed 3G/4G option existing in the American model but of which nothing is said in Asus Spanish website.

It is not the smallest in the comparison, nor is it the largest. 263mm wide and 171mm tall put it somewhere in between. Yes, it is the thinnest, thanks to its meager 8.3 mm, and the least heavy of the four with just 525 grams The camera is another of the sections where VivoTab comes out as the clear winner, with 8 megapixels and the ability to record at 1080p. Its 2-megapixel front-facing camera remains the same as that of two of its rivals, leaving the Surface RT behind.

Previous experience with your Transformer family has undoubtedly influenced the keyboard dock of this VivoTab RT. Similar in appearance to its Android siblings, the keyboard for the Asus Windows RT tablet adds an extra 22Wh battery that promises to bring the autonomy of the equipment up to 16 hoursWith 149 euros and the strange situation in limbo in the Spanish market for Samsung and Dell keyboards, the Asus option becomes our favorite.

Samsung ATIV Tab

Samsung does not want to be left out of any system and Windows RT was not going to be less. The ATIV Tab brings your family of devices running new versions of Windows to the ARM platform. It does so with a 10.1-inch screen and the same resolution as its rivals. It uses in-house PLS LCD technology, similar to the IPS of some of its rivals, which the Koreans say it surpasses.

For the processor, Samsung has opted for a dual-core Snapdragon S4 which has already demonstrated its good results in other devices. Less theoretical power than Surface RT and VivoTab RT but better autonomy, with an 8,200 mAh battery and the possibility of expanding it through the keyboard dock. For the rest we have the same 2GB of RAM, the options of 32 or 64GB of expandable storage via microSD, a similar number of ports and the same connectivity, with the addition of NFC.

The size of this ATIV Tab leaves it in an intermediate position in the comparison. Its 180 mm make it the tallest of the four, but the rest of the measurements leave it in the middle of the table. 8.9 mm thick and 570 grams are a good mark for the Samsung tablet that is close to the figures of the VivoTab RT. The same goes for your cameras. Without reaching the levels of the Asus tablet, both its rear and front cameras, similar to those of the Dell XPS 10, are well above the poor cameras of the Surface RT.

Regarding the essential accessory that the dock-keyboard has become for this type of device with Windows RT, supposedly Samsung provides a keyboard with extra batterysimilarly to the Asus option and its VivoTab RT. And we say supposedly because it seems difficult to find this accessory in our country, without even knowing its price.

Dell XPS 10

Dell was early interested in the possibilities of Windows 8 for touch devices. The Dell XPS 10 tablet is what the North American manufacturer proposes for Windows RT and it does so with specifications that are very similar to those of its rivals. We continue with 10.1-inch screen and 1366x768 resolution on an LCD panel that Dell ensures complies with guarantees in all kinds of situations.

Like Samsung, the processor chosen to bring the XPS 10 to life is a dual-core Snapdragon S4 He is accompanied by 2 GB of RAM and a 28 Wh battery. There are no storage surprises with the same 32 and 64 GB options and the corresponding microSD slot. There are also no differences in ports and connectivity, although Dell does not include NFC on its tablet.

Regarding size, with this Dell XPS 10 we are facing one of the largest of the four tablets in the comparison, exceeding in width to its rivals, reaching up to 274.7 mm, being very close to the ATIV Tab in height and the Surface RT in thickness and weight. The cameras, both the rear and the front, are similar to those of Samsung's tablet, with 5 and 2 megapixels respectively, and once again leave those that accompany the Microsoft Surface RT far behind.

Dell has also chosen to provide its Windows RT tablet with a keyboard dock that adds extra battery life to the tablet. But it seems that this accessory is not marketed separately On its own website we can only purchase the tablet with or without a keyboard. The keyboard option increases the price of the equipment by 149 euros, a figure similar to that of the Asus VivoTab RT.

Prices and verdict

All of these specs are great, but how much we have to shell out for them is always a key point. In the price section, starting with the cheapest option, it wins Microsoft Surface RT with an expected price of 479 euros It is a little lower than the€499 of the Dell XPS 10, and considerably cheaper than its two other rivals, Asus VivoTab RT and Samsung ATIV Tab, both with a recommended price of 599 euros Regarding availability, Microsoft plans to put the Surface RT on sale in Spain from February 14, and the rest of the tablets can already be purchased at the main stores or through the internet.

Deciding on a winner in these comparisons is never easy, especially when on paper the specifications are very similar in many sections.But there are a number of points that make we opt for Microsoft or Asus tablets rather than those of Samsung or Dell. The theoretically best processor of the first ones is one of them, to which must be added the doubts regarding the last two regarding the distribution of the fundamental accessory that keyboards have become.

In addition, the Surface RT is the tablet with the lowest price of the four, its keyboard-covers, even without added batteries or ports, have an unquestionable appeal, its finishes seem to be of the best quality and it does not leave to be the official tablet of Microsoft. And Asus, despite the higher price, offers with the VivoTab RT what is possibly the best combination of specifications, with the same processor, a quality IPS screen, the best cameras in the comparison, the lowest weight and a dock-keyboard that yes add extra battery.

In the absence of being able to analyze them in depth, either of the two is a good option, but perhaps the combination of Microsoft Surface RT with Touch Cover for 599 euros , same price as the Asus VivoTab RT without a keyboard, makes us end up opting for the Surface RT.