Microsoft today announced its first series of self manufactured tablets under the name of Surface. They bring in unique hardware features like an inbuilt kickstand and a high end Magnesium casing. Two separate models will be available at launch. While one will run on Windows RT, the other is a full blown Intel tablet running on Windows 8 Pro.
Physically, the Intel tablet is thicker than the ARM based tablet coming in at 13.6mm compared to the 9.3mm Win RT tablet. While we’re still waiting for official word, it is believed that the Windows RT tablet is powered by a Tegra 3 chipset while you can find a third generation Core i5 processor in the other model.
Both the displays are 10.6″ in size but the resolution on the Intel powered tablet is Full HD ie 1080p while the Win RT model is equipped with a 1366×768 display. In terms of connectivity, the Surface with Windows 8 Pro comes equipped with a microSDXC slot, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video and 2×2 MIMO antennae while the Windows RT tablet has microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae.
Another advantage of the Intel tablet is the integrated dual digitizer and a pen comes bundled with it. Storage options are 64GB and 128GB on the Intel model compared to 32 and 64GB on the other.