- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Google Nexus 10
- Apple iPad mini
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
- Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF300
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1"
- 10.6"
- 32 GB
- WiFi
- Windows 8
Released October, 2012
Rated 75% by by c|net (Oct, 2012)The microSD port is hidden quite effectively by the disengaged kickstand.
Rated 80% by by c|net (Jun, 2012)The 1,280x800-pixel resolution packed into a 7-inch display gives visuals like text and graphics a sharper look than what I'm typically used to seeing on most 7-inchers.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Microsoft Surface RT compared to the Google Nexus 7
“10.6
Windows 8
7”
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Rated 88% by by The Verge (Jun, 2012)Text and images look crisp and clear on the 7-inch screen — not Retina display quality, but not too far off either.
screen size
10.6"
7"
Surface RT by Maximilian (Nov, 2012)You will scroll very long (big) lists, go between a lot of screens back and forth.
Nexus 7 by sara (Dec, 2012)It is very fast, has a great screen, and the perfect size for our needs.
screen resolution
Surface RT by Christopher-LeeMicrosoft's ClearType technology is no gimmick; text looks genuinely impressive on this comparatively low-resolution panel, which negates (at least in part) a huge advantage held by higher-pixel displays.
Nexus 7 by c|net (Nov, 2012)As a person who gets a lot of spam in his inbox, this well-implemented addition is one of those details that seems small on paper, but makes a huge difference to your experience.
memory
| 0 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
processor
Surface RT by Christopher-LeeThe interface is clean, sleek, and performs great- one reason Microsoft limited the resolution was to ensure that the processor (the formidable A9 nVIDIA Tegra 3) could run everything at speeds and smoothness rivaling anything iOS and Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean can toss out.
Performance Real world tests of Microsoft Surface RT vs Google Nexus 7
cpu speed
Nexus 7 by Neal-E.-Stout--5DPhotographer (Sep, 2012)Yes the TF700T will have it soon, but for right now, although close, I think JB's buffering is more effective than the faster 1.6 processor speed.
sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark
Surface RT by MacAttack (Dec, 2012)What you get with Microsoft surface rt is Internet explorer 10(internet explorer finally beats firefox and google chrome), Microsoft office 2013(fully operational office on the a tablet and it works perfectly), apps through Microsoft office store(app store not the best but growing fast), and the great windows 8 UI(best UI ever, yes you have to learn some gestures, but once you do well worth it).
Nexus 7 by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)In the Sunspider benchmark, it scored a respectable 1732ms, which isn't too much slower than the Transformer Prime with its non-low-end Tegra 3 chip.
battery life
8 hour
9 hour
Surface RT by Eric-Hon (Nov, 2012)To summarize:Strengths- versatility, lightweight, solid battery life, solid construction, USB port; productivity software (but limited apps in Windows Store); touch keyboard is actually way better and responsive than expected; best Operating System for touch; more bang for your buck out of the box experience.
Nexus 7 by Green-Grapes (Oct, 2012)I usually listen to music (on my USB drive) for 6 hours a day, and then I do several hours of light casual gaming and internet browsing, and I'll still have around 14% battery life by the time I go to bed.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Google Nexus 7
| Much bigger screen | 10.6" | vs | 7" |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than 50% bigger screen | |||
| More storage capacity | 32 GB | vs | 8 GB |
| 4x more storage capacity; Holds more music, movies and photos | |||
| Supported card formats | microSD | vs | None |
| Supports supported card formats | |||
| Supports Adobe Flash | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Many games and videos on the Internet require Adobe Flash | |||
| More RAM | 2 GB | vs | 1 GB |
| Twice as much RAM; Better able to run big apps with lots of content | |||
| Faster sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark | 994 ms | vs | 1,665.9 ms |
| More than 40% faster sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark; better web browsing experience | |||
| Faster processor | 1.5 GHz | vs | 1.3 GHz |
| Around 20% faster processor; run computation-intensive applications, such as photo editing, faster | |||
| Marginally newer | Oct, 2012 | vs | Jul, 2012 |
| Release date 3 months later | |||
Advantages compared to the Microsoft Surface RT
| Lighter | 340 g | vs | 903 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7x lighter | |||
| Longer battery life | 9 hour | vs | 8 hour |
| More than 10% longer battery life; surf the web longer without having to plug in | |||
| Has a GPS | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Get directions and navigation, geotag photos | |||
| Significantly sharper screen | 215 ppi | vs | 147 ppi |
| Around 50% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images | |||
| Has an open source operating system | Yes (Android 4.1 Jelly Bean) | vs | No (Windows 8) |
| Somewhat common; Allows you the freedom to use your tablet however you like | |||
| Supports face unlock | Yes (Android 4.1 Jelly Bean) | vs | No (Windows 8) |
| Somewhat common; bypass PIN entry, easier to unlock with one hand | |||
| Supports voice commands | Yes (Android 4.1 Jelly Bean) | vs | No (Windows 8) |
| Somewhat common; Can be operated hands free | |||
| Smaller | 199 x 120 x 10 mm | vs | 275 x 172 x 14 mm |
| 2.6x smaller | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Microsoft Surface RT | Google Nexus 7 | ||
 |  
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rated by 81 users at amazon.com Rated 60% by by crimson81 (Nov, 2012) Rated 100% by by CAH (Nov, 2012) Rated 80% by by G.-Clough--Garrett (Nov, 2012) | Rated by 903 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by A.-Dent--Aragorn (Jul, 2012) Rated 100% by by John-A.-Davis (Aug, 2012) Rated 80% by by Publicagent--Publicagent (Aug, 2012) | |
screen
Microsoft Surface RT | Rated 80% by by Christopher-LeeThe big sticking point for many is that the Surface RT packs a screen with just 1368x768px resolution, which pales in comparison to many flagship Android tabs (typically packing Full HD screens at 1920x1080px, and the new Nexus 10 with the Retina-crushing 2560�00px) and of course, Apple's own Retina iPads (at a beautiful 2,048�536px).
Google Nexus 7 8GB | Rated 100% by by D.-Yanes--ChowKaiDeng (Mar, 2013)Bevels: although the back material has a great surface, the side bevels are not too great or they have not been perfectly assembled.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Google Nexus 10 Fastest processor |
 | 3 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Largest amount of storage capacity |
 | 5 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1" 3-way tie: Supports Flash |
 | 7 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-way tie: Supported card formats |
 | 8 | Sony Xperia Tablet Z High resolution front camera |
