NOVEMBER 2019 PCWorld 15BIOMETRICS
The front cameras are far more useful, and not
just for taking selfies. While the specs are
mediocre—5MP on the Surface and 7MP on
the iPad Pro—both tablets use their front
cameras for 3D facial scanning. On the
Surface Pro X, it’s called Windows Hello,
while Apple called it Face ID on the iPad, but
they’re basically the same, using an IR blaster
and a camera to create a 3D model of your
face that is authenticated each time you
unlock your device or access a site with a
password. It’s fast, it’s easy, and, most
importantly, it’s even more secure than a
fingerprint sensor.
Winner: Tie
BATTERY LIFE
While neither company likes to tell us what
size battery is inside their tablets, we know
from teardowns that the iPad Pro’s is
9,720mAh, which Apple estimates will get
you up to 10 hours of “surfing the web on
Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music.”
In our testing, we’ve found that Apple’s
battery estimates are pretty spot-on, if not a
little conservative.
Microsoft says the Surface Pro X will get 13
hours with “typical device usage,” but those
estimates are based on 150-nit brightness,
which is probably lower than most people will
set their screens (we run our tests at 200 nits’
brightness). So it remains to be seen whetherThe Smart Connector for the iPad Pro’s keyboard is one of just two “ports.”