Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review: Pad versus Laptop -- No Compromises Needed?

 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review

 

Pros

•     Beautiful, large, high resolution 12" screen
•     Remarkably thin and light with true laptop power
•     Easier to use as a standalone tablet
•     Fast performance
•     Keyboard can be propped up at an adjustable, comfortable angle

Cons

•     Keyboard is flimsy keyboard and inferior to a proper laptop
•     Heavy and massive compared to lightweight Pads
•     Only one USB 3.0 port
•     Better, but still average battery life

Summary

The Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft's biggest and best tablet yet; but only with a better keyboard to truly replace your laptop.

Review

Having a Pad is convenient most of the time, but wouldn't it be great if your tablet had your laptop's processing power, operating system, and keyboard to handle the big jobs.  Well in the past, you may have had to compromise on one of the factors -- but no more.  With the Surface Pro 3, there is finally a mobile PC that runs full Windows and makes for a serious iPad rival on the tablet end. It is certainly a big slate tablet; but it's very light and thin for the power it offers.  The Surface Pro 3 can now serve as both tablet and laptop for more people than ever before.

Using the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 as a tablet at 8" H by 11.5" W by 0.36" D inches, is like using an oversized Retina MacBook Pro or iPad Air. Conveniently it has the performance of a laptop; it offers a bigger screen, more comfortable keyboard with improved kickstand, and it runs full Windows 8.1 Pro. The Surface Pro 3 weighs 1.75 pounds, but the weight goes up to 2.44 pounds if you add the Surface Pen and the Type Cover keyboard.

Surface Pro 3 came equipped with an Intel Core i5-4300U processor; 8GB of DDR3L RAM memory; and a 256GB SSD. The Surface Pro 3 is a very good performer and has the CPU  and memory power to handle tasks like photo image and video editing.

The Surface Pro 3 screen made of Gorilla Glass with a resolution of 2,160 by 1,440 px resolution display jumps to 12 inches from the 10.6-in display in the older Surfaces. That's 38 percent more screen area with the new model.  The new Surface Pro now has a new aspect ratio of 3:2, compared to the previous 16:9.  This new model has a 23 percent larger face, but surprisingly weighs 12 percent less.  The new display makes for a huge Pad tablet, but for laptop purposes, it is ideal.  The screen display colors are vibrant. HD videos looked great at 1080p with clear imaging and smooth animation.

There is a built-in rear 5-megapixel and front-facing 1080p webcams that offer smooth video capture and adequate still images.

There are several connectors: one USB 3.0 port, a mini DisplayPort, a headset jack, and power jack. There is also an expansion MicroSD card slot supporting cards as large as 128GB.

To use the Surface Pro 3 as a laptop, you will have to get the optional snap-on keyboard/cover accessory, "Type Cover for Surface Pro 3".  The keyboard has great tactile, moving keys that are backlit offering a responsive feel.  The Surface Pro 3 touchpad is larger with a firmer surface; has a built-in touch button; and it is more usable as a mouse replacement; but has little else to offer.  The kickstand  feels well-built and rigid; and is adjustable and can tilt the tablet anywhere from 20 to 150 degrees.

One of the best improvements is the Surface Pro 3's pointing tool, Surface Pen.  The Surface Pen if made of aluminum, not plastic, and feels substantial in your hand.  The pen has two buttons.  The pen's top-mounted button feels like a traditional ballpoint pen.  Clicking this button wake-up the Surface Pro 3 and is ready to take notes.  The Surface Pen glides effortlessly on the Gorilla Glass with little or no lag.  Unfortunately, there is no place to stow the pen on the tablet.

One more improvement is the Surface Pro 3's new battery.  With light use, the Surface Pro 3 should last about twelve hours.  But with heavier use with programs like Microsoft Office; Photoshop; and streaming video; the battery life will drop to about 6 hours.  this is double what the Surface 2 offered.

Can we crown the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 the best single device replacement?  Probably not yet.  As a laptop sitting on your desk if fine, but it may be uncomfortable on your lap due to its size.  While the display is large, colorful and vibrant, the weight of the Surface Pro 3 may be too heavy for most people to hold with one hand.

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