Microsoft Surface 3: Third time’s the charm?
Can Microsoft's lesser slate step out of its sibling's shadow?
Microsoft has unveiled the third iteration of their much-maligned Surface tablet, bringing a raft of changes aimed at making the slate more desirable — and more justifiable, given its heavily praised bigger brother.
For starters, Microsoft have finally ditched Windows RT, a botched version of Windows 8 designed to run on ARM-powered devices (the same processors at the heart of most smartphones and tablets). It offered full Office, Internet Explorer (sans Flash) and ran Microsoft’s modern apps, but that was it. There was a desktop mode, but you couldn’t run the thousands, if not millions, of programmes which normal Windows can utilize. It was an awkward hybrid, good for some things such as browsing and viewing media, but it lacked the apps of Android and iOS and the functionality of the Surface Pro (which runs proper Windows). I speak from experience, as I owned the very first Windows RT, and it was a flawed, yet handsome, thing.
Microsoft knew they were onto something, with the tablet’s adjustable kickstand and covers which doubled as keyboards, but through its first and second generations the Surface remained hamstrung by Windows RT.
No more.
Out goes mobile processors, in comes Intel’s quad-core Atom x7 system-on-a-chip — the fastest version available. That means the Surface 3 can run full, 64-bit Windows 8.1 and will get a free upgrade to Windows 10 when that launches in the Fall. Don’t expect to do any heavy Photoshop rendering or video editing — the Surface Pro 3 remains the device for that — but it has enough power to handle Office, internet browsing, casual gaming and entertainment. In essence, exactly what the Surface has always been used for, only now it can download desktop programmes in addition to installing apps. Heck, load an Android emulator like BlueStacks on and you can play your favorite Android games when you’re done working, giving you the best of both worlds.
Its efficient Atom chip means that the Surface 3 doesn’t require a fan to keep cool. As such, it’s dropped down to 8.7 mm (0.34 inches) thick and a mere 1.37 pounds — all while increasing its screen to 10.8-inches. That screen, rated at 1920×1280, is now 3:2 aspect ratio, matching the Surface Pro 3, to work better in portrait mode, and more closely resemble the feel of holding a sheet of paper.
Why is that important? Because the Surface 3 now supports the same Surface Pen as the Pro, letting users draw, write and edit items on screen with a pressure-sensitive (256 levels) pen. A nice touch, they now come in blue, red, black or silver, to match your Type Cover.
Note, Type Cover, not the unique Touch Cover which used slim capacitive keys to deliver a wafer-thin keyboard, but also a subpar typing experience. That’s now gone, with the excellent Type Cover the only option, available in a variety of colors.
There’s welcome updates elsewhere, too. The kickstand now adjusts to three positions, rather than two (though it lacks the Pro 3’s fully adjustable kickstand for space and cost reasons), there’s a USB 3.0 port, the tablet now charges via MicroUSB cable so Android and Windows Phone users will only need one plug, there’s a docking station which adds ethernet and HDMI connections as well as more USB ports, and the cameras have been boosted to 3.5MP front and 8MP rear.
And that’s not all. Microsoft are promising “all day” battery life (they rate it for 10 hours of continuous video playback). On top of that — and likely to entice students — the Redmond-based company are also throwing in a year of Office 365 Personal (which brings Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc.) and 1TB of cloud storage through OneDrive.
It’s certainly an impressive upgrade. Microsoft have managed to slim the Surface down and drop some weight, while making it more useful, more user-friendly and, ultimately, a more tempting purchase. For those looking to replace a laptop, or their tablet, or both, and who don’t require the raw power of the Surface Pro 3, the Surface 3 can finally justify its purchase price.
As for that price? $499 for the slate, with 2 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage (there’s a MicroSD slot onboard if you want to boost capacity). Add $100 to boost RAM to 4 GB and storage to 128 GB. Similarly, if you want a 4G/LTE connection, you’ll be paying $599 for a 2 GB/64 GB model, and $699 to upgrade to a higher-spec model.
Of course, that’s just for the slate itself. If you want a keyboard cover and Surface Pen (you do), add $180 to that — $130 for the keyboard and a further $50 for the pen. Need a docking station? That’s another $200. Still, for a base Surface 3 with a cover and pen, you’re looking at $679, which compares favorably with both similarly spec’d Windows laptops and even Apple’s iPad Air 2 (not to mention the cost of a keyboard case on top of the iPad’s purchase price).
If the Surface 3 has suitably tempted you, it’s available to pre-order now from Microsoft’s stores, both digital and bricks-and-mortar, as well as Best Buy and Amazon.
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