Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review

[ROK]

I'd like to start this off by saying I am typing this on the Surface Pro 3, and I've pretty much been using it non-stop for the past few days. I've also never written a large review, so take this with a grain of salt.

 

Specs of my Surface

Intel Core i5 4300U

Intel HD Graphics 4400

4GB DDR3 RAM

128GB SSD

 

Design- 9.5/10

The design on the Surface Pro 3 is really what makes this a much more viable device over the Surface Pro 2. Having the large display is great, but the thinness and lightness really makes me love the device. The raised keyboard seemed gimmicky to me at first, but I find it WAY better than using the keyboard flat on a table. The bigger surface (and bigger 12" tablets in general) seemed like they'd be monstrous when I was looking at them online, but now that I've used one I can say this form factor blows the other 10" devices I've used like the iPad Air and even my (old and dead) Sony Tablet S out of the water. The magnesium chassis is more conductive of heat, so if you were to press your cheek or the back of your hand onto the back of the device after leaving it off for the night, it doesn't feel chilly like a MacBook would while it also doesn't feel cheap and flimsy like plastic tablets do. I have to say that I absolutely love the material choices in the surface pro 3. The kickstand is also an IMMENSE improvement over the last generation, making it easy to slightly prop up for using the pen to write while also being able to adjust the angle to reduce glare or to make it more comfortable to watch a movie and such. The kickstand on the Pro and Pro 2 felt slightly useless other than when used on a desk, but the variable kickstand on the Pro 3 can make it easier to use the surface while lying down on a couch etc.

 

Display- 10/10

The 2:3 aspect ratio on the surface Pro 3 is probably the biggest improvement over the Pro 2. 16:9 is far from ideal for a tablet form factor, and I feel that the 2:3 aspect ratio makes it so that the surface can also be used in portrait mode without being ridiculous. The almost 1440p resolution of 2160x1440 and 'retina' pixel density of 217 PPI makes the surface pro 3 look absolutely stunning. The colour reproduction is on-par with my X-Star DP2710 and the Pro 3 has great viewing angles as well. The display on the Pro 3 is undoubtedly it's greatest asset.

 

Type Cover- 8/10

The type cover on the Pro 3 is an improvement over previous surface models, being backlit (really useful at night). The ability to prop it up using magnets also makes it more comfortable to use the type cover for typing. The extremely low actuation force on the keyboard will make the typing experience for heavy mechanical keyboard users (like me) a bit shocking but it is much better than the capacitive type cover we had on the first generation of the surface. The trackpad on the type cover has a decent click for it's size and thinness, but I largely dislike the trackpad. When you factor in the form factor of the type cover, however, these tradeoffs don't seem that bad. I would have liked to see dedicated right and left click buttons on the type cover, however. The fact that the Surface goes to sleep when the type cover is closed is a useful feature as well.

 

Productivity- 10/10

The larger screen on the pro 3 made productivity much easier than on previous models as well. I often found myself using the split-screen feature to have a youtube video on half of the screen while browsing the web, or having an excel sheet to reference on one half of the screen while I wrote an email on the other half. The larger screen also made it MUCH easier to use applications that are optimized for larger screens. The included pen makes me wonder why those crappy capacitive styluses even exist. I actually enjoyed drawing on the surface pro 3, and was so happy when I was able to write on top of a PDF in the native Windows PDF viewer. I would have killed to have this pen during school, being an idiot who drew out his diagrams using the trackpad on my laptop. I can actually get real work done on this tablet, unlike smaller android tablets and iPads, which are only good for media consumption and writing quick replies to emails. I haven't tried using the Adobe Creative Suite just yet, but It seems I would be able to use Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere without a hitch.

 

Gaming- 6/10

I was able to install steam and played a few less intensive indie games like Fez, Thomas was Alone and the Binding of Isaac. The Intel HD Graphics 4400 aren't the greatest, and I heard the fan ramp up when I was playing these titles, but I'm sure it would be easy to use some sort of game streaming application to play real PC games on this device. I would not get this device strictly for gaming.

 

 

Battery Life- 8/10

The battery life on the Pro 3 is an improvement over previous models. I got around 8 hours browsing the web etc on my Surface with brightness around 75%. I am thoroughly pleased with the battery life on the surface, but wouldn't mind more battery. On the topic of power, the charging port on the surface is another great improvement over the previous models, staying in place much easier while maintaining the benefits of the magnetic charger. The fact that there was a USB port on the charging brick (charging only, won't work as an extra USB) is very useful and I'd like to see more laptop manufacturers include USB ports on their charging bricks.

 

Conclusion

The Surface Pro 3 is probably the only Surface I would consider to be a Laptop Replacement. Previous iterations were plagued by the 16:9 aspect ratio and being thick and bulky with meh battery life. The screen is absolutely amazing and they keyboard feels better than previous generations. I feel that the Surface Pro 3 could be the beginning of some larger tablets that can actually compete with laptops for productivity.

 

Rating of the Surface Pro 3- 9/10

[Askew]

I still can't get over how these appear to the user as a tablet with a tacked on keyboard, the USB slot is even where a tablet would have it.

 

Good review though, well written.

[Fred Castellum]

I wish it had more ram. =/

[flibberdipper]

Nice review. One thing I don't much care for on it is how the physical Start button is on the left (like the iPad) and not the longer edge. Seems kinda goofy to me, honestly.

[pk-man]

nice review, but I think the surface pro are priced too high.  TC's model costs $1050 + 130 for the type cover.

[ROK]

nice review, but I think the surface pro are priced too high.  TC's model costs $1050 + 130 for the type cover.

They're priced pretty similarly to the Macbook Air, paying 1k is pretty standard for an ultrabook nowadays.

[Nerykrugeer]

I wish it had more ram. =/

you can get more ram if u go for the 256gb if im not wrong. comes with 8gb.

 

I have been looking for something that I can use on the go instead of my macbook, surface pro 3 has called my attention

 

the review its very nice, I hope Linus makes one, because he posted on instagram that he got one too, so I will also wait and see what he talks about it.

[ROK]

you can get more ram if u go for the 256gb if im not wrong. comes with 8gb.

 

I have been looking for something that I can use on the go instead of my macbook, surface pro 3 has called my attention

 

the review its very nice, I hope Linus makes one, because he posted on instagram that he got one too, so I will also wait and see what he talks about it.

The surface dosen't belong to me, I just got to play around with it for a week (friend ordered it to my house while he was away).

 

I (personally) plan on grabbing either a retina Macbook air or retina macbook pro (whichever comes first) with a broadwell i5, 8gb ram and a 256gb ssd. Biggest gripe for me using the surface is the fact it can't be used in my lap easily.

[TheGosuStandard]

I'm going to wait for Linus to review it, the laptop area is the only one I have difficulty choosing what I actually want.