A legitimate work computer in the guise of a tablet
SURFACE PRO 3 HAS ALL THE POWER AND PERFORMANCE OF A PREMIUM LAPTOP
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 is a premium tablet but when combined with the optional keyboard, it has all the power and performance of a premium laptop in a thin and lightweight design.
The 12-inch device with 2160 x 1440 resolution is powered by Intel i5 processor with 1.9GHz speed and with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.5GHz. It has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD internal storage capacity.
The US software giant launched its first Surface 1 tablet in May 2012. Both tablets — Surface 1 and Surface 2 — were not officially launched in the Middle East.
Surface 3 is very unique in terms of positioning itself as a laptop and that can also be used as a tablet. It has the power of a laptop and the flexibility of a tablet. The aspect ratio is 3:2 while the iPad aspect ratio is 4:3 and most Android tablets use a 16:10 aspect ratio.
The device is 9.14mm thickness and weighs 800 grams. It is powered by Intel’s fourthgeneration processor.
It has more than 100 components made and customised by Microsoft.
The right side of the device houses the full-size USB 3.0 port, micro SD card reader (under the kickstand) and Mini Dispay Port while the volume rocker and the headphone jack sit on the left side.
The casing is made of silvercoloured magnesium which gives it a premium finish. The very solidly built tablet’s edges are beset by vents to better dissipate heat.
At the back of the device, the kickstand can be arranged in multiple angles and at a nearflat 150 degrees for playing games or drawing.
The design of the Type Cover keyboard is one which I liked very much. The double-hinge magnetic keyboard latches onto the device’s lower bezel and the cover can now rest with just a portion of it touching the desk and the device to give it a wedge profile for better tying experience.
The keyboard weighs 300 grams. It is comfortably sized, with a wide and squat touchpad positioned underneath, and backlighting that’s adjustable through three different brightness settings.
Keeping the keyboard on the lap and tying is tough as the keys are flimsy and not as strong as a regular keyboard. However, typing with the keyboard on the desk is a breeze. Microsoft needs to improve the keyboard to give a better typing experience and should be included with the device. Unfortunately, the Type Cover keyboard is sold separately for $130. The keyboard draws power through the metal docking connector.
The trackpad is bigger and responsive, with a built-in touch button which you can press down on.
The Surface Pen, which comes included with the box, is pressure sensitive and it is good for taking notes, especially with One Note, and drawing experience. It looks and feels like a real pen and more natural to hold. There are two buttons and the top button can be used as an eraser in certain apps and to wake the tablet from sleep by pressing the button.
One Note now saves the scribbles to the cloud as you scribble. There is no slot on the tablet to insert the pen but the keyboard has a loop for the pen.
The concealed magnets allow users to attach the pen to anywhere on the edge of the tablet.
The speakers are placed on the side of the screen and provide clear and crisp audio.
Both sides of the tablet house the 5MP camera which is capable of recording full HD recording. Both the cameras won‘t blow you away and are good for video conferencing. It gives detailed snaps in bright light conditions but suffers in poor light conditions.
The proprietary charging port on the right side is awkward to insert but the charger stays put.
Regarding connectivity, it has WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0
The tablet is relatively cool but when playing graphic-intensive games the device gets warm on the top-right section and noisy.
The battery gave just above six hours of life in video-looping test and close to seven hours on web surfing with WiFi on and brightness set to 50 per cent, which is okay but not great. In heavy usage, the device lasted just above four hours.
There are ultrabooks in this price range that offer more battery life.
As a hybrid tablet/laptop, the Surface Pro 3 is very impressive. Even though Microsoft says Surface Pro 3 is a full laptop replacement, it can stand head to head with a laptop, but it needs a better keyboard to truly replace the laptop. It is priced at $1,415.48. But various specs are available.