Microsoft Surface 3 Announced

silvagti · 31 Mar 2015 at 23:11

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/products/surface-3

New Surface tablet announced today. Effectively the replacement for the non-pro Surface but now it comes with an Intel x86 Atom processor so can finally run full Windows and will be upgradeable to Windows 10.

Basically an x86, 11" Windows tablet for the same price as an iPad. Looks pretty good actually.....

10.8" 1920x1280 screen 3:2 display ration, quad core atom CPU, 10 hour battery life and all the usual ports including USB, mini displayport and an SD card slot. Only real concerns are whether the CPU is up to the job and how Windows 10 turns out. That and they really need to cut the price of the additional keyboard cover which they're still trying to sell for £110!

Do not hotlink images.

Surface 3
Technical Specifications

Size
10.52" x 7.36" x 0.34"
(267mm x 187mm x 8.7mm)
Weight
1.37 lbs
(622g)
Display
10.8” ClearType Full HD Plus Display
Resolution: 1920 x 1280
Aspect ratio: 3:2
Touch: 10 point multi-touch
Surface Pen support
Battery Life
Up to 10 hours of video playback1
RAM/Storage8
2GB RAM with 64GB storage
4GB RAM with 128GB storage
Processor
Quad Core Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700 processor (2MB Cache, 1.6GHz with Intel Burst™ technology up to 2.4GHz)
Network (Wireless)
Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Bluetooth 4.0
Ports
Full-size USB 3.0
Mini DisplayPort
microSD™ card reader
Micro USB charging port
Headset jack
Cover port
Software
Windows 8.1
1-year of Office 365 Personal6 with OneDrive cloud storage7
Cameras, video and audio
3.5 megapixel front-facing camera
8.0 megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus
Microphone
Stereo speakers with Dolby® audio
Sensors
Ambient light sensor
Proximity sensor
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Magnetmeter

spoffle · 31 Mar 2015 at 23:39

I'll never understand why they think the keyboard cover's price makes any sense at all.

They're not even keyboards you'd want to use for extended typing sessions either. They're clearly fine for a quick email and controlling the laptop.

I'd sooner carry a separate mini blue tooth keyboard myself though that you can get for a fraction of the cost.

Still, I really like the direction they've went with regards to the Surfaces, especially the 3:2 screen.

I've got a Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro, which is very similar to a surface pro. It's pretty much the same hardware, just without the delicious aesthetics, and I MUCH prefer having one of those over a conventional laptop.

Kipz · 1 Apr 2015 at 14:23

I think I may be investing in one of these just for browsing the net in bed but also having the ability to use flash without stupid android workarounds. Shame that they even offer it with 2GB Ram though. That just seems dumb. I mean I'm hovering at 1.78GB now and I have one window of chrome open and Teamspeak3. The 4GB is a must tbh.

silvagti · 1 Apr 2015 at 15:25

Yeah, you'd be an idiot not to spend the extra £80 to upgrade from the 2Gb/64Gb model to the 4Gb/128Gb model! I think they maybe just offered it in the spec in order to match the price of the cheapest iPad.

I'm quite tempted by one as my current laptop is over 5 years old and I like the concept of the surface. I was tempted by a Surface Pro 3 but the price was too high for me to justify. The new Surface 3 looks just about perfect but I'd want to see one in store before purchasing it.

Kipz · 2 Apr 2015 at 00:51

I agree completely. I will be spending some time im a store with one comparing how well it performs before I drop anything on it.

bmad · 4 Apr 2015 at 08:56

silvagti said:
Yeah, you'd be an idiot not to spend the extra £80 to upgrade from the 2Gb/64Gb model to the 4Gb/128Gb model! I think they maybe just offered it in the spec in order to match the price of the cheapest iPad.

I'm quite tempted by one as my current laptop is over 5 years old and I like the concept of the surface. I was tempted by a Surface Pro 3 but the price was too high for me to justify. The new Surface 3 looks just about perfect but I'd want to see one in store before purchasing it.

It's too expensive for what it is. For £50 more you can get the i3 Surface Pro 3. OK that is the cheapest pro but it has 4Gb of RAM. The i3 will be streets ahead of the new Atom. In addition just buy a 64Gb Micro SD to supplement the included 64Gb onboard memory.

silvagti · 4 Apr 2015 at 09:54

bmad said:
It's too expensive for what it is. For £50 more you can get the i3 Surface Pro 3. OK that is the cheapest pro but it has 4Gb of RAM. The i3 will be streets ahead of the new Atom. In addition just buy a 64Gb Micro SD to supplement the included 64Gb onboard memory.

Yeah, there isn't a huge price gap admittedly but there's no way I'd buy a windows device with only a 64Gb SSD in it. Also, on impressions so far, I actually prefer the slightly smaller size and lighter weight of the Surface. The fact it doesn't need a fan and has a better battery life is also a bonus

Microsoft's default configs with the Surface Pro really frustrate me as I'd happily have an i3 processor to save power/cost as I don't need the performance on a tablet. The problem is that I'd still want 128Gb SSD as a minimum which immediately means I need to upgrade to an i5 which puts the price up to £750.

That means a 128GB/4Gb Surface Pro is £250 more than the 'equivalent' Surface 3 which I could have for a more palatable £500. That's my logic at any rate but I get your point that the price difference between the starter price of the Surface vs Pro isn't that big.

Battery! · 6 Apr 2015 at 15:29

hmm i like the look of these, feel a purchase coming on...

welshdragon · 8 May 2015 at 15:09

After a little stint with a Dell Venue Pro 11 I really fancy a surface now, shame they are just soo expensive.

welshdragon · 8 May 2015 at 19:07

As I'm on the look out now for a surface are there any particular models to avoid? I know the RT is a big no but any others have any serious known issues?

djxput · 12 May 2015 at 09:49

welshdragon said:
As I'm on the look out now for a surface are there any particular models to avoid? I know the RT is a big no but any others have any serious known issues?

Im waiting for a surface 4 - hoping they announce soon~ reports that they may announce by the end of may with release in julyish~
but thats speculation

I messed around with a surface pro 3 - liked the system just too big still imo (well most ultra books were last year) - the tilt leaved a bit to be desired also (but could live with it).

So if they can shave off 1/3-1/2 the thickness and decrease the weight with the new intel chip. Be a def buy for me even if pricey.

Been waiting for a decent detachable. The keyboard is actually pretty decent for what it is.

- I lug around a dell xps 13 - which actually is quite light - 3lbs~ ... but still want lighter and the option to remove the keyboard. My wife has a samsung tab s - which is extremely light and an excellent screen. But its a tablet.

Aberfala · 12 May 2015 at 12:39

welshdragon said:
As I'm on the look out now for a surface are there any particular models to avoid? I know the RT is a big no but any others have any serious known issues?

Basically avoid Surface 1 and 2 as they ran RT, the new Surface 3 runs proper Windows 8.1 so can do everything a normal PC can do although nothing too taxing as it's only got an Atom powering it.

I got mine today and so far it's great. It's the same size and weight as my iPad 4 so easy to use as a tablet but with all the functionality of a basic PC.

berryal · 14 May 2015 at 10:29

I have a surface Pro 2 and absolutely love it. Some other sellers have an offer on the new surface 3 with a keyboard so I'd recommend checking that out if you're interested in buying.