Microsoft recently started sending out invites for a May 20 Surface event and we expected the company to unveil a Surface Pro 3 and Surface Mini. While the Surface Mini wasn’t announced, the Surface Pro 3 is here. Microsoft aims to replace your laptop with the Surface Pro 3. Well, that’s a pretty bold claim but the device might surely live up to it.
The new Surface Pro 3 features the same design as its predecessors and we have no qualms about it. We have always loved the magnesium casing and the Surface Pro 3 is lighter at 800 grams and pretty thin at 9.1 mm. The kickstand has also been improved and it’s a multi-position one. The new type cover is also improved and now, it adjusts with the kickstand. The Start button has also been moved to the side.
The Windows 8.1 tablet comes with a 12-inch color-calibrated display with ClearType technology. The aspect ratio of the display is 3:2, which Microsoft claims gives the tablet more screen estate than say, a 13-inch Macbook Air. The display has the resolution of 2160×1440 pixels, making for a respectable 216 ppi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t7rSZT_77E
The Surface Pro 3 is powered by the latest Intel Haswell processors. You can get the Surface Pro 3 in a Core i3 to Core i7 configuration depending on the price. The storage options go from 64 GB to 512 GB.
The powerful CPU should heat the device pretty quickly but Microsoft has managed to take care of that. There’s fanless cooling system with vents around the sides. The Surface Pro 3 will give you 9 hours of web browsing on a single charge, which is good enough.
On the camera front, the tablet features a 5 MP camera on both the front and the rear and both the cameras are capable of recording 1080p videos at 30 fps. The cameras are coupled with a microphone on both sides. The frontal speakers are also said to be 45% louder. The sides of the device features a USB 3.0 slot, microSD slot and Mini Display ports.
The Surface Pro 3 will come with a Surface Pen in the box and as expected, it’s a pen with high precision and pressure sensitivity, which is aimed at note takers. The detachable Type Cover keyboard is not part of the box but you can get it for $129.99 and there’s also a new docking station, which can be had for $199.99.
The Surface Pro 3 goes on pre-order tomorrow in the US and it will be available in the country starting June 20. Sadly, the rest of the world will have to wait till the end of August to get it. Check out the pricing along with their configurations below:
- Core i3-4GB RAM-64GB – $799
- Core i5-4GB RAM-128GB – $999
- Core i5-8GB RAM-256GB – $1299
- Core i7-8GB RAM-256GB – $1549
- Core i7-8GB RAM-512GB – $1949
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Specs
- 12-inch color-calibrated display with ClearType technology
- 2160 x 1440 pixels resolution
- weighs 800 grams, 9.1 mm thin
- 4th generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors
- 4 GB/ 8 GB RAM
- 64/128/256/512 GB storage
- microSD slot
- 5 MP front and rear cameras
- 1080p video recording at 30 fps
- Front and rear microphones
- Stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio-enhanced sound
- 9 hours of web browsing on a single charge
- USB 3.0, microSD card reader, Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port, Charging port
