When I get mine, I will be using my SP3 as a desktop with the dock, a nice mechanical keyboard, a wireless mouse, and two 27 inch monitors. Then later, when I travel to visit my clients, I will attach my type cover for a great power/portability ratio that is unmatched thus far in the tech industry. Later that evening I will kick off my shoes, climb into bed, detach my type cover and stream a movie or read a book before bed. Yes, the SP3 is the computer I have been waiting for.
the type cover folds back to become a tablet. its magnetically attached to the back and will disable itself too. its been like that since original surface pro. excellent machine.
dear lisa, i wanted to take the time to thank you for the good reviews you do. I been poring over you videos for well over a year. I shopped and shopped and shopping then would look over your videos again and again and in may i finally got a pro surface 1 in may 2014. So far happy with it. Just get alittle frustrated with the keyboard. 4000 graphics kinda sucks but other then that i love it. great for kitchen and if im watching sports on tv I can browse sites and scores. best wishes.
I've never had a Surface tablet before but I think this one might just be my first one! My laptop has been going strong for 3 years now and it's starting to show some wear and tear, so I may need a replacement. Great review Lisa!
Very, VERY well done review, Lisa. Have had the Surface 1 since Day One and have enjoyed. Had a 3.5 hour layover at MSP, so took light rail to Mall of America and visited the MS store. Took a few tries to locate a sales rep with YOUR product knowledge to demo the Surface 3. MS really did a correct job at correcting the weak points on an already adequate design. What made it easy to take one home was the vastly improved keyboard experience and the 3:2 aspect ratio. I use an arcane PROGRAM (not an "app") that scales much better at the new ratio. Battery life (even planes have AC these days), connection dongle, kickstand extension, thin-ness are really great, and taken together, justify the upgrade from S1. I'm surprised that no reviewer has mentioned the decrease in weight of the S3 AC charger, a key consideration for road warriors. I'm sure it's a couple of ounces less than the S1 and definitely thinner. If I'm not mistaken, MS is missing a key marketing point here. As you say, in your wonderful review, it all depends on what you're going to do with it. For frequent business travelers who use the display port to plug into a Hilton/Sheraton/Mariott LCD panel and do useful work with PROGRAMS (not "apps"), this is a nice device. Aspect ratio and improved (night light!) KEYBOARD made it impossible to ignore. Tolstoy would have invented the blog if he'd tried the keyboard while trying to write W&P, but it's more than OK for e-mail. Thanks for the review, Lisa! Faux Paws (NC)
Also, as an artist, something I found interesting about the pen is that the cursor seems off when you hover over the screen. But it seems to get closer right when your up on the glass. and when you touch the glass the cursor is exactly on the tip. so its a little wonky.
***** yeah, i saw them on ebay too. i'm just wondering if i should spend the extra money and get the i7 -- I'm not sure the speed difference between the the i5 & i7 but the i5 is much cheaper..
many thanks Lisa. The review helps me a lot. Lots of pondering to do though, specially when you have the smackdown between the surface and lenovo yoga pad.
Most thoughtful review I've seen, and I've now seen about 30 of 'em. Great job! You covered a number of aspects that didn't get covered in significant detail by most of the others.
Great review. I really appreciate a long, detailed review. Liked how you spent a lot of time using the pen. Considering how it has a pressure-sensitive pen, full version of OneNote, if the price of the next Surface Pro 4 drops down a lot, it could be the end of laptops and paper notebooks for SERIOUS ACADEMIC notetaking, like for fast-paced Calculus courses for example.
Nice review Lisa. Been waiting for this one. I'm getting one. Do you think the performance of the i7 version will be a lot better? I may wait for that version. Not sure which version I should get. Maybe I'll have to wait for your i5 vs i7 comparison review.
Great Review! I was definitely one of the people waiting for this review. I'm now waiting for my 256 i5 to ship. I do photoshop and a lot of instant messaging/blogposting so it was a tricky decision. Because own an Intuos I know palm rejection is such a blessing in Wacom, I've never even thought it could be a problem till I started watching your reviews. It's unfortunate that the Surface Pro 3 doesn't have the palm rejection quite as down as devices that use wacom, but I think I will adjust, especially if I paint while in kick stand mode instead of holding it close in my hands. I'm also a student and take notes in almost every class, so I'm looking forward to getting accustomed to taking notes digitally, pretty sick of carrying all my notebooks to class, and not having my notes on my computer when I need them. I saw your Thinkpad Yoga review when it came out and was seriously considering it, back then due to screen size I was also considering the Viao Flip 15. I ended up leaving both of those and turning my eyes to Surface Pro 2 when I saw someone take notes with it in class, it looked soo convenient and portable. When I started looking into buying again I saw SP3 coming out so I totally jumped to buy it, in the end the deciding factor for me was the portability, the Surface Pro 3 I can just pick up and go to the other room and use. I can use it AS I WALK, lay down there and continue to use it. That to me is a big deal as it lets me be connected more. Also I plan to have a large monitor (maybe touchscreen?) + Bluetooth keyboard/mouse setup in my room to hdmi the SF3 to. That way when I'm in my room I can have the full ergonomic wide-screen desktop experience. I do have a question though. Can the surface pro keyboard be flipped behind the device to start using it like a tablet? Ofc it would be silly of me to expect key locking mechanism, but is the position even possible? does it deactivate? I was just thinking if I'm going to have the stray keyboard laying around often.
I'm really tempted by the Pro 3, but the battery life works out worse than my Pro 2, and until the thermal throttling issues are sorted, my Pro 2 is more powerful in practice. That said, I cannot wait until Broadwell drops and the Pro 4 is out, I'm sure it will be great!
If you have the surface pro 2 already, there's really no need to get the Pro 3 seeing how the specs are roughly the same. The only difference would be the size and resolution and personally I would wait until Intel releases Haswell-e to upgrade your current Pro 2.
See detailed battery analysis at AnandTech review: www.anandtech.com/show/8077/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review/4 So probably battery life slightly better but there's more throttling. I'd think there will be an update eventually to allow custom power plans so you can adjust it.
This looks like a great device. Microsoft has addressed a lot of the issues that kept me from buying one of the first two models (thickness, screen size, fan noise etc). I think that I could even use it to read. The problem I still have with Windows tablets in general is that they never really work as well as a tablet as an iPad or Android tablet, just like those device can never really work as full laptop replacements. For example, it always thinks it is a host device which means that you can't connect it to your desktop to sync files which seems like a reasonable thing to want to do since these devices do not have much storage. Also, the bluetooth disables when the device goes to quickstart sleep if you are not using one of the built in Microsoft metro apps so while it would seem great to use iTunes to listen to music through a bluetooth headset or my car, but I have to leave the screen on all of the time.
You have to understand what the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is for, it is a mobile product first and foremost and therefore it is for someone who wants a very mobile product that is very light to carry on and that first can act as a tablet and, if needed, that also can do the tasks that are usually reserved to ultrabooks such as using Photoshop, video editing, and many more specialised and advanced programs. And it is also for someone who wants to be able to use the MORE THAN FOUR MILLIONS programs (not apps!) that run on Windows and that he also uses on his desktop computer. Theses are the main ideas behind this product. Taking into account these ideas behind this product, the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is simply amazing and it certainly fulfills these ideas many times over. The new aspect ratio 3:2 and its 2160 x 1440, 12" amazing display make this product stand out compared to most other tablets. It is perfect to use in portrait mode, having a similar size to an A4 sheet of paper.
Excellent Review. First time viewer for your channel. Thank you for your clean and very informative review. My boss and I have been using the 1st gen surface pro for a year now and is brilliant. No complaints, but obviously room for improvement. I had a Lenovo ThinkPad Tab 2 last year and that was not soo good. The running joke around the office is "it's an $800 Frisbee." Your channel, definitely a keeper!! Could you do a review on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone?
I almost hate to call it a tablet just because it is better in every way when compared to my old laptop no longer am I stuck with a 1 ghz processor and 2 gigs of ram
Great review Lisa!. In terms of portability, is there much difference with the new Lenovo ThinPad 10? I mean, The Surface feels too big? And what about the noise of the cooler? is too high? And if this tablet is on a table and a glass of water spills, the liquid could enter through the vents? My purchase decision is between these two tablets.
Thank you very much for that complete review of all the most important features of the Surface Pro 3. I'm really looking forward for the i7 version in august to take on my desktop PC, my digital drawing tablet, my netbook and my small mobile OS tablet likewise. I hope the new docking station by Microsoft with additional ports and charger will be available this autumn, too, so I can connect all my peripherals when i'm using it as a desktop solution.
Lisa, looking forward to your smackdown between the SP3 and the Lenovo TP10. One area that I hope you'll mention is the difference between the rear cameras on the two devices. For a "flagship" product, the SP3 seems to have a very poor camera (fixed focus, low resolution, no Panorama feature in the Camera App)
As a right hander I use my left hand to hold my tablet on my Pro 2 and navigate with my dominant hand. I don't know if other right handers do that, but it wouldn't bother me.
Good review. Surprised that the battery lasts shorter than my Pro 2 (8 and a half hours). Did you do the testing with Chrome or Internet Explorer? If the former, that's why.
Very nice and would more than meet my requirements. High resolution, the pen and keyboard, light, well built - what's not to like? Would slip nicely into my shoulder bag. Thanks.
Very nice review! Love your videos. Could you please review the core i3 version also? It'd be interesting to see how it works and differs from the core i5. Thanks in advance
Perhaps third time lucky for microsoft and judging by what I have seen in the reviews so far - a really functional and groovy looking TABTOP - LAPLET , whatever... Will wait til the i7 rolls out, thanks Lisa, top review.
most of the complaints on SP3 is the lapability seeing that the Type cover is an option, why won't microsoft make two designs, one as it is and one like the Asus Transformer, so people who wants more lapability can go with the latter, and one who doesn't, buy the original one.
Great review I don't understand why so many people talk about the price of the surface. If you compare this to the Samsung note pro 12 in at best buy it's the same price
Thanks Lisa, very helpful review. I do have a question though; does the pen have friction or resistance as you use it? I have a Galaxy Note 8.0 and that's one thing I really enjoy is that touch of resistance as I sketch. Thanks for your time, God bless
Even though the logo (windows key, home key) it is located on the bottom of the tablet (portrait) it is in a landscape position, so I guess, meant to be used in landscape mode.
First, I'd like to say thanks for the great videos!! I'm still torn between the Samsung and SP3, although leaning towards SP3. Windows apps fall very far behind Android apps unfortunately and the SP3 doesn't have a GPS. Would you personally wait for the SP4 or go with the SP3? thanks!
+Jackson Lui if you decide on the sp4 I would hold on a while after launch so they can work out any bugs. I own the sp3 i5 8gb ram model and its completely awesome, I had to upgrade from the basic i5 model as it tends to over heat and the ram runs quick doing normal web boozing
I have a MacBook Air, and while it's a very nice machine, the display just wrecks my eyes, so I'm going to sell it. So now I have to consider what I will get as a replacement. The Surface Pro 3 looks like a good machine, although I think it is somewhat overpriced. At the top end, with a Core i7 CPU and 512GB, the Surface Pro is $2000 here in Canada. For that kind of money, you don't even get a keyboard, and you don't get full laptop capability. That's a boatload of money even for an advanced tablet, and for that kind of cash you can buy a top-end ultrabook that will do everything the SP3 does and more. One thing I think is really compelling about the SP3, though, is the 3:2 aspect ratio of the display. This is going to be perfect for reading web pages MS are going to have to rethink their pricing and marketing strategy if they want the SP3 to move off the store shelves and not just sit there gathering dust like the Surface RT and Surface 2 did. If I were director of marketing at Microsoft, I'd say, "Let's start moving some product by throwing in the keyboards for free."
Hi Lisa, Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews - always highly anticipated. And always thorough and helpful. I am a Sony Vaio duo 11 user and I love it (except the battery life) and I was thinking of upgrading to a Sony Vaio Duo 13 for that reason. Then the Surface Pro 3 comes along with its thinness and lightness and messes this is now messing with my choices. Any chance we could have a smack down with the Sony Vaio Duo 13 and the Surface Pro 3. They are similarly spec'd and it seems natural competitors. More natural even than the Lenovo Yoga or the Apple MacBook Air 13 (or 11 for that matter). At the very least I would love to get your thoughts on their comparison. Thanks again! (Posting again in case you missed it on the Vaio Duo 13 review)
Please please PLEASE sort your de-interlacing of the uploaded video, out. This looks VERY poor when watching. Stellar review, Lisa, thank you and God bless you :)
Also unsure why everyone dings the Sp3 on points when it comes to the Type pad for not being bundled and on the cost. When this isn't new to M$ as they didn't bundle and the cost were similar with the Sp2 typepad. Also I guess M$ has dropped the Touchpad at the waist side for this model /overall?
Three years later and the i5 8g of ram model is 580$ on Amazon, kind of makes you wonder what's the actual production cost of the device if they are still making a profit at $580
Hello Lisa, Is there any good alternative to Surface 3 coming to market in new future. I had Surface Pro 2 and I liked it but looking for something new. Don't really care for pen input but definitely need a built-in card reader I will mostly be using for checking photographs during travel.
Update, Microsoft says that the I7 and I3 models will ship by August 1. They have already put a hold on my card. In an act of supreme cruelty they have actually already sent me the type cover part of the order!
The concept is really cool with SP3, but I am on the fence about purchasing one. I am actively looking for a laptop to bring back and forth to work that I will also be using for some online classes I am taking. My concern is that this will not suite my work needs. Would the SP3 i7 or i5 handle Excel spreadsheets that are 50 MB or bigger with macros, lookups, pivot tables, etc.?
When I get mine, I will be using my SP3 as a desktop with the dock, a nice mechanical keyboard, a wireless mouse, and two 27 inch monitors. Then later, when I travel to visit my clients, I will attach my type cover for a great power/portability ratio that is unmatched thus far in the tech industry. Later that evening I will kick off my shoes, climb into bed, detach my type cover and stream a movie or read a book before bed. Yes, the SP3 is the computer I have been waiting for.
the type cover folds back to become a tablet. its magnetically attached to the back and will disable itself too. its been like that since original surface pro.
excellent machine.
dear lisa, i wanted to take the time to thank you for the good reviews you do. I been poring over you videos for well over a year. I shopped and shopped and shopping then would look over your videos again and again and in may i finally got a pro surface 1 in may 2014. So far happy with it. Just get alittle frustrated with the keyboard. 4000 graphics kinda sucks but other then that i love it. great for kitchen and if im watching sports on tv I can browse sites and scores. best wishes.
Writing this comment on my new surface pro 3 and I love it!!10/10 !:)
I'm so jelly
ME THREE ;D
:D
Older type and touch covers work with this model too. They may look weird, but they function perfectly fine if people are trying to save money!
You do some of the best tech reviews in the entire internet.
I've never had a Surface tablet before but I think this one might just be my first one! My laptop has been going strong for 3 years now and it's starting to show some wear and tear, so I may need a replacement.
Great review Lisa!
this computer is so awesome. i had it for a little over a year and its still very powerful and fast.
Very, VERY well done review, Lisa. Have had the Surface 1 since Day One and have enjoyed. Had a 3.5 hour layover at MSP, so took light rail to Mall of America and visited the MS store. Took a few tries to locate a sales rep with YOUR product knowledge to demo the Surface 3. MS really did a correct job at correcting the weak points on an already adequate design. What made it easy to take one home was the vastly improved keyboard experience and the 3:2 aspect ratio. I use an arcane PROGRAM (not an "app") that scales much better at the new ratio.
Battery life (even planes have AC these days), connection dongle, kickstand extension, thin-ness are really great, and taken together, justify the upgrade from S1.
I'm surprised that no reviewer has mentioned the decrease in weight of the S3 AC charger, a key consideration for road warriors. I'm sure it's a couple of ounces less than the S1 and definitely thinner. If I'm not mistaken, MS is missing a key marketing point here.
As you say, in your wonderful review, it all depends on what you're going to do with it. For frequent business travelers who use the display port to plug into a Hilton/Sheraton/Mariott LCD panel and do useful work with PROGRAMS (not "apps"), this is a nice device. Aspect ratio and improved (night light!) KEYBOARD made it impossible to ignore. Tolstoy would have invented the blog if he'd tried the keyboard while trying to write W&P, but it's more than OK for e-mail.
Thanks for the review, Lisa!
Faux Paws (NC)
Also, as an artist, something I found interesting about the pen is that the cursor seems off when you hover over the screen. But it seems to get closer right when your up on the glass. and when you touch the glass the cursor is exactly on the tip. so its a little wonky.
Special thanks for commenting on the brightness in all your reviews I've watched, including the "nits".
Excellent Review. Your Reviews are the best. Your very thorough and cover everything we need to know. Thanks for Sharing.
***** yeah, i saw them on ebay too. i'm just wondering if i should spend the extra money and get the i7 -- I'm not sure the speed difference between the the i5 & i7 but the i5 is much cheaper..
***** When your package comes in, I would record myself opening it - in case of fraud. There's a lot of scammers out there.
***** hmmmm not bad,,thanks for sharing...my co-worker just got one..OMG this is sooo awesome..and big too..it's not small people...lol
many thanks Lisa. The review helps me a lot. Lots of pondering to do though, specially when you have the smackdown between the surface and lenovo yoga pad.
Most thoughtful review I've seen, and I've now seen about 30 of 'em. Great job! You covered a number of aspects that didn't get covered in significant detail by most of the others.
Great review. I really appreciate a long, detailed review. Liked how you spent a lot of time using the pen. Considering how it has a pressure-sensitive pen, full version of OneNote, if the price of the next Surface Pro 4 drops down a lot, it could be the end of laptops and paper notebooks for SERIOUS ACADEMIC notetaking, like for fast-paced Calculus courses for example.
Lisa Gade, the gold standard in unbiased, thorough reviews.
Nice review Lisa. Been waiting for this one. I'm getting one. Do you think the performance of the i7 version will be a lot better? I may wait for that version. Not sure which version I should get. Maybe I'll have to wait for your i5 vs i7 comparison review.
Great Review! I was definitely one of the people waiting for this review. I'm now waiting for my 256 i5 to ship. I do photoshop and a lot of instant messaging/blogposting so it was a tricky decision. Because own an Intuos I know palm rejection is such a blessing in Wacom, I've never even thought it could be a problem till I started watching your reviews. It's unfortunate that the Surface Pro 3 doesn't have the palm rejection quite as down as devices that use wacom, but I think I will adjust, especially if I paint while in kick stand mode instead of holding it close in my hands. I'm also a student and take notes in almost every class, so I'm looking forward to getting accustomed to taking notes digitally, pretty sick of carrying all my notebooks to class, and not having my notes on my computer when I need them. I saw your Thinkpad Yoga review when it came out and was seriously considering it, back then due to screen size I was also considering the Viao Flip 15. I ended up leaving both of those and turning my eyes to Surface Pro 2 when I saw someone take notes with it in class, it looked soo convenient and portable. When I started looking into buying again I saw SP3 coming out so I totally jumped to buy it, in the end the deciding factor for me was the portability, the Surface Pro 3 I can just pick up and go to the other room and use. I can use it AS I WALK, lay down there and continue to use it. That to me is a big deal as it lets me be connected more. Also I plan to have a large monitor (maybe touchscreen?) + Bluetooth keyboard/mouse setup in my room to hdmi the SF3 to. That way when I'm in my room I can have the full ergonomic wide-screen desktop experience.
I do have a question though. Can the surface pro keyboard be flipped behind the device to start using it like a tablet? Ofc it would be silly of me to expect key locking mechanism, but is the position even possible? does it deactivate? I was just thinking if I'm going to have the stray keyboard laying around often.
Great review! I love the Surface Pro 3 if only it was cheaper. Any chance of it ever going down in price?
I'm really tempted by the Pro 3, but the battery life works out worse than my Pro 2, and until the thermal throttling issues are sorted, my Pro 2 is more powerful in practice.
That said, I cannot wait until Broadwell drops and the Pro 4 is out, I'm sure it will be great!
Half Life picture, buys Pro 3, Half Life 3 confirmed.
I can neither confirm nor deny.
If you have the surface pro 2 already, there's really no need to get the Pro 3 seeing how the specs are roughly the same. The only difference would be the size and resolution and personally I would wait until Intel releases Haswell-e to upgrade your current Pro 2.
martinnbafiba1 ARM is about to get completely pooped on.
See detailed battery analysis at AnandTech review:
www.anandtech.com/show/8077/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review/4
So probably battery life slightly better but there's more throttling. I'd think there will be an update eventually to allow custom power plans so you can adjust it.
This looks like a great device. Microsoft has addressed a lot of the issues that kept me from buying one of the first two models (thickness, screen size, fan noise etc). I think that I could even use it to read.
The problem I still have with Windows tablets in general is that they never really work as well as a tablet as an iPad or Android tablet, just like those device can never really work as full laptop replacements.
For example, it always thinks it is a host device which means that you can't connect it to your desktop to sync files which seems like a reasonable thing to want to do since these devices do not have much storage.
Also, the bluetooth disables when the device goes to quickstart sleep if you are not using one of the built in Microsoft metro apps so while it would seem great to use iTunes to listen to music through a bluetooth headset or my car, but I have to leave the screen on all of the time.
Typing on my Surface Pro 3 and loving it! Great review!
Great review. One update/correction: I noticed core i3 and core i7 models are now shipping earlier at August 1st.
You have to understand what the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is for, it is a mobile product first and foremost and therefore it is for someone who wants a very mobile product that is very light to carry on and that first can act as a tablet and, if needed, that also can do the tasks that are usually reserved to ultrabooks such as using Photoshop, video editing, and many more specialised and advanced programs. And it is also for someone who wants to be able to use the MORE THAN FOUR MILLIONS programs (not apps!) that run on Windows and that he also uses on his desktop computer.
Theses are the main ideas behind this product. Taking into account these ideas behind this product, the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is simply amazing and it certainly fulfills these ideas many times over.
The new aspect ratio 3:2 and its 2160 x 1440, 12" amazing display make this product stand out compared to most other tablets. It is perfect to use in portrait mode, having a similar size to an A4 sheet of paper.
Excellent Review. First time viewer for your channel. Thank you for your clean and very informative review. My boss and I have been using the 1st gen surface pro for a year now and is brilliant. No complaints, but obviously room for improvement. I had a Lenovo ThinkPad Tab 2 last year and that was not soo good. The running joke around the office is "it's an $800 Frisbee." Your channel, definitely a keeper!! Could you do a review on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone?
I almost hate to call it a tablet just because it is better in every way when compared to my old laptop no longer am I stuck with a 1 ghz processor and 2 gigs of ram
Thanks for the great review! And nice drawing! =] I do love the parallax accuracy of Ntrigs.
Great review Lisa!. In terms of portability, is there much difference with the new Lenovo ThinPad 10? I mean, The Surface feels too big? And what about the noise of the cooler? is too high? And if this tablet is on a table and a glass of water spills, the liquid could enter through the vents?
My purchase decision is between these two tablets.
Thank you very much for that complete review of all the most important features of the Surface Pro 3. I'm really looking forward for the i7 version in august to take on my desktop PC, my digital drawing tablet, my netbook and my small mobile OS tablet likewise. I hope the new docking station by Microsoft with additional ports and charger will be available this autumn, too, so I can connect all my peripherals when i'm using it as a desktop solution.
Lisa please do a review of a PRESTIGIO MultiPad 4 Quantum 9.7 Really interested in your opinion on that tablet.
Sounds amazing, definitely buying this :D
Thank you for the demo of the different graphic software. Very informative.
Lisa, you do the best reviews!
Best review I've seen on the surface pro 3!
surface 3: "MacBook ain't got shot on me "!
Thanks Lisa I've been waiting for this review.
As always, Lisa this is a great review...
Great coverage on the Art Programs especially!
Lisa, looking forward to your smackdown between the SP3 and the Lenovo TP10. One area that I hope you'll mention is the difference between the rear cameras on the two devices. For a "flagship" product, the SP3 seems to have a very poor camera (fixed focus, low resolution, no Panorama feature in the Camera App)
it's a laplet or a tabtop
As always I love your reviews!
Just bought it. Love it. Very happy with it.
Nice machine. Good to see tablet / laptop hybrids are going well. The 128 SSD sounds big for a machine like this, which is nice too.
I still have one and it's working well as anything :D
As a right hander I use my left hand to hold my tablet on my Pro 2 and navigate with my dominant hand. I don't know if other right handers do that, but it wouldn't bother me.
Good review. Surprised that the battery lasts shorter than my Pro 2 (8 and a half hours). Did you do the testing with Chrome or Internet Explorer? If the former, that's why.
Very nice and would more than meet my requirements. High resolution, the pen and keyboard, light, well built - what's not to like? Would slip nicely into my shoulder bag. Thanks.
Actually just heard. The i3 and i7 versions will start shipping on August 1st.
Only thing Surface PRO 3 is missing is an option for integrated LTE 4G mobile data! Other wise its a good platform.
+Ronnie Jones
The Windows tablets are far better in my option as they are capable of being both laptops and tablets.
@Quantum Myst Of course it is... Only the covers and the docking stations is extra
For photoshop, go into experimental settings, and you can increase button and iconsizes to 150%
Love the review AND the fact that you have Civ V! =)
Liking before even watching the video.
Thanks for the explanation on the NTrig Pen. I was afraid that it might be inferior to Wacom, but the accuracy in the corner is just impressive.
Lisa, as usual, great job. you're amazing.
Very nice review! Love your videos. Could you please review the core i3 version also? It'd be interesting to see how it works and differs from the core i5. Thanks in advance
It's like listening to my grandma reading a brochure.
Another awesome review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want one. Awesome review.
Perhaps third time lucky for microsoft and judging by what I have seen in the reviews so far - a really functional and groovy looking TABTOP - LAPLET , whatever... Will wait til the i7 rolls out, thanks Lisa, top review.
Nice review as always Lisa. I'm thinking that this should cost $999 or less WITH the keyboard included.
most of the complaints on SP3 is the lapability seeing that the Type cover is an option, why won't microsoft make two designs, one as it is and one like the Asus Transformer, so people who wants more lapability can go with the latter, and one who doesn't, buy the original one.
Exactly! Oh how I wish...
Exactly! Oh how I wish...
Exactly! Oh how I wish...
Great review as usual.
Great review I don't understand why so many people talk about the price of the surface. If you compare this to the Samsung note pro 12 in at best buy it's the same price
thank you for going in depth lisa
@Cooper yes. Theoretically it can read up to 2tb
Thank you for this interesting review of the surface 3 pro. Maybe I should buy one :)
Thanks Lisa, very helpful review. I do have a question though; does the pen have friction or resistance as you use it? I have a Galaxy Note 8.0 and that's one thing I really enjoy is that touch of resistance as I sketch. Thanks for your time, God bless
There's an "experimental" setting in the photoshop preferences that makes the tools larger.
Nice review, as usual. Just one thing though, the new keyboard does work with the surface pro 2 and vice versa.
Excellent review!!
Even though the logo (windows key, home key) it is located on the bottom of the tablet (portrait) it is in a landscape position, so I guess, meant to be used in landscape mode.
Thank you for the review, very objective. :) However when it comes to using it for presentations, you need a micro HDMI to be able to project yes?
I kinda wish they would put a magnet at the top so when you close it, it diffidently stays closed.
Great review as usual. Thanks.
"128GB"
"12' screen"
"4GB of ram"
"Keyboard not included"
*gets jetpack and flies off* NOPE ._.
+Daniella Welcome to one of what I assume are many products that you a) can't afford, and b) aren't the target audience for!
Since seeing the new Surface 3, that will be released in May. I am seriously thinking about one. Which will be coming at a good price. For $499.00.
Wow 😲, great review! I have preordered an i5 256gb model with the dark blue type cover!
I wonder how well this performs with dolphin emulator.
First, I'd like to say thanks for the great videos!!
I'm still torn between the Samsung and SP3, although leaning towards SP3. Windows apps fall very far behind Android apps unfortunately and the SP3 doesn't have a GPS.
Would you personally wait for the SP4 or go with the SP3?
thanks!
+Jackson Lui if you decide on the sp4 I would hold on a while after launch so they can work out any bugs. I own the sp3 i5 8gb ram model and its completely awesome, I had to upgrade from the basic i5 model as it tends to over heat and the ram runs quick doing normal web boozing
7:34 you get 9 months out of the pen's battery, how long have you had the surface pro 3 for? Thought it was just realised....
It's the same pen tech that's been used for several years. I have N-Trig pens from a few years back.
Wish I could afford one of those, by some aspects it's even better than my current PC...
I have a MacBook Air, and while it's a very nice machine, the display just wrecks my eyes, so I'm going to sell it. So now I have to consider what I will get as a replacement.
The Surface Pro 3 looks like a good machine, although I think it is somewhat overpriced. At the top end, with a Core i7 CPU and 512GB, the Surface Pro is $2000 here in Canada. For that kind of money, you don't even get a keyboard, and you don't get full laptop capability. That's a boatload of money even for an advanced tablet, and for that kind of cash you can buy a top-end ultrabook that will do everything the SP3 does and more.
One thing I think is really compelling about the SP3, though, is the 3:2 aspect ratio of the display. This is going to be perfect for reading web pages
MS are going to have to rethink their pricing and marketing strategy if they want the SP3 to move off the store shelves and not just sit there gathering dust like the Surface RT and Surface 2 did. If I were director of marketing at Microsoft, I'd say, "Let's start moving some product by throwing in the keyboards for free."
Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews - always highly anticipated. And always thorough and helpful. I am a Sony Vaio duo 11 user and I love it (except the battery life) and I was thinking of upgrading to a Sony Vaio Duo 13 for that reason.
Then the Surface Pro 3 comes along with its thinness and lightness and messes this is now messing with my choices.
Any chance we could have a smack down with the Sony Vaio Duo 13 and the Surface Pro 3. They are similarly spec'd and it seems natural competitors. More natural even than the Lenovo Yoga or the Apple MacBook Air 13 (or 11 for that matter).
At the very least I would love to get your thoughts on their comparison.
Thanks again!
(Posting again in case you missed it on the Vaio Duo 13 review)
Lisa the keyboard is compatible with other Surfaces, although it looks weird due to the size difference.
RTS games would be a dream on this... Also note taking for school, no more backpack xD
Please please PLEASE sort your de-interlacing of the uploaded video, out. This looks VERY poor when watching. Stellar review, Lisa, thank you and God bless you :)
You are lovely. honestly do love all your reviews ;-)
Also unsure why everyone dings the Sp3 on points when it comes to the Type pad for not being bundled and on the cost. When this isn't new to M$ as they didn't bundle and the cost were similar with the Sp2 typepad. Also I guess M$ has dropped the Touchpad at the waist side for this model /overall?
Can you make a comparison video on surface pro 3 and pro 2 please? ??
Three years later and the i5 8g of ram model is 580$ on Amazon, kind of makes you wonder what's the actual production cost of the device if they are still making a profit at $580
is this still good for 2016?
What about 2020?
What about 2024?
Hello Lisa,
Is there any good alternative to Surface 3 coming to market in new future. I had Surface Pro 2 and I liked it but looking for something new. Don't really care for pen input but definitely need a built-in card reader I will mostly be using for checking photographs during travel.
Update, Microsoft says that the I7 and I3 models will ship by August 1. They have already put a hold on my card. In an act of supreme cruelty they have actually already sent me the type cover part of the order!
The concept is really cool with SP3, but I am on the fence about purchasing one. I am actively looking for a laptop to bring back and forth to work that I will also be using for some online classes I am taking. My concern is that this will not suite my work needs. Would the SP3 i7 or i5 handle Excel spreadsheets that are 50 MB or bigger with macros, lookups, pivot tables, etc.?
Finally...... Just Amazing
Hey Lisa. Could you please do a smackdown with this and the either the macbook air or pro? I am confused on which one to get
awesome review thanks a lot
What do you prefer? IPad Air or Surface pro 3
do you think this would work well using Second Life? You mentioned several games, and that Second Life has various graphics options, so I was curious
Is it good for gaming?