Surface Pro 3 Discussion Thread

A new year, a new awesome Surface Pro!

The information below has been collected by forum members and edited by several mods. Thanks all!


Specs:
Screen size: 12" (WxH: 10" x 6.66")
Resolution: 2160x1440 (3:2), 216ppi
Weight: 1.76lbs (800g)
Thickness: 0.36" (9.1mm)
Ports: USB 3.0, microSD, Mini DisplayPort
Cameras: 5MP / 1080p, front & rear


Configurations (Processor, RAM, Storage):

• i3 / 64GB / 4GB - 4th Gen i3-4020Y; Clock Speed 1.5 GHz (no turbo); Intel HD 4200
• i5 / 128GB / 4GB - 4th Gen i5-4300U; Clock Speed 1.9 GHz (Max 2.9 GHz); Intel HD 4400
• i5 / 256GB / 8GB - 4th Gen i5-4300U; Clock Speed 1.9 GHz (Max 2.9 GHz); Intel HD 4400
• i7 / 256GB / 8GB - 4th Gen i7-4650U; Clock Speed 1.7 GHz (Max 3.3 GHz); Intel HD 5000
• i7 / 512GB / 8GB - 4th Gen i7-4650U; Clock Speed 1.7 GHz (Max 3.3 GHz); Intel HD 5000

All listed CPUs have 2 cores and 4 threads. "Max" stands for Maximum Turbo Frequency.


Representative Benchmarks, PassMark (Higher is better)

• i3-4020Y @ 1.5GHz ==> 2278
• i5-4300U @ 1.9GHz ==> 3753 to 3786
• i7-4650U @ 1.5GHz ==> 4232 to 4345

Availability:
- June 20 for i5 models (product page)
- August 1 for i3 and i7 models (product page)
- Available for in-store viewing since June 6


Microsoft Links:
- NEW: 30-second ad
- Promo video
- Store link
- Press release
- MS Blog post
- Press Event Video


Reviews and first impressions:
- TPCR's Surface Pro 3 review
- TPCR's Hands-On Preview
- A super positive review by David Pogue with 'mac vs pc' spoof video
- Lots of high-quality pictures in early impressions by The Verge.
- Comparison pictures showing how thin this thing is by Neowin.
- A huge in-depth review by AnandTech.
- A surprisingly grumpy review on ArsTechnica with a lively comment section.
- A nice detailed and neutral review by NeoWin
- A positive but fairly neutral review by Paul Thurrott
- Artist's review in early impressions by artist Gabe at Penny-Arcade (23May14)


Video Reviews
- Thunder E from BooredAtWork youtube fame is impressed.
- In-depth review by Lisa Gade of YouTube fame.
- Engadget demos the SP3 with lots of shots of the device in use. "Sponsored by MS Cloud".
- A nice video demo of the pen in action by the one true Surface RT fan Sean Ong.
- Another good video of the pen in action by TechnoBuffalo.com
- Review by the Apple fans at The Verge that sounds mostly positive.
- a detailed look at the internal components by a MS engineer


Comparison shot of the Surface Pro 2 and the Surface Pro 3:




Improvements:

• 20% more battery life ("over 9 hours")
• 10% faster (assuming SP3 i7 vs. SP2 i5)
• 100% shinier (now silver)
• A lot thinner
• A bit lighter
• Bigger screen, higher resolution, new aspect ratio of 3:2 ("15:10" )
• More kickstand angles, out to 150deg (friction based)
• New magnetic charging connector shape (image tracked down by jhoff)
• Optional Type Covers with bigger trackpad and double magnet for improved stability
• Combined power/docking port, so USB no longer obstructed when docked

New accessories
- new docking station with 3xUSB3, 2xUSB2, ethernet, audio, MiniDP up to 4k
- new Type Covers with backlit keys (old covers work with SP3 as well)

• Black
• Dark Blue (Best Buy exclusive)
• Cyan (Light blue)
• Purple
• Red (Microsoft exclusive)

Other notable changes

• N-trig battery-powered pen (1xAAAA and 2x#319 coin cells - battery life 'months not weeks')
• Clickpad on the type cover
• No Touch Cover or Power Cover optimized for the SP3. Power Cover for Surface Pro 2 will work on the Surface Pro 3, but obviously will not "fit" (completely cover screen when closed).
• Optional pen loop, no more magnetic pen attachment. Pen loop attaches via adhesive pad.

Pricing

• i3-4GB RAM- 64GB - $799
• i5-4GB RAM-128GB - $999
• i5-8GB RAM-256GB - $1299
• i7-8GB RAM-256GB - $1549
• i7-8GB RAM-512GB - $1949

Remember to check if you're eligible for Microsoft's 10% educational discount.




Accessories pricing

• Type Cover - $129.99 (Black, Cyan, Blue, Purple, Red)
• Additional Surface Pen - $49.99
• Docking Station - $199
• Surface Edition Arc Touch Mouse - $69.99
• Microsoft 36W Power Supply - $79.99
• Surface Ethernet Adapter - $39.99
• Surface Mini Displayport HD AV Adapter - $39.99
• Surface Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter - $39.99
• Complete for Surface Pro 3 (Enhanced warranty) - $149.99
• Pen loop - $5 (seriously)
• Battery replacement after warranty - $200 (from Reddit AMA)

Comparison between the Surface Pro 2, Surface Pro 3, and Surface 2, from InformationWeek:




The dock: from Liliputing




The new maximum kickstand angle: from Liliputing




The new flappy cover: from Liliputing




Improved on-screen typing experience: from The Verge




Proof that it's crazy thin: (from CNET review)




Panos loves it:

 

I saw "over 9 hours" mentioned with regards to battery.

 

Remaining concerns for me:
Pen tech surely can't be a step down with their emphasis on it, but will wait for confirmation
The processors are what exactly? Broadwell, y series haswell...?
Battery life. I'm distrustful with the highly variable results I got on my sp2 even only using a few mostly ms based office programs
Last concern is just the one I've had in my mind...wouldn't I just be better off with an atom based system with good pen input? But I like what ms is doing with the surface and want to support it

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

Yes, docking station with 4k video out. IIRC, it was a similar design to the old one; two connectors that slide in from either side.

 

I think it has to be the Y-series Haswell. My guess is the i7 one will be the Core i7-4610Y. (1.7GHz, 11.5W TDP).

I'm also curious if the Pro 3 finally adds Connected Standby or not.

 

Microsoft introduces the Surface Pro 3 "tablet that can replace a laptop" - Liliputing

"You can also snap a photo with the tablet’s camera and use the pen to annotate it with pictures or text."

1. I did not see a rear camera. How many MP is the camera? How good is the camera? I'm surprised there would be a camera if it is a 12 inch device.

2. So power cover is dead? Looks like from the picture you don't have that magnetic spine thing anymore? Is the battery is better than SP2 than maybe it is like 8 hours...? Maybe? I would still want to get even more battery life.

3. Looks like from the pictures the ports are just 1 USB port? Did I catch that right?

4. Any chance we'll get it before the next school year starts? ...

 

n-trig, not wacom.

 

A few more details about release:

From The Verge.

 

Those aren't bad assuming the i3 64GB version doesn't step back in terms of performance compared to the current i5 64GB Pro 2 and it includes an SDXC/mSDXC slot with support for at least a 64GB card. That $200 price difference is more justifiable this time around rather than the previous $100 difference. With $100, and a 64GB card costing $40-$50, you might as well just spend the extra $50 and get the 128GB model. Now though, that's a $150 price difference for what will likely be a slightly faster CPU. It may not be worth it.

I just wonder what the battery life is listed at, whether or not the pen is included, and what the keyboard costs. I also wonder if it will be included in Microsoft's recent promotion of getting $100 off of a PC $599+ along with their educational discount. If I could get the i3 version (assuming it has a memory card slot and the i3 isn't terribly slow) for $620, maybe $740 with the keyboard cover and pen I would pre-order it tomorrow at an MS store. I think I could even spend $840 for the i5 128GB edition. I just don't know how much they are going to nickel and dime customers with the Surface Pro 3 like they have continually done with the entire Surface Pro line.

 

Did I see a mini display port next to the USB port? Or did I just imagine that?

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