The Surface 3 Review
by Brett Howse on May 4, 2015 9:00 AM ESTSurface 3 Design
For those familiar with the Surface line, and especially the Surface Pro 3, looking at the new Surface 3 is not going to shock you. It is certainly an evolution of the line and not a revolution. It still features the same magnesium body which really feels great in the hand. It really is unlike aluminium in feel, and I find that the Surface 3 texture gives plenty of grip, unlike some polished devices.
Microsoft paid a lot of attention when building these tablets, and their efforts are clearly seen all over. I have already discussed the kickstand when it is open, but when it is closed, it sits absolutely flush with the body, and the body has an angled edge to it, which the kickstand also must have. The power button and volume button both fit very snug and have a great clicky feel.
The biggest and best change to the design is what carries over from the Surface Pro 3; the 3:2 aspect ratio. 16:9 is really not ideal for a tablet in either orientation. In portrait mode, it is much too tall and skinny, and in landscape mode, the tablet is too long and can feel unbalanced.
Surface 3 over Surface 3 Pro
The move to 3:2 is a revelation for tablet use, and the Surface 3 is a much better tablet than even the Surface Pro 3. It is smaller, thinner, lighter, and just easier to hold. The smaller version is really quite good to use in portrait mode, which is something that could never have been said of Surface RT or Surface 2. I’m not sure if we have found a “perfect” aspect ratio for a tablet, but 3:2 offers a lot of advantages and very few drawbacks. It is better in landscape for actual productivity tasks thanks to the extra vertical space, and better for portrait because of the more balanced width.
One of the other great design features that Microsoft has been able to incorporate into the Surface line is front facing speakers. Sound does not travel well through things, so having the speakers pointed backwards just can’t compete. The best part of the speakers on the Surface line is just how inconspicuous they are. There are two tiny slots on the upper sides of the tablet (when in landscape) and they blend in surprisingly well with the black bezels, to the point where you may not even notice them unless you have the device in the right kind of lighting. We will see later on just how well they sound, but the placement of them is great.
The port selection is good too, and this is what helps Surface to be a laptop. There is a mini-DisplayPort on the upper right side, and just under that is a USB 3.0 port. This full sized port lets you connect almost anything to the tablet. In addition, there is an audio jack at the bottom right side, and in between the USB and audio is the charging port.
Microsoft has always used a proprietary charging connector on all of the Surface devices. The original Surface RT had a magnetic charger which would stick on to the device, and light up. It was reversible too, so you could connect it either way. The original had some issues with connections, and they tweaked the design. However for the Surface 3, they have ditched that connector completely and went with a standard micro-USB connector.
The use of micro-USB has some advantages and drawbacks. The advantage is that you can now charge the Surface 3 with any cord you already have for almost all smartphones (only Apple doesn’t use micro-USB) so that is a win. The drawback though is that micro-USB charging is generally power limited to only a handful of watts. A typical phone charger may only be five watts, and some of the better ones will be ten. The Surface 3 comes with a thirteen watt charger. Later we will see what effect that has on charge times, but it really is not a lot of power.
I think it is a missed opportunity to not be forward leaning on the charging port and use a USB Type-C connector. This would keep the reversible nature which is much better than what they have now, and Type-C can handle much more power (without ever going out of spec) offering them the opportunity to supply a bigger charger. Going to micro-USB now feels like a step backwards to be honest. Because the Surface already has a full sized USB port, you don’t run into the problems like the Macbook where it is only one Type-C. Type-C is the future, and not seeing it on this device makes it take a step back in the past.
The bottom of the Surface 3 keeps the now familiar magnetic connector and pins for the keyboard, and a groove runs along the bottom for the keyboard to fit in to.
On the top of the Surface is a slightly different color strip of plastic which will be the RF transparent window for all of the necessary antennae. I like that they did not try to color match the device because the contrast makes for a much nicer look, and trying to color match metal and plastic can end up looking poorly, especially over time. The plastic strip also features the 8 MP rear camera.
When you look at tablet design in the Windows world, there really is Surface and everything else. The device just feels solid, and the magnesium finish is so great to hold in the hand. The fit and finish of the Surface is as good as any other device on the market.
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MrTetts - Tuesday, May 5, 2015 - link
The IPad is ALWAYS going to be an inferior product regardless of use case.1. For video/media consumption - you would have access to more media players, more content markets (than just the itunes store) and simply more choice overall.
2. For media/content creation - You do not even have this option (or intergrated well enough) on an IPad.
3. Basic office duties - We can all agree that any office applications on an IPad would be very watered down and frankly quite useless. If you have to buy a keyboard to access an application properly on an ipad, then my friend, I have news for you... your use case clearly aligns you to a surface 3.
An IPad is no where near up to par. You are getting a very big IPod Touch for your money. Don't give in to the marketing from Apple telling you you can be productive on an IPad...
V900 - Tuesday, May 5, 2015 - link
Oh my holy God! Amazing! Through some sort of quantum fluctuation in some internet backbone somewhere, a wormhole in space time has made your post appear three years into the future!Hello there Anandtech reader from 2012! We hear you loud and clear this is Anandtech 2015! As for your points, a lot has changed/will change from your perspective!
1: IPads in 2015 are better for using content... The vast majority of video is in MP4 formats. The few formats an iPad can't decode natively you can get a third party app for in the AppStore for a few dollars or free. As for content, the vast majority is available through the web or (usually) free third party apps.
2: Content creating: In 2015 its a clear win for the iPad if you want to use a touchscreen. It's not even close with Windows tablets. Adobe for example has over 20 apps for iPad. In your future and my present, even content creation suites that used to only be available for PC/Macs have an iPad app solution available as well.
3: Basic Office: everyone in your time that is skeptical about Microsofts plans are right. In 2015 there is a
multitude of office solutions for iPads, and even Microsoft have given up and gone all in on the platform... The MS Office for iPad is on par with the MS Office for Windows, and blows MS Office for Touch Windows completely out of the water. Microsoft of the future will bet big on iOS...
Take care 2012 Anandtech reader! Oh, I probably cant tell you much about this, but be careful with the middle east! There is a group in Iraq that you really shouldn't underestimate... They will wreck some major chaos later in the timeline if you don't try to stop them in 2012!
damianrobertjones - Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - link
Yet if you type one line of text on the ipad it's a great big pain in the rear to edit. Where's the back arrow key? I've an Air 2 and, being honest, it's a pain to use for anything serious. Heck the other day I just wanted to copy some comics onto the thing... usually I'd just slap them on but instead I had to place them onto the network, launch an app, log in and then read.The app situation will improve when Windows 10 hits but, until then, I'll be happy to just launch the FULL application.
digiguy - Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - link
how much nonsense in a single post.... You probably don't know how to use Office and Adobe professionally.... or you live in 2015, but on a different planet... My ipad air is a great device, but that's far from being the machine to work on....Michael Bay - Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - link
>MS Office for iPad is on par with the MS Office for WindowsIf you step aside from pure lulz one has with such a comment, it`s quite sad that sheeple actually believe that.
MrTetts - Tuesday, May 5, 2015 - link
Bottom line is...If you're in the market for an iPad. Consider the Surface 3 for the 'Just In Case' factor.
1. Just in case you want to edit a word document properly.
2. Just in case you want to create media.
3. Just in case you want to download movies/music from a website.
4. Just in case you want to use adobe products.
5. Just in case you don't want to connect the tablet to your TV.
6. Just in case you want to charge your phone using a tablet.
7. Just in case you actually want to write notes in class/during meetings at the office.
8. Just in case you want expandable memory.
9. Just in case you don't want to be locked into the apple ecosystem.
10. Just in case you save things to a memory stick, rather than a cloud which you get charged for.
and i could go on... Just consider the Surface 3.. Just in case.
V900 - Tuesday, May 5, 2015 - link
OMG! The wormhole is still open!LOL! Read my other post Anandtech from 2012! Nothing on your list is accurate or will matter much in 2015...
Both Adobe and Microsoft have gone all in on iPads. Adobe has over 20 apps on iOS, and nothing on Windows that you'd bother running on a touchscreen or with a tablet class processor.
Don't consider the Surface 3. Not even for just in case. You can always get either a better laptop or a better tablet for the same
money. The Surface 3 is worthless, considering that for 500-600$ you can get an alright laptop AND an iPad mini: Beat of both worlds!
damianrobertjones - Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - link
Or a Surface Pro 3.Michael Bay - Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - link
Do they at least pay you for this drivel?kyuu - Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - link
How in the hell is carrying two devices -- one of them a crappy laptop, the other a tablet with a small screen that's basically just an oversized iPhone -- the best of both worlds?