Microsoft Announces Surface 3: 10.8-inch 2-in-1 with Atom x7 on 14nm from $499
by Ian Cutress on March 31, 2015 9:52 AM EST
The next element of Microsoft’s Surface line is here, and the anticipated Surface 3 throws up a couple of (nice) surprises. Starting at $499, the Surface 3 will complement the Surface Pro 3 by offering a 10.8-inch device in a 1920x1280 resolution. That sounds a little odd being a bit more than full-HD, but offers a 3:2 resolution like the larger Surface Pro 3. Under the hood is Intel’s new Atom x7 which we discussed briefly during the Atom re-naming launch earlier this year, which means a 14nm class device featuring Airmont cores and the direct upgrade from Silvermont and Bay Trail. The release states that this is the high end model, which would suggest a quad-core Atom design running above 2 GHz. Microsoft/Intel are not directly calling this Cherry Trail, and our discussions with Intel seem to avoid the Cherry Trail nomenclature, but the SoC will be partnered with 64GB or 128GB of storage, plus a 4G ‘LTE Ready’ version will be coming later.
The Surface 3 is being billed by Microsoft as the thinnest and lightest Surface device, and will run the full Windows 8.1 inside which can be upgraded to Windows 10 later this year for free. The price will include a 1-year subscription to Office 365, as well as 1TB of OneDrive storage. On the device will be a full-size USB 3.0 port, a mini-DisplayPort and a microSD card reader to supplement storage. Charging comes via a bundled fast-charging micro-USB, although it can also be charged with a standard smartphone micro-USB as well. Battery life is listed as 10 hours for video playback, with the screen being described as having ‘incredibly accurate colors’ – here’s hoping for a calibrated display out of the box. Front and rear cameras (3.5MP / 8MP) are designed to both capture 1080p, with an auto-focus feature on the rear camera.
The device on its own will be 8.7mm thin, weighing in at 622 grams (1.37 pounds), and seems to not feature the kickstand that Anand liked in his Surface Pro 3 review. Instead we get a standard 3-position stand. Accessories start with the standard Type Cover but also include a Docking Station with more USB ports as well as ‘The Surface Pen’. The new digital pen will be available in red, blue, black and silver with 256 levels of pressure sensitivity - we presume this is an N-Trig design although we’re waiting for official confirmation.
The Surface 3 and accessories are now available for pre-order in the US, shipping on May 5th. Resellers and partners should have availability on May 7th, although from 1st April users should be able to head into a Microsoft Store in Canada, Puerto Rico and the United States for some hands on time before full launch.
We’ve already put in our request for a review unit.
Source: Microsoft
| Microsoft Surface 3 | ||
| Size | 10.52 x 7.36 x 0.34-inch 267 x 187 x 8.7-mm |
|
| Weight | 1.37 lbs - 622 g | |
| Display | 10.8-inch ClearType Full HD Plus 1920x1280 resolution, 3:2 ratio 10-point multi-touch Surface Pen Support |
|
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours (video playback) | |
| Storage/DRAM | 64GB / 2GB | 128GB / 4GB |
| CPU | Atom x7-Z8700 Quad Core 14nm 1.6 GHz Base Frequency 2.4 GHz Burst Frequency |
|
| WiFi | 802.11ac + BT 4.0 LTE Models at a later date |
|
| Ports | USB 3.0, Mini-DisplayPort, microSD, Micro USB charging, 3.5mm Headset Jack |
|
| Software | Windows 8.1 Office 365 Personal with 1TB OneDrive (1-year) |
|
| Front Camera | 3.5 MP | |
| Rear Camera | 8.0 MP with Autofocus | |
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 64-bit | |
| Warranty | 1-year limited | |
| Price | $499 | $599 |
Edit: This news post originally stated that the kickstand was the same as the Surface Pro 3. This error has been adjusted due to new information.
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Michael Bay - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Well, I`ve ran dosBox on older Atoms. It wasn`t the best possible performance, yes, but then again Bay Trail is so much faster.fokka - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
lovely piece of hardware and the price isn't bad neither. but i think they should have included 4gb of ram on all models. i'd also love to see a 256gb version and an option for 8gb of ram, even if it adds another 100 bucks to the price.still not a bad proposition for a modern day convertible. i especially like the resolution since it's not as overkill as on some other devices, yet you get a nice and sharp workspace with 1280 vertical pixels.
i think MS is on the right track with its surface line, the only thing i'd still love to see are some more substantial laptop docks, because kickstand + type cover still leaves something to be desired in that regard.
jeffkibuule - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
256GB model gets into the realm and pricing of a Surface Pro 3. A clear division between the two eliminations people wavering between the two (and may end up not getting anything).Plus, there are 128GB microSD cards for just $90.
StormyParis - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
"a standard 3-position stand" Standard where ?kyuu - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Yeah, I'm not sure where the author got that from. If it is the 3-position, then that's the same as the 2nd gen surfaces, but different from the 1st gens and the SP3. Including this new Surface, that would bring the total percentage using the 3-position kickstand to 50%, which doesn't really qualify as "standard".digiguy - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Great little device, improves everything over Surface 2 and some things even over SP3.1. Lighter, even than the RT ones, this thing is close to my W510, so great to hold with one hand, but with a bigger screen
2. 3:2 ratio, which at 10.8 inches makes it better than ipad to read books, while still being light
3. up to 128 GB, this is better than my SP3 I3, although it remains to be seen if this is proper SSD
3. microUSB charging, great for using power banks
4. top Atom CPU, if this is significantly better than Z3795 this could be quite close to the SP3 I3
5. fanless
6. 64 bits (to use the 4GB of RAM)
7. great resolution, the perfect balance for this size on Windows
8. full USB 3.0 (type C would only be a plus if it can use the full bandwidth, unlike the new Macbook)
9. improved kickstand over S2/SP2 (but not as good as SP3)
10. accessories not included but possibility to reuse the SP3 pen
11. SP3 like keyboard mechanism, in addition it seems quite close to full size (to be tested)
kyuu - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
For #3, it's eMMC. Baytrail only supported eMMC storage, and the specs for the Atom x3/5/7, which we've had for a while now, show it only supports eMMC (albeit a newer revision).Why people think it would use full SSDs I have no idea.
NewMC - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
correct, eMMC 4.51 I believe.digiguy - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Well, I wondered because it's a new CPU, it's a bit like the 64 bit support, Atom didn't support is until Z3795. Also, from what I have read, some newer eMMC are getting closer to sata SSDs. Personally I would give up some speed to double the storage in my SP3 i3 (but keep the i3 CPU).kyuu - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Yeah, the newer eMMC, which I'd hope they're using, is pretty speedy. Not going to match a full SSD of course, but for normal usage you probably won't see much difference. Still miles better than an HDD.