Microsoft has announced the Surface Pro 3 tablet today at the ongoing event in New York. This new slate is especially designed to avoid the clash between the tablet and laptop and it retains the kickstand as in the previous generation Surface tablets. The kickstand on the Surface Pro 3 is mutli-stage making it an effective laptop replacement.
The software giant has joined hands with the chip manufacturer Intel to incorporate its chipset making the device the thinnest Intel Core PC with 9.1 mm thickness. Besides featuring a thin profile, the Surface Pro 3 is also lightweight measuring 800 grams, which resolves the downside with the earlier Surface tablets that were bulky. Also, the tablet provides room to a 12 inch display that boasts 3:2 aspect ratio and 2160×1440 pixel resolution that is termed “Pixels Free”. Furthermore, it features thin bezels with a silver and black design.
As mentioned above, the device will be a replacement for the laptops as it features a Type Cover and kickstand combination. While the lapability issue was not addressed completely by the Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2, the new kickstand can resolve this. It supports Canvas Mode that places the tablet at 150 degree and the new Type Cover is designed to seal itself magnetically to the screen to offer high levels of sturdiness. Also, there is a large trackpad on the Type Cover to improve the mouse input.
The Windows 8 based Surface Pro 3 supports a stylus and the users can sync notes that are created on documents, share them in real time with Windows users and more. The stylus is revamped and clicking on its top will launch OneNote even while the Surface Pro 3 is powered off. The notes written on the device using the stylus can be synced to the cloud instantly and OneNote will bring the content from the web when users tap on the stylus creating any content to the note. This is one of the primary advantages of the revamped stylus and the third generation Surface tablet.
The Surface Pro 3 will come in four different storage options such as 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB and they will incorporate either 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM. Further, there are front-facing speakers that can deliver 45 percent louder audio than before and connectivity features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. Also on board are front and rear facing camera units that can capture images at 5 MP resolution and FHD 1080p videos.
The device is claimed to come packed with a slew of ports and slots such as USB 3.0 port, micro SD card reader and Mini DisplayPort to enable file transfers and easy connections to a range of devices. Also, the Surface Pro 3 comes with optional accessories such as Docking Station and Surface Ethernet Adapter.
Microsoft will start accepting pre-orders for the Core i5 Surface Pro 3 model starting from May 21. The Intel Core i3 model is priced starting at $799, Core i5 version starts from $999 and the most powerful Core i7 starts from $1,549. While the Surface Pro 3 Core i5 will be available starting from June 20 in the US and Canada, the other configurations will be made available starting from August. Also, the models of Surface Pro 3 will be released in 26 markets outside US by the end of August.
Key Specs
Model | Microsoft Surface Pro 3 |
Display | 12 inch, 2160×1440 |
Processor | Intel Core i3/ Core i5/ Core i7 |
RAM | 4 GB/ 8 GB |
Internal Storage | 64 GB/ 128 GB/ 256 GB/ 512 GB |
OS | Windows 8 |
Camera | Front and rear cameras with 5 MP resolution and 1080p video recording |
Battery | 9 hours backup |