Product Listing

Ditch your notebooks, the Surface Pro 3 is a true notebook killer

By Kenny Yeo - 21 Aug 2014

Conclusion

Three's a Charm

If you need any indication that Microsoft is serious about making its own Windows hardware, consider this: This is the third-generation Surface Pro device in under two years. Companies rarely get things right on their first try, but the speed at which Microsoft has worked to improve its device is impressive and we are happy to say that the Surface Pro 3 finally gets it right and it is their best device yet.

That said, even though there are many things to like about the Surface Pro 3, the device is not perfect (though it comes close). But before we delve into our analysis, the tl;dr version of our conclusion is this: Yes, the Surface Pro 3 is a true notebook killer. If you are looking for something to replace that notebook that you have been lugging around for work or school, your search is over - stop reading and go out and place an order for this now. But what if you need a notebook more than just for work and school? Then read out and find out what we have to say.

It might have taken three generations, but Microsoft finally gets it right with the Surface Pro 3.

To begin, the Surface Pro 3 is nothing short of an engineering feat considering that it is both thinner and lighter than its predecessor, and yet sports a larger display and can be outfitted with a more powerful processor. It is also very well-built and feels like a premium product.

That aside, these two improvements have had a profound overall effect in our experience with the Surface Pro 3. The larger display and more sensible 3:2 aspect ratio makes it easier for users to tackle productivity tasks on the device. Previously, the narrow 16:9 aspect ratio display of the first two generation Surface Pro devices made it frustratingly clumsy for work, especially when it came to spreadsheets and long documents.

The thinner and lighter form factor also makes the Surface Pro 3 much more portable and manageable. In fact, one of the complaints leveled at its predecessors was that it was too unwieldy to be used as a normal tablet, but now that it is thinner and lighter, we did not have any problems using it like any other tablet. Of course, it is not going to be as handy as an iPad, Nexus or Galaxy Tab, but it is still portable and comfortable enough to use it around the house or even outside. Furthermore, its light aluminum pen input companion works very similarly to a traditional pen and is a seamless companion to the Surface Pro 3 for jotting down notes, sketching and much more.

Performance is not the Surface Pro 3’s strong suit, as we can see from the results of our benchmarks. Additionally, the Intel HD Graphics 4400 integrated GPU is also lacking the required graphics horsepower needed to play games without significantly dialing down the settings. Despite this, the Surface Pro 3 felt responsive enough for the productivity tasks, web browsing and the occasional photo-editing - tasks which matter the most for its intended audience. Also, note that the model we've tested had much lower specs than the comparisons we've wielded. If you opt for a beefier version of the same unit, the benchmark figures should easily match the high performance Ultrabooks.

Perhaps, the Surface Pro 3 would have been better served if Microsoft had decided to stick with a Full-HD display instead of going for an ultra-high resolution 2160 x 1440 pixels display. While it does look nicer and crisper, the problem with such high resolution displays is that not all apps are not optimized for it and those that are not often end up looking worse. Chrome, for example, is notorious offender - not only do text look pixelated, websites are often not displayed correctly as well (this was a non-issue on Internet Explorer, the default browser). Even so, this is just a minor niggle that we are sure will get resolved in time to come as ultra-high resolution displays become more common and applications are updated appropriately.

A lone USB port is extremely restrictive and necessitates a docking station if you are thinking of using the Surface Pro 3 as your primary device.

As capable as the Surface Pro 3 is, it is still most comfortable when used as a secondary device or as a notebook for users who are always on the go. It would be unfair to think that it can replace your primary system because it has some shortcomings. Most importantly, it has only one USB port, which can be restrictive. We can think of a number of scenarios.

For instance, its lone USB port was not enough to power our external DVD drive and we had to plug the Y-cable of the drive into the Surface Pro 3’s power adapter to get more juice. And if you are the type of user who cannot live without a mouse, a Bluetooth model is a necessity unless you want to use up that lone USB port for a wireless receiver. And since it does not have an Ethernet port, staying at a hotel that only offers Internet connectivity via Ethernet would require a USB Ethernet adapter, which would again use up the lone USB port. Copying photos from cameras can be tricky too if you did not save them up on a microSD card, since that is the only memory card reader that the Surface Pro 3 has. What about external storage devices? Even with the top-of-the-line 512GB model, that is hardly enough storage for all your music, videos and photos. We could go on.

The docking station is a nifty accessory that in-turn enhances the capabilities of the Surface Pro 3, but it will set you back S$288.

Fortunately, this shortcoming can be overcome by purchasing the Surface Pro 3 docking station. When docked, the docking station provides the Surface Pro 3 with a Gigabit Ethernet port and three additional USB 3.0 ports and two more USB 2.0 ports. That's a total of 5 USB ports. Furthermore, it also gives you a Mini DisplayPort, 3.5mm audio input/output jack and its own power input jack to continuously keep the device charged. However, it comes at a price - S$288, to be exact, and it will be available in the middle of September. For those wondering how portable it might be, it weighs 650 grams and it's design is fixed, which means it doesn't allow you to collapse it for ease of transport.

If you don't plan on planting the Surface Pro 3 at any one place, perhaps the most immediate accessory that you need is a USB 3.0 hub which will greatly increase what you can do with the device simultaneously. You can get one of those at almost any IT/electronics retailer.

Since we are on the topic of price and value, the Surface Pro 3 will be available from S$1108 for the entry-level Core i3 model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The model we have for testing comes with the Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB and costs $1348. Here’s a table summarizing the different configurations and their price points.

Surface Pro 3 Prices
Processor Memory Storage Graphics Price
Core i3-4020Y (1.5GHz, 3MB L3 cache) 4GB 64GB Intel HD Graphics 4200 S$1,108
Core i5-4300U (1.9GHz, 3MB L3 cache) 4GB 128GB Intel HD Graphics 4400 S$1,348
Core i5-4300U (1.9GHz, 3MB L3 cache) 8GB 256GB Intel HD Graphics 4400 S$1,728
Core i7-4650U (1.7GHz, 4MB L3 cache) 8GB 256GB Intel HD Graphics 5000 S$2,138
Core i7-4650U (1.7GHz, 4MB L3 cache) 8GB 512GB Intel HD Graphics 5000 S$2,698

In terms of pricing, the Surface Pro 3 is priced competitively against its rivals. Our model with a Type Cover keyboard will ring up to around S$1,531, markedly less than most premium Ultrabooks, which typically cost around S$2,000. The more desirable Core i5 model with 8GB RAM, 256GB of storage and a Type Cover will come up to S$1,911, which is still attractive in our books, considering the Surface Pro 3’s design and capabilities. And even if you factor in the additional cost of the docking station, we still think the Surface Pro 3 is good value for money considering its breadth of abilities.

However, its fiercest rival would arguably be Apple’s MacBook Air. Although the two are fundamentally different because of their OS and form factor, their purposes are about the same, and the MacBook Air has become something of a yardstick when it comes to ultraportable notebooks. And to be sure, the MacBook Air is more affordable - starts at S$1328 for the 13-inch 128GB model and rises to S$1618 for the 256GB model - but the Surface Pro 3 has arguably better capabilities. It is still tough to call between the two and it really depends on individual preferences. If you already have a primary device (a desktop or more powerful notebook), we would lean towards the Surface Pro 3.

In the end though, with the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft has finally delivered on its promise of a notebook killer. The Surface Pro 3 is really a tablet that can replace your notebook, and its vast breadth of abilities deserves to be celebrated. At the end of it all, the Surface Pro 3 is a very capable mobile device and sets the benchmark for Windows 8 tablet/notebook hybrid devices. For its accomplishment, capabilities and engineering that has gone into making the Surface Pro 3 a reality, we're bestowing it our Editor's Choice Award, Innovation Award and a solid 9 out of 10 rating.

Well done Microsoft.

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
9.0
  • Design 9.5
  • Features 8.5
  • Performance 8
  • Value 8.5
  • Mobility 9
The Good
Fantastic build quality
Larger display yet thinner and lighter
High-resolution, crisp display
Adjustable friction hinge kickstand
Adequate processing power
Good pen input
The Bad
Only a single USB port
Type Cover is an optional accessory
Only 4GB RAM on entry-level models
Lacks gaming performance
Glossy display
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.