And for the most part, the Surface 3 is a solid entry, with more of that “VaporMg” magnesium chassis we’ve always loved about Surface, a microSD slot to expand the storage, front-facing speakers, decent WiFi, and a lovely display.
About the only thing it misses from the other Surface models is a magnet in the charging area, meaning the Surface Pen can no longer magnetically cling to the edge where the power port is like it could before.
But it feels like the price could be a little better, and while the 64GB model starts at $699 and the 128GB $839 variant competes quite aggressively with the 128GB iPad Air 2 for $859, you still kind of want the machine to cut off a hundred or so more, just because of what it doesn’t come with.
For instance, it doesn’t come with the Surface Pen, an included extra with the Pro 3, but missing in action as a bonus on the regular Surface 3. Instead, this will now cost you around $60, and if the touchscreen starts to have problems — which we’ve yet to see on the Surface 3, but have seen on the Pro 3 — the Pen will become a necessary thing.
Case in point, as we wrote this review and tried to use our Surface Pro 3, the touchscreen stopped responding to our fingers and forced us to use the pen. We don’t want to say that the Surface 3 will succumb to the same bug, but we’re cynics, and say this is probably likely down the track, making this more of a “must have” than an “optional extra”.
Likewise, Microsoft’s TypeCover is still another of those optional extras, a $150 optional extra at that, even though this is one of those extras we’d say should be included in the box just because it makes the Surface 3 more like a usable computer than just a great tablet.
And when you factor that in, the Surface 3 starts to look like it’s costing real money, not just entry level computing money, which is where it feels like it should sit, but doesn’t.
In fairness to the Surface 3, it is technically a slightly stronger machine spec-wise to computers like the Asus X205TA which come paired with an Atom and 32GB storage, with the Surface 3 including a better display with touch included, faster WiFi, a newer chip, and more storage, just no keyboard.
We get it, by the way: the Surface 3 is being classed more as touchscreen tablet than another laptop, even though it runs Windows, and feels more like the latter than the former.
That being said, the Surface 3 feels like it should be in the same budget-y class of computers as the Asus, and as other below $500 machines, and while we’re pleased there’s no 32GB model — because Windows 8.1 would leave practically nothing left — a $699 minimum price seems a little too steep, even if this is a tablet that competes with the likes of the iPad.
Conclusion
For too long, we’ve wanted a not-so-Pro edition of the Surface that made sense. The Pro edition was excellent, don’t get us wrong, but you shouldn’t have to pay over a grand for that level of hybrid hubris, especially if you didn’t want to.
And finally, you don’t.
Surface 3 is exactly what Surface 1 and 2 should have been, and we no longer have to deal with an operating system that doesn’t run much of anything. A cynical person could make that argument with Windows 8 in general, but Windows 8 at least runs regular Windows apps, representing apps from 7 and Vista, with even a hint of XP thrown in for good measure.
That means you probably own apps that work on the Surface 3, compared to the practically nothing that could be found on the Surface 1 and 2, and that’s a big deal, not just for computer people, but students and kids. Think of a school and its requirements, because any apps a kid might need can now run here, on a tablet that can also be charged quite easily at a school without needing to bring a charging brick.
These are all important qualities, and Microsoft’s Surface 3 is now representing, offering a solid middle ground for a price that could be improved just a bit.
That said, if the Surface Pro 3 was tempting you but you don’t need the Core, Microsoft’s Atom-powered Surface looks like it could do the job nicely. Recommended.
