I agree with Anandtech the Pro 3 is almost there, but not quite. The Surface Pro 1 sold me on the idea of an everything device. It had its limitations, but it worked as a laptop, desktop, and a tablet. Each scenario had its limits and the most limited one was the laptop perspective. As a tablet it worked great with movies, browsing the web, light gaming, etc. As a desktop it was powerful enough to run the adobe suite on an external monitor. But as a laptop the kickstand and keyboard were not ideal.
The Surface Pro 3 removes some tablet usability and improves on the laptop experience. I am not sure if this is ideal. I recently upgraded from the Pro 1 to the Pro 3. I am having a hard time using the 12" screen as a tablet in bed and on the couch. Using the device with pen in hand is harder due to the larger screen real estate. Even using the Metro side of things is more cumbersome due to the larger screen. Tiles and settings on touch interface are too far apart now.
After a few days, I have concluded that the Pro 1 was a better "tablet" with the ability to be a desktop and laptop. The Pro 3 is more of a laptop/tablet hybrid with a focus on laptop-ability. Even with all the new enhancements, I think I will return the device and purchase a Pro 2 instead.
Edit: I used the Pro 1 as my main machine for almost a year. The pen was useful in photoshop/illustrator. I also used it for gaming; Fifa 2013, Civ 5, and some indie games.
The article makes it sound like there's no place at all to attach the pen on the Pro 3, is that true? I'm a heavy pen user w/ my Pro 1, that would be a dealbreaker for me.
I'll post what I said in the comments of the article.
Well, this is the device basket in which I'm throwing all of my eggs. My mobile devices are currently a 2006 Dell 17" laptop running Windows 7 and an HP Touchpad running CM10.1. I've been waiting to upgrade until the right "hybrid" device came along, and this is the one I'm banking on, albeit the i7/512 model.
My usage is a little atypical. My work requires me to occasionally spend time on construction sites creating sketches and recording measurements. I am hoping this device will allow me to skip the full size (24" x 36" or larger) architectural prints and the paper sketch pad and simply carry everything on the SP3. After I finish on site, I am often going back to a hotel room for the night, or spending the next few hours in an airport/airplane. I make heavy use of AutoCAD, and being able to make tweaks in the field, or even the hotel, should be amazingly helpful. I don't expect to be at full productivity, but then again, even on a typical laptop, running AutoCAD on one small screen will never be as productive as running on 2 or 3 large desktop displays.
In theory, the SP3 should be perfect for me. I do worry about the batter life though. I suspect that I might need to pick up an external battery pack for those times I'm on site without access to a wall outlet. Time will tell, I guess. I also think about general durability. I am generally not on fully active construction sites with lots of dirt and dust, but I will be in environments that are not office-like. So we'll see if there is some sort of rugged case or screen protection available for those scenarios.
All in all, I am really looking forward to getting my SP3 in August. I just wish they would release it already since I could really use it mid-July. But I've waited this long, so what's another couple of weeks.
Thanks for the nice review. This is the one I've been waiting for, and it didn't disappoint.
Just got mine yesterday (typing on it for this post). There are some problems on it I wasn't expecting.
- Drawing apps like Fresh Paint don't work sometimes when on split screen. By doesn't work, I mean it won't recognize the pen on start up. I would have to full screen the app, use the pen, then I can use the pen on split screen.
- Apps aren't adjusted to split screens correctly. The resizing of the apps gets rid of functions like creating a new page that can only be seen when app is in full screen.
- Chrome Windows 8 mode sucks. That thing resized to a quarter of the screen, blacked out the other 3/4ths and it took me 30 minutes to figure out how to undo it because the menu button on Chrome was blacked out. Figured out that they were still there, just not visable.
- Chrome sometimes disables my trackpad click recongniztion? I can activate links and tabs via the touch screen, but not by clicking the trackpad. All was good after restarting Chrome.
- Tablet does not recognize that I took off the keyboard sometimes. This causes orientation lock. I would have to reattached and detach keyboard.
- Trackpad kinda stuttering with movements. Sometimes jumps around so not very precise. This happens more when using on my lap for some reason..
- Changing screen orientation is sorta laggy, definitely more than a 1 second change. I have the 8gb/256gb version.
- I'm pretty sure Flux crashes this tablet. Froze it twice in 30 minutes after install. Perfectly fine now after uninstall.
I'm actually getting used to Windows Metro...strange. This is the first Windows machine I bought myself after 4 years. I was a Windows user for most of my life until college.
EDIT: Pen holder could have been designed better. Everyone at the store trying it out was confused it wasn't there. It's basically a stick on piece that comes with the keyboard, but none of the floor models have them at the Microsoft store. It's also uncomfortable placing the pen in there. I know it has to be tight so it doesn't fall out, but it's a struggle every time. Probably takes a good 3 seconds to fully place it in. If you don't think that's a long time wait until you're leaving a meeting and everyone is waiting on you. Bad user experience on the pen holder.
- Too heavy to hold for tablet use. Wasn't really expecting it, but have heard reviews about it, and this is the lightest pro version too. Good thing the kick stand can rest on my knees (actually pretty good for posture with knees bent because you're neck won't be pointed down the entire time).
I am experiencing many of these issues. I think they will continue to roll out firmware updates. But, the software needed a little bit more work. For Chrome I would disable scaling. 1. Right click Chrome shortcut icon and choose "Properties." (if you do this on an icon in you startbar, then you'll need to right click again on the third one up that says "Google Chrome.")
2. Click Compatibility tab.
3. Check box for "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings."
4. Click OK.
5. It will show small fonts, but you can change that in Chrome Settings under "Show advanced settings" --> "Web Content" --> "Font Size."
The workflow between Metro and Desktop becomes easier and better over the course of a week.
Chrome 37 (the current dev channel) enables high-dpi support on Windows out-of-the-box (which might fix the issues you had with win8 mode -- at least, it seems to work for me).
Genuinely wondering, why Chrome? IE11 has a really awesome touch UX, in the metro version, IMO. Did you try it and dismiss it, or not even consider it given IE's track record?
The trackpad issue is probably from how Microsoft rolls their own capacitive trackpad solution and the capacitance from your leg is causing issues. My Type Cover 2 would also have issues when my fingers got sweaty. The way to fix it would be to reconnect the cover so that it would recalibrate. I've heard the Type Cover 3's trackpad is leaps and bounds above the previous two in terms of usability, though.
Try Firefox. I'm surprised almost no Surface Pro user recommends it, but I've found it very friendly with HiDPI and touch screen. Except for zoom, stepped reflow instead of continuous scale; although I like it like that).
Looking at Microsoft's track record, if Apple could execute on a tablet stylus with their traditional level of excellence, they could kill! If I could have a combination of a small Macbook and an iPad mini which could also act like a decent "mini Graphire," this would be simply awesome! They could sell tons of these to the angsty teenage journalling set. It would also be a tremendous boon to designers and game and web developers.
It wouldn't be easy to do, however. As the hardware manufacturer and OS producer, they are in a unique position to be able to do it, however.
I was jhust on an airplane trip and watced with some amusement my aisle-mate fumbling with a new surface pro.
When first using it on his lap, the screen kept flopping around as the kickstand slid off his legs--he eventually used the back of the seat in front of him to prop it up a bit.
Then when the tray came down, he clearly could not get a comfortable typing angle.
At some point, he dispensed with the keyboad and used it as a tablet with the kickstand on the tray, and that looked like a pretty good set up.
I asked him if he liked it near the end of the flight, and alas he said he plans to dispense with tablets all together and go back to laptops.
To be fair, I've never found a satisfactory way to use my laptop on a plane. There's not enough leg room to put the screen at the right angle and the keyboard ends up too close to my body. Tablets are better, but as you say, when he switched to using his Surface as a tablet it worked OK.
I was using a laptop on a plane one time and the person in front of me put their seat back without even turning around to see what was going on. It cracked the screen hinge, but luckily everything still worked.
So now I'll never bring anything but a tablet on the plane.
We also reviewed the Surface Pro 3 in our labs, looking at things like screen performance and battery life among other things. You can find all of the graphs under "Science & Testing"
The Surface Pro 3 seems an awesome device for students. Being able to read PDF textbooks, hand-write notes while using diagram/drawing tools, browse the internet, follow along with (and write on/annotate) lecture slides, word processing with a physical keyboard, writing on PDF practice exams, etc, all in a single device is extremely convenient.
I have been using the SP1 as a student for over a year now and love it. I print all PDF hand-outs to OneNote and annotate them with notes from class. Everything is indexed so I can search across 5 quarters worth of notes in an instant and access them from any device.
I'm in business school (don't hate :) ) so most of our content is in the form of HBS case studies and diagramming and drawing graphs/charts is pretty common.
I see a lot of people using Notability on iPads. If I could get a Wacom or NTrig active stylus on an iPad, that would be sweet, but alas, not possible.
I agree that a device which can do all these is an excellent choice for students. As an engineering student, I used all of the above versatility on my HP TX2510US, and dealt with the burns that the poor heat management gave me :-)
I haven't played with the SP3, but I'm sure there are a multitude of other options as well which are well-suited to student use.
Just a note: I too have noticed that my trackpad (on my HP envy laptop) will sometimes lose 2-finger scrolling or any multitouch support, usually it's just in chrome but sometimes it'll be for eveything. I have a touchscreen as well so it's not as big a deal but often the only way I've found to fix the problem is to restart the machine.
I'm assuming its a driver problem possibly with symantic. I'm dreading calling HP support about it because the first 4 or five layers seem to be ignorant knowledge-base-only-readers. (They really are only about as effective as google. They'll recognize a keyword and use that as the basis for their response. No matter how insignificant that one word is.)
Has anyone load-tested that hinge at 150° extension? I'm concerned the weight of my hand while drawing might destroy the kickstand, or at least the hinges.
How good is the speech recognition Windows 8? I've become a fan of Siri on the iPhone, pretty good. I get the feeling that were pretty close to very accurate speech recognition. Between Microsoft, Google, and Apple I think we're going to get over the line really soon. This post was done entirely with Siri. The missing words or her fault. :-)
speech recognition is just as good as android EXCEPT windows doesnt recognize punctuation. It sounds like a small difference until you try to speak multiple sentences and it gets registered as a single run-on sentence
I'd love to get one of these, but I simply cannot fathom investing in hardware on which Linux will not run. I suppose it would work in a VM, but .. really .. what a pity that its so locked down and unworkable to change ones OS in this day and age. Register this one protest non-buy, fwiw ..
I bet the type cover 3 works with the same patch for the covers 2. The only big issue I have with Linux in my Pro 2 is WiFi. I compile from time to time a wireless-testing branch of the kernel to find the most stable build. Also I have a very small WiFi dongle for when the internal one stops working. I hope the Pro 3 WiFi is not as problematic.
Also I'm working in my spare time in a bunch of scripts to imporove the surface experience (touch gestures, palm rejection, sound feedback for touch cover, etc). I'll upload them to github soon.
Apparently it's really easy to install Ubuntu [1] on a Surface Pro 3.
"...you’ll find that most things work out of the box. WiFi works, but only 2.4GHz networks can be detected. The touchpad on the Type Cover works, but the keyboard does not. You’ll need to activate the virtual keyboard in the accessibility setting to get much of anything done, and Ubuntu’s virtual keyboard is lacking in desirable features. There are some third party alternatives you can install, but the initial experience here will likely have you scrambling for a USB keyboard.
The pen works as a pointer and as a left-click when you press down, but because Bluetooth does not work out of the box you lose the buttons on the pen."
OK mine decided to shut down itself for the second time ever since I had it. Full battery charging, No BSOD, not even useless crash report after boot. I'm done, eBay there it goes, bye.
The review was sounding good until it mentions the high speed camera for measuring pen performance... And do not include videos, not which models were tested in the table selling the 3 as faster.
[+] [-] fumar|11 years ago|reply
The Surface Pro 3 removes some tablet usability and improves on the laptop experience. I am not sure if this is ideal. I recently upgraded from the Pro 1 to the Pro 3. I am having a hard time using the 12" screen as a tablet in bed and on the couch. Using the device with pen in hand is harder due to the larger screen real estate. Even using the Metro side of things is more cumbersome due to the larger screen. Tiles and settings on touch interface are too far apart now.
After a few days, I have concluded that the Pro 1 was a better "tablet" with the ability to be a desktop and laptop. The Pro 3 is more of a laptop/tablet hybrid with a focus on laptop-ability. Even with all the new enhancements, I think I will return the device and purchase a Pro 2 instead.
Edit: I used the Pro 1 as my main machine for almost a year. The pen was useful in photoshop/illustrator. I also used it for gaming; Fifa 2013, Civ 5, and some indie games.
[+] [-] bcoates|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] el_duderino|11 years ago|reply
Well, this is the device basket in which I'm throwing all of my eggs. My mobile devices are currently a 2006 Dell 17" laptop running Windows 7 and an HP Touchpad running CM10.1. I've been waiting to upgrade until the right "hybrid" device came along, and this is the one I'm banking on, albeit the i7/512 model.
My usage is a little atypical. My work requires me to occasionally spend time on construction sites creating sketches and recording measurements. I am hoping this device will allow me to skip the full size (24" x 36" or larger) architectural prints and the paper sketch pad and simply carry everything on the SP3. After I finish on site, I am often going back to a hotel room for the night, or spending the next few hours in an airport/airplane. I make heavy use of AutoCAD, and being able to make tweaks in the field, or even the hotel, should be amazingly helpful. I don't expect to be at full productivity, but then again, even on a typical laptop, running AutoCAD on one small screen will never be as productive as running on 2 or 3 large desktop displays.
In theory, the SP3 should be perfect for me. I do worry about the batter life though. I suspect that I might need to pick up an external battery pack for those times I'm on site without access to a wall outlet. Time will tell, I guess. I also think about general durability. I am generally not on fully active construction sites with lots of dirt and dust, but I will be in environments that are not office-like. So we'll see if there is some sort of rugged case or screen protection available for those scenarios.
All in all, I am really looking forward to getting my SP3 in August. I just wish they would release it already since I could really use it mid-July. But I've waited this long, so what's another couple of weeks.
Thanks for the nice review. This is the one I've been waiting for, and it didn't disappoint.
[+] [-] withdavidli|11 years ago|reply
- Drawing apps like Fresh Paint don't work sometimes when on split screen. By doesn't work, I mean it won't recognize the pen on start up. I would have to full screen the app, use the pen, then I can use the pen on split screen.
- Apps aren't adjusted to split screens correctly. The resizing of the apps gets rid of functions like creating a new page that can only be seen when app is in full screen.
- Chrome Windows 8 mode sucks. That thing resized to a quarter of the screen, blacked out the other 3/4ths and it took me 30 minutes to figure out how to undo it because the menu button on Chrome was blacked out. Figured out that they were still there, just not visable.
- Chrome sometimes disables my trackpad click recongniztion? I can activate links and tabs via the touch screen, but not by clicking the trackpad. All was good after restarting Chrome.
- Tablet does not recognize that I took off the keyboard sometimes. This causes orientation lock. I would have to reattached and detach keyboard.
- Trackpad kinda stuttering with movements. Sometimes jumps around so not very precise. This happens more when using on my lap for some reason..
- Changing screen orientation is sorta laggy, definitely more than a 1 second change. I have the 8gb/256gb version.
- I'm pretty sure Flux crashes this tablet. Froze it twice in 30 minutes after install. Perfectly fine now after uninstall.
I'm actually getting used to Windows Metro...strange. This is the first Windows machine I bought myself after 4 years. I was a Windows user for most of my life until college.
EDIT: Pen holder could have been designed better. Everyone at the store trying it out was confused it wasn't there. It's basically a stick on piece that comes with the keyboard, but none of the floor models have them at the Microsoft store. It's also uncomfortable placing the pen in there. I know it has to be tight so it doesn't fall out, but it's a struggle every time. Probably takes a good 3 seconds to fully place it in. If you don't think that's a long time wait until you're leaving a meeting and everyone is waiting on you. Bad user experience on the pen holder.
- Too heavy to hold for tablet use. Wasn't really expecting it, but have heard reviews about it, and this is the lightest pro version too. Good thing the kick stand can rest on my knees (actually pretty good for posture with knees bent because you're neck won't be pointed down the entire time).
[+] [-] fumar|11 years ago|reply
The workflow between Metro and Desktop becomes easier and better over the course of a week.
[+] [-] cc_|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] skrebbel|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mafuyu|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] darksim905|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DiThi|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] stcredzero|11 years ago|reply
It wouldn't be easy to do, however. As the hardware manufacturer and OS producer, they are in a unique position to be able to do it, however.
[+] [-] gcb0|11 years ago|reply
Instant brand new tablet. You're welcome.
[+] [-] homerowilson|11 years ago|reply
When first using it on his lap, the screen kept flopping around as the kickstand slid off his legs--he eventually used the back of the seat in front of him to prop it up a bit.
Then when the tray came down, he clearly could not get a comfortable typing angle.
At some point, he dispensed with the keyboad and used it as a tablet with the kickstand on the tray, and that looked like a pretty good set up.
I asked him if he liked it near the end of the flight, and alas he said he plans to dispense with tablets all together and go back to laptops.
[+] [-] untog|11 years ago|reply
So it seems like a bit of a wash to me.
[+] [-] WorldWideWayne|11 years ago|reply
So now I'll never bring anything but a tablet on the plane.
[+] [-] teeray|11 years ago|reply
http://tablets.reviewed.com/content/microsoft-surface-pro-3-...
[+] [-] victorvation|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] storgendibal|11 years ago|reply
I'm in business school (don't hate :) ) so most of our content is in the form of HBS case studies and diagramming and drawing graphs/charts is pretty common.
I see a lot of people using Notability on iPads. If I could get a Wacom or NTrig active stylus on an iPad, that would be sweet, but alas, not possible.
[+] [-] _archon_|11 years ago|reply
I haven't played with the SP3, but I'm sure there are a multitude of other options as well which are well-suited to student use.
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] darksim905|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] vxNsr|11 years ago|reply
I'm assuming its a driver problem possibly with symantic. I'm dreading calling HP support about it because the first 4 or five layers seem to be ignorant knowledge-base-only-readers. (They really are only about as effective as google. They'll recognize a keyword and use that as the basis for their response. No matter how insignificant that one word is.)
[+] [-] akuma73|11 years ago|reply
I got rid of it and just went with a Macbook Air. It's just better in so many ways.
[+] [-] niels_olson|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] melling|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pweissbrod|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] qntmfred|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fit2rule|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DiThi|11 years ago|reply
Also I'm working in my spare time in a bunch of scripts to imporove the surface experience (touch gestures, palm rejection, sound feedback for touch cover, etc). I'll upload them to github soon.
[+] [-] lallysingh|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] WorldWideWayne|11 years ago|reply
"...you’ll find that most things work out of the box. WiFi works, but only 2.4GHz networks can be detected. The touchpad on the Type Cover works, but the keyboard does not. You’ll need to activate the virtual keyboard in the accessibility setting to get much of anything done, and Ubuntu’s virtual keyboard is lacking in desirable features. There are some third party alternatives you can install, but the initial experience here will likely have you scrambling for a USB keyboard.
The pen works as a pointer and as a left-click when you press down, but because Bluetooth does not work out of the box you lose the buttons on the pen."
[1] http://www.geek.com/microsoft/linux-users-rejoice-heres-ubun...
[+] [-] baconstrp|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gcb0|11 years ago|reply
Was it the i5? i7?
[+] [-] lps41|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dworin|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chenster|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] stevoo|11 years ago|reply
This machine is the only thing that will get me to use windows again (if i dont end up installing linux on it)
As far as hardware i believe this is superb machine. They might have lost the train, but if they keep it up the version 4 will be much much better.
They just need to continue improving the software