Is Surface worth the price?

[Worzx]

Hello!

For my college studies I was looking up for a perfect device for the past few months. I've looked up most likely all the available 2-in-1's and tablets which is available and fits in my budget (about $1000). From reviews from users, youtubers, websites I found that the best suitable device for me, would be a surface. However, it has one BIG disadvantage for me, it's price. I've came along several tablets with the same or similar specs like the Surface 3 or the Surface Pro 3, and I just find these surfaces HIGHLY overpriced. I mean, I can get a Chinese, no-name tablet (which I've seen working and it's performance) for $100-150 with very similar specs, or even one with surface-style keyboard for $200-250. And with the surface, I got mostly the same for at least $600, and I don't even have a keyboard for it.

Does Microsoft follow Apple's marketing thingy, to put something out for double or triple price, or what am I missing about surfaces? Why is it overpriced comparing to other devices (not just the Chinese tablets I mentioned)?

 

[Geo Hutchings]

Hello!

For my college studies I was looking up for a perfect device for the past few months. I've looked up most likely all the available 2-in-1's and tablets which is available and fits in my budget (about $1000). From reviews from users, youtubers, websites I found that the best suitable device for me, would be a surface. However, it has one BIG disadvantage for me, it's price. I've came along several tablets with the same or similar specs like the Surface 3 or the Surface Pro 3, and I just find these surfaces HIGHLY overpriced. I mean, I can get a Chinese, no-name tablet (which I've seen working and it's performance) for $100-150 with very similar specs, or even one with surface-style keyboard for $200-250. And with the surface, I got mostly the same for at least $600, and I don't even have a keyboard for it.

Does Microsoft follow Apple's marketing thingy, to put something out for double or triple price, or what am I missing about surfaces? Why is it overpriced comparing to other devices (not just the Chinese tablets I mentioned)?

When you understand how the surface pro 3 is made, The paint they use, the Material, 2k display, the graphics tablet etc etc its worth the price, but now is the Question do you need the sexiness and graphics tablet, or do you need something more laptop like, like the XPS 13/15 which are by far the best laptops around

 

[vipme]

If you don't have the coins for gadgets, buy a thin laptop. (17" preferably)

 

[Topataco]

I was in your position, but I bought a refurbished i5 128gb pro 3 on eBay and have no regrets. I also accept the right corner of the screen heating up as an obvious trade off and not a defect of the machine. It came bundled with a new type cover and when I bought it came out to $950 with all the taxes and everything so as a fellow student I highly recommend this route. Of course I'm uber careful with it, I got it a Knomo Knomad to protect it and it NEVER leaves the dorm naked nor does it leave my eyesight. Oh I'm an engineering student btw, so I do recommend getting the S3 if you aren't going to do anything intensive with it(AutoCAD/PhotoShop/that sort of thing)

 

[Worzx]

When you understand how the surface pro 3 is made, The paint they use, the Material, 2k display, the graphics tablet etc etc its worth the price, but now is the Question do you need the sexiness and graphics tablet, or do you need something more laptop like, like the XPS 13/15 which are by far the best laptops around

The XPS 13 and 15 are absolutely beautiful devices. However, for that price, I expect a dedicated GPU. Also, I will use this device for learning, so for reading mostly when used as a tablet and creating documents in school, or anywhere, replacing this function of my desktop.

 

[Worzx]

The main reason would be about the device I choose is to be a 2-in-1. I would use in tablet mode for document reading, movies, etc., while also I need a comfortable functionality of a keyboard and a touchpad/mouse.

 

[Geo Hutchings]

I was in your position, but I bought a refurbished i5 128gb pro 3 on eBay and have no regrets. I also accept the right corner of the screen heating up as an obvious trade off and not a defect of the machine. It came bundled with a new type cover and when I bought it came out to $950 with all the taxes and everything so as a fellow student I highly recommend this route. Of course I'm uber careful with it, I got it a Knomo Knomad to protect it and it NEVER leaves the dorm naked nor does it leave my eyesight. Oh I'm an engineering student btw, so I do recommend getting the S3 if you aren't going to do anything intensive with it(AutoCAD/PhotoShop/that sort of thing)

"AutoCAD/PhotoShop/that sort of thing" I do all those things without any trouble

 

[Worzx]

I'm not the person of second handed things. If I convince myself to buy something I always go for new, but thanks for the suggestion.

I will have the power of my desktop if I need it, and I will, for gaming in first place. However, I can't stand reading something on a laptop or desktop PC, I prefer tablets this way. It would be also much comfortable to create documents and such on the device I choose and for that I prefer a keyboard and a touchpad/mouse.

 

[Worzx]

My biggest concern about the surface is its GPU. I don't have much experience with Intel HD graphics, all the mobile GPUs I have experienced with were 2 times faster than the actual best integrated solutions.

Of course, I don't plan to game on it, maybe casual games, like the ones on the store which was firstly created to phones. How does the GPU perform? I know casual things won't be a big load for it. Do you have any applications which you think are running slowly with this GPU (besides gaming)?

 

[illegaloperation]

If you look at the Lenovo ThinkPad 10 (2015) which has almost the same hardware as the Surface 3, you'll see that it has a similar price.

Also, no name Chinese tablets don't count. And I am most certain that they don't come with a N-Trig/Wacom digitizer.

 

[LouCap]

I haven't been a student for quite some time, but I DO use my S3 for work everyday. I take notes with it using the pen, watch videos, and do word processing and some spread sheets. It works flawlessly for these tasks. I particularly like using One Note with the pen as a replacement for taking notes on a legal pad. The handwriting recognition is great, and the ability to insert images or videos into my notes is invaluable.

 

[onlysublime]

If price is your biggest factor, then Surface 3 or Surface Pro 3 isn't your thing. Because there are almost no machines in its category so you really can't compare based only on CPU/GPU. How many machines out there have pen input, touchscreen, easy tablet mode, easy laptop mode, a high quality screen, built-in Bluetooth, AND is thin and light as the Surface machines?

The Surface Pro 4 is rumored to be out this fall with the Intel Skylake CPU/GPU. That will result in a sale of existing SP3 stock. So you could save some money there.

I know we all want it all and want it cheap but ultimately you get what you pay for. I'm happy with my Toyota Highlander. It's not a Porsche Cayenne but it's a lot cheaper and good enough for me. Maybe that's what you need. A good enough machine.

 

[Big Papa Smurf]

Maybe that's what you need. A good enough machine.

If more people followed this logic, there would be less posts about how specs mattered.

The S3 or SP3: Can you afford the SP3? Y- get it. N- Get the S3. If you would rather buy the Chinese knock off then go for it.
I'm tempted to get the S3 through ATT simply because I can't afford to pay out of pocket for it. I don't really need the LTE, but it might be nice to have at times. But I can pay it off in February, which is when I tend to buy expensive items, and pay half then. And I can get my wife another... Android tab... Ugh

In the end, you buy what is the best bang for your buck.

 

[Topataco]

Wait, if you /have/ a powerful desktop then having a /powerful/ 2 in 1 is redundant since heavy duty gaming would be done on that desktop as well as whatever other program your major requires. Now I'm studying civil engineering and I like to game a bit (nothing too graphics heavy), I have installed AutoCAD (although I haven't really used it) and I have the Remote mDesktop app installed. My usage scenario for the SP3 is for taking notes in some classes, using it for my textbooks, research and surfing the web. I love my surface because I can easily snap OneNote and Xodo Docs for easy reference while studying or the ability to just connect to a remote PC and use whichever program I need while I collaborate with classmates on a project, pen support is fantastic I can do so many more things that what my iPad/Tab toting friends can and thoroughly enjoy goading them because of it. So if what you're looking for is what I just described, go for a Surface. I didn't have the luxury of owning a powerful desktop so I needed the pro 3 i5, you however have that so I don't see the reason for you to need anything more than a Surface 3.

 

[onlysublime]

Yeah, the Surface 3 with LTE is a great option if you want AT&T to subsidize the cost of the machine.

It's $30/month through AT&T for a great machine. And you always have Internet access and are not dependent on finding a hotspot. Doing basic tasks on the Surface is so much nicer than doing it on a phone. Heck, The Verge wrote an article recently on how terrible mobile web browsers are still in this modern day and age. He wrote how his 5 year old PC still loaded pages much faster and better rendered over his elite leading edge phones.

 

[michail71]

I would say the build quality and support would be worth it for a University environment. I have a hard time imagining the digitizer and pen on a Chinese knock off model would be anywhere near as good.

I'd probably do insurance too. Theft and accidents can be high at school.

 

[Brian282]

Here are the only valid reasons that I see in purchasing a Surface over the competition. In order of importance based on my opinion.
1. A very accurate stylus. I really like the idea of navigating the desktop without scaling, and a stylus makes this an easy task (without a keyboard). I can easily take notes (Side note windows loves cursive over print...) Big advantage I can doodle or drawl on my tablet.

2. Microsoft support is amazing. You can get help from a variety of places. You can call, or even ask questions on a forum. You also have the ability to go into any store and ask for on site training on a variety of programs (more so if you grab complete care). My current yoga is a piece of crap. The structure of their warranty support is a nightmare. Microsoft appears to have their act together more so than the competition.

3.Price Point. Toshiba has a new Click 10 coming out and it comes with a keyboard. The price is the same but look at the specs they ar all around lower in order to meet the price of the surface. Lower grade processor, USB 2.0 vs 3.0, Smaller less vibrant screen, among other things. All of these things add up. Sure the Surface is overpriced, but Microsoft isn't competing against anyone. There are zero high end windows tablets that compare to the Surface.
There is one Chinese tablet that trumps the Surface in a variety of places. The Cube i7 Stylus comes with a Wacom pen, a low price Mcore processor, 4gbs of ram, a lower quality screen and an metal chassis. The only issue is that you get Zero Support. You can't even download drivers for the thing. So there are cheaper higher powered tablets but they all have trade offs.. The surface just seems like the better all around tablet. It does what I want it to do, and that's what I find important.

Either way, if you do by a surface spring for complete care. Without warrany, replacing the screen on a Pro is close to 400 dollars and the surface seems to show up at 200 plus dollars.

 

[dirtyvu]

Screen replacement is expensive because the way the surface is designed (and any machine is thin), they basically replace the machine. That's why they tell you that they are not responsible for your data.

 

[illegaloperation]

For whatever reasons, competitors to the Surface family have to either be fundamentally flawed (Asus Transformer Book family and Dell Venue Pro family lack N-Trig/Wacom digitizers) or cost about the same (Lenovo ThinkPad/ThinkPad Helix family).

 

[michail71]

2. Microsoft support is amazing.

I was hesitant to contact Surface support at first given my usual experience with contacting companies. But they seem to have hired the best people that are allowed to think for themselves and can troubleshoot deeper problems rather than just stick to scripts. It's like calling or messaging a friend for help.

Better than an Apple experience.