I have a Surface Pro 1 and Surface 2. I want to sell those and move from the two devices to one. I've been considering both a Surface Pro 3 and a Surface 3. But I'm torn because there are aspects of both the gen 3 devices that just don't sit quite right.
I love the light weight of the S2 and really find that it meets my needs most of the time. The S2 works quite well when I just want to browse the web, email, read with the Kindle app, watch Netflix, do some light photo editing, etc. So mostly consumption.
I find the size of the S2 to be perfect for the casual, mostly consumption needs I mentioned above. Given how much I like the S2, the S3 seems like it might be a good device to replace my S2. But there are a few things that concern me with the S3.
I've read that charging the S3 is VERY slow due to the use of USB charging. There are times when my S2 is low on charge because it has been sitting a few days or I forgot to plug in before bed. I like that I can plug in for a few hours and it is good to go. I don't believe a quick 2-3 hour full charge is possible with the S3. But I also don't think the S3 will drain the battery just sitting as quickly as the S2.
I've also read the S3 uses eMMC and the disk performance is very low, particularly with updates. I know the S3 uses the latest Atom processor, but I'm still a little hesitant about it. I have an Acer Iconia that I got at Build a few years ago and it generally has a sluggish feel to it and is painfully slow at applying updates. It uses eMMC and an Atom processor. I tried Windows 10 on it and it absolutely sucked. Tap something and wait forever. Obviously, Windows 10 isn't finished, but the Iconia was just too slow to run it at this time. It may never be fast enough. I'm nervous about the S3's use of eMMC and Atom, particularly with Windows 10.
There are times where the S2 feels sluggish and this seems to be getting worse and more frequent as it gets older (or gets more Windows updates). I'm not sure if it is disk access or RAM that's the problem. I'm thinking of doing a reset to see if that helps. Anyway, this makes me a little apprehensive with the S3's performance over time.
If the S3 is no faster than the S2, then it doesn't seem like a good move.
Until the S3 was announced, I was planning to move to a SP3. I love the performance and flexibility of my SP1. But the weight is just too much for those casual consumption moments. I've really been spoiled by the lightness of the S2. The SP3 is a little lighter than the SP1, but it is still heavier than the S2 and S3. I feel like the SP3's dimensions will throw off the balance of the device for consumption as well. I do like that the SP3 can be used for real work--development and other desktop apps that I might need. But if I'm honest, I rarely do that with my SP1. The screen is just too small. I'm not entirely convinced the SP3's 12 inch screen would make that much of a difference. Maybe it would. It's tough to know without actually having the device to use for a bit.
The price of the S3 is attractive compared to a new SP3. I bought my SP1 new from Microsoft. I got my S2 as a refurb on eBay for less than $200. I've been pleased with that purchase. So if I go the SP3 route, I'm thinking of buying a refurb or something used.
So I'm curious about the battery charge time and performance concerns I've outlined on the S3. And I'm curious if anyone has tried the S3 and then switched to the SP3 or vice versa.
Appreciate any thoughts.
I love the light weight of the S2 and really find that it meets my needs most of the time. The S2 works quite well when I just want to browse the web, email, read with the Kindle app, watch Netflix, do some light photo editing, etc. So mostly consumption.
I find the size of the S2 to be perfect for the casual, mostly consumption needs I mentioned above. Given how much I like the S2, the S3 seems like it might be a good device to replace my S2. But there are a few things that concern me with the S3.
I've read that charging the S3 is VERY slow due to the use of USB charging. There are times when my S2 is low on charge because it has been sitting a few days or I forgot to plug in before bed. I like that I can plug in for a few hours and it is good to go. I don't believe a quick 2-3 hour full charge is possible with the S3. But I also don't think the S3 will drain the battery just sitting as quickly as the S2.
I've also read the S3 uses eMMC and the disk performance is very low, particularly with updates. I know the S3 uses the latest Atom processor, but I'm still a little hesitant about it. I have an Acer Iconia that I got at Build a few years ago and it generally has a sluggish feel to it and is painfully slow at applying updates. It uses eMMC and an Atom processor. I tried Windows 10 on it and it absolutely sucked. Tap something and wait forever. Obviously, Windows 10 isn't finished, but the Iconia was just too slow to run it at this time. It may never be fast enough. I'm nervous about the S3's use of eMMC and Atom, particularly with Windows 10.
There are times where the S2 feels sluggish and this seems to be getting worse and more frequent as it gets older (or gets more Windows updates). I'm not sure if it is disk access or RAM that's the problem. I'm thinking of doing a reset to see if that helps. Anyway, this makes me a little apprehensive with the S3's performance over time.
If the S3 is no faster than the S2, then it doesn't seem like a good move.
Until the S3 was announced, I was planning to move to a SP3. I love the performance and flexibility of my SP1. But the weight is just too much for those casual consumption moments. I've really been spoiled by the lightness of the S2. The SP3 is a little lighter than the SP1, but it is still heavier than the S2 and S3. I feel like the SP3's dimensions will throw off the balance of the device for consumption as well. I do like that the SP3 can be used for real work--development and other desktop apps that I might need. But if I'm honest, I rarely do that with my SP1. The screen is just too small. I'm not entirely convinced the SP3's 12 inch screen would make that much of a difference. Maybe it would. It's tough to know without actually having the device to use for a bit.
The price of the S3 is attractive compared to a new SP3. I bought my SP1 new from Microsoft. I got my S2 as a refurb on eBay for less than $200. I've been pleased with that purchase. So if I go the SP3 route, I'm thinking of buying a refurb or something used.
So I'm curious about the battery charge time and performance concerns I've outlined on the S3. And I'm curious if anyone has tried the S3 and then switched to the SP3 or vice versa.
Appreciate any thoughts.