User Reviews - Surface Pro 3

hopmedic

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To you it may not be worth it. But to me it is. That is fine. But it is also no secret that the price on the keyboard is probably high in order to maximize profit on the package, where the tablet probably has a much lower margin. As was said elsewhere, it's just psychology. You can buy the tablet for $799. If you don't like it, that's fine. It's not a device for everyone. But there is no need to make it seem as if the rest of us are making bad decisions. There are many of us who love the device. Those who do not, that's fine. Buy something else. But there really is no need for the continual disparaging and attempting to convince us that we have made the wrong decision.
 

mister2d

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To you it may not be worth it. But to me it is. That is fine. But it is also no secret that the price on the keyboard is probably high in order to maximize profit on the package, where the tablet probably has a much lower margin. As was said elsewhere, it's just psychology. You can buy the tablet for $799. If you don't like it, that's fine. It's not a device for everyone. But there is no need to make it seem as if the rest of us are making bad decisions. There are many of us who love the device. Those who do not, that's fine. Buy something else. But there really is no need for the continual disparaging and attempting to convince us that we have made the wrong decision.

There is nothing disparaging or an attempt to convince [you] that you made the wrong decision. My post is appropriate to the thread topic, which is "User Reviews - Surface Pro 3". I am a user.

Further, I made already made mention that these were my personal opinions. Again, also appropriate to thread topic.

How do you not understand this and take it personal? Take a step back and let Users actually review the device and post appropriately. Not everyone will justify their purchase and respond favorably. You have to accept that. Actually, Microsoft has to accept it as well. That's how they got to this point after each iteration--user feedback (good and bad).
 

anon(7901790)

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Ok. So I've had my SP3 for about a week now. I traded in my old SP Pro (as well as a 17" laptop and a netbook). I'm really impressed with it so far. I got the i5 w/ 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage, I decided to forgo the 256GB version mainly because I have a 64GB microSD card which gives me plenty of space. That in conjunction with my 100GB of OneDrive, gives me plenty of space for normal usage. I also have a pair of NAS's (an 8TB and 3TB), so I don't need to worry about long term storage either.

I did get the cyan type keyboard and overall it works great. I've used several keyboards in my career, so I've learned to adjust to the different quirks of the various keyboards produced. Coming from a SP1, the larger keyboard does feel a bit more roomier.

As far as the SP3. It's responsive and the battery life is a WHOLE lot better than my SP1; even when using it in desktop mode. I really like the weight compared to the SP1; and the styling is superb. I have the white Nokia Icon and the two look like they were designed to work together.

I also like the improved stylus/pen. My daughter likes to use it to practice her handwriting. The larger screen allows her to write without feeling cramped. I also like it for note taking using OneNote, and it does a pretty good job of recognizing my chicken scratch handwriting.

All in all, I am impressed with it and I am really happy with it.
 

Sledgehamma

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Chinocop

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So I got a SP3 last week and so far so good. But if MSFT wants to market this as a business machine, they need to add a trackpoint to the keyboard. The trackpad just isn't functional. I know that most users don't get the trackpoint, but it's so much more accurate. If they can mimick the old thinkpad setup with the mouse buttons underneath the keyboard with the "red nipple" this would be the ultimate kickass machine.
 

csjjjjjjjjjjj

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Had it for a few days, and it's been a huge hit with my myself, wife, and kids.

In the mornings, it's mine. I use it primarily sitting down with the keyboard. On site walks, I use it without the keyboard using OneNote with pen. Great replacement for my stupid heavy laptop.

Getting home, it's the kids'. I remove the keyboard and they log-in to their accounts. They prefer the touch and pen. Lot's of drawings (pen). Lot's of games (touch).

Evening time, it's the wife's. She uses it with the keyboard for paying bills, then removes the keyboard and sits on the couch (web & facebook, I assume). The kickstand works great here too, as it helps to stabilize the unit on the couch/body.

Anyway, brilliant hardware, great screen, great battery. Also, I find it's quite "lap-able"--much more stable than I guessed. It has yet to fall off my thighs, anyway.

Reading the above, it's clear that I cannot compare this to a laptop or tablet. No product can do both functions as well as this...

Possible improvements for Surface 4?
- Include swipe keyboard as optional input method (one thumb input). Using two hands on 12" screen seems awkward.
- Include clipping place on kickstand for pen. The magnetized areas work okay, but inevitably the pen falls. The hole slot requires the keyboard be attached. A tiny slot to slip the pen's clip into would be wonderful for when I'm walking about.
- Cortana...
- Microphone button for keyboard input.
- Work out the kinks with classic windows. Scrolling is still emulating the mouse wheel within may applications (click-click-click). To be expected with existing applications, but I would expect windows own (cough...file explorer) to work much smoother.
 
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Bill Slaunwhite1

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I purchased my Surface Pro 3 at Staples because they provide Air Miles on purchases. I purchased Liquid Armor for the screen for $30 CAD which they applied. I hate screen protectors normally and this is a great solution as the screen gets coated.

BTW, had the original Surface Pro and I found it heavy and while the screen is great the Pro 3 is just perfect for me and real estate. I love it for all the same reasons everyone else does.

Bill
 

seangprice

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Many of the suggestions can be fixed by software to improve the already impressive hardware. The biggest issue I have right now is the poorly designed and placed pen holder on the keyboard. The current setup is garbage, hopefully MS realized the and accepts the problem and gives the current and future users a fix.
 

someoneinwa

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This review is written on my new Surface Pro 3, using Type Cover 3, while sipping an Americano in a coffee shop in Dallas, Texas late on launch day.

Since the announcement of the Surface Pro 3, I have gone back and forth as to whether I would buy it on launch day. I was immediately impressed with the appearance of the device from the announce event and the specs released to the press that day. It truly seemed like the ideal portable device. I owned the original Surface Pro but found I stopped carrying it after a month or so because between the bulkiness of the device, what I called my sturdy tablet, and its relatively short battery life, it just wasn?t able to work for daily use for me. I also own a Surface 2, which is a reasonably priced tablet that hints at what Microsoft wanted to achieve with the Surface line. Surface Pro 3 truly achieves the powerful device suggested by the idea of the original Surface Pro and in the attractive package hinted at by the Surface 2.

I happened to be in Dallas on the first day of retail availability for the SP3. A new full Microsoft Store will open in Dallas this summer, but for now getting the Surface Pro 3 on day one meant a trip to the Arlington specialty store. I kept telling myself I wasn?t really sure I?d make the purchase here in Texas. In a few more days I?d be back home in Washington and could go to the Seattle store. If I bought now I could use the SP3 during the conference I was attending in a real world break in. Who was I kidding? Of course I was going to buy the SP3 while in Dallas.

This morning, I called the Microsoft Specialty Store in Arlington to determine whether they had SP3s that weren?t already claimed by pre-order before I headed out there. I was assured they did. I planned to pick up the 128GB version, but when the associate said they had both i5 versions available, I opted for the more expensive model with more storage and more memory. I was going to spend more than a thousand dollars either way. With the 256GB model I knew I wouldn?t wonder later if I should have opted for more storage. I also purchased a bundle that included a keyboard, a case and the Microsoft Complete service. With tax, this set me back about $1600. After returning to my hotel I added a 64GB microSD card that I had in my tech travel bag and set up the tablet.

Out of the box the SP3 is a beautiful device. Microsoft got the aesthetics just right. The screen is absolutely gorgeous. I agree with other reviewers that the new 3:2 aspect ratio is better than 16:9 of the earlier generations of Surface and makes the device more like a legal pad when held in portrait mode. Some have argued 3:2 is still a bit less ?natural? than a 4:3 ratio. I think this is a silly point because there is nothing uncomfortable about holding the Surface Pro 3 in portrait mode. It feels different than holding an iPad, but the SP3 is also so much more than an iPad.

I had an issue with the initial set-up of the SP3 because in order to set things up properly you need an internet connection. And when you are in a hotel, you have to use their internet connection which always requires the use of a sign-in acceptance screen. That made it impossible to set up the SP3 on the hotel network because the OS was in set-up mode and not at the Start Screen or desktop so I couldn?t open IE. I solved this by tethering the SP3 to my Lumia 1520 via internet sharing. Once I got past the setup, I was able to use the hotel Wi-Fi without a problem.

My Surface Pen also did not connect to the tablet during the set-up. I don?t know what the issue was but the Bluetooth service could see the pen but wouldn?t pair with it. I tried again after downloading a series of updates to the device and it worked without a problem. The pen is comfortable to use. I think it will get used a lot more than the pen that came with my first Surface Pro, which I eventually lost because I never used it. Each time I?ve tried to show off a bit with the ?click the purple button to turn on the SP3? trick, it has worked. My pen would not perform the double-click to take a screenshot function however. I tried a variety of things to address this, looking here on the Windows Phone Central forums as well as the Surface support website. (When I returned home I took my pen to the Seattle Microsoft Store. They were able to confirm the problem was with my pen and not user error or an issue with the tablet. They swapped out my pen for one that works properly.)

Because the new Surface Pro comes in the same nice light grey color of the Surface 2, I opted for the crimson keyboard so that my device can be an unofficial Washington State University computer in crimson and grey. The new keyboard is similar in appearance to the first Surface keyboards, although bigger. The keyboard itself is not any larger. The extra space is consumed by the much larger, and much improved track pad. Where older Surface cover track pads were covered with the same felt-like substance of the rest of the case, the new one is a slick, glass like material that makes movement easier and the larger size allows for more fluid movements as well. The old pad wasn?t awful or terrible or any of the overwrought words that some tech bloggers have used to describe it. It worked. This one is just much better, works easier and for allows more precise movement.

The keyboard comes with a color coordinated adhesive loop that is designed to stick to the front cover and hold the pen in a handy location. As of now, I don?t plan to use this, but keep the pen in my pocket. The new keyboard also features magnets that allow it connect to the front bezel of the SP3. This stabilizes the keyboard on your lap and also creates a slight incline in the keyboard which makes it better ergonomically. It also creates a bit more bounce in the keyboard than when it is lying flat, which is not a bad thing, but is something you need to get used to. The only other difference in the keyboard is a bit of branding. The name ?Surface? is printed in a small font on the lower front edge of the cover in a contrasting shade of the cover color.

A few more words on the keyboard: I?d venture to guess that most tech writers who have reviewed the Surface Pro 3 have listed as a ?con? for the device that the Type Cover is an extra $130 cost. Some then add that Microsoft should include the cover with the SP3 if they are going to claim it can replace a laptop. I can think of several reasons why Microsoft does not do this. 1. Marketing: Not including the cover allows a lower list price for the device. 2. Simplicity: The SP3 is already available in 5 variations of CPU, memory and storage. Adding a cover greatly complicates the options that must be made available. 3. Choice: I paired the SP3 with my Microsoft Wedge Keyboard and a mouse. As clever as the Type Cover is, there are more conventional portable keyboards in the Windows ecosystem that will work fine with the SP3. Users shouldn?t have to buy a keyboard they don?t want or need. 4. Ecosystem: Not including a cover allows accessory makers to provide aftermarket options such as a customizable covers that attach to the magnet connector, covers for specialized software (the ?blades? we?ve heard about), and so on. 5. Legal. The Surface Pro 3 is a tablet. Microsoft calls it a tablet (albeit one that can, when properly accessorized, replace your laptop). It is considered a tablet for purposes of airport security screening and use in flight. If it was sold with a keyboard, I?d expect someone would challenge Microsoft?s claim that the SP3 is a tablet.

That the Surface Pro 3 doesn?t come with a keyboard doesn?t bother me. I suspect the keyboard could be sold profitably for far less than $129, but the SP3 is a premium device, not an entry level one, and its accessories are priced to reflect that.

The new kickstand is everything I?ve read it was: outstanding. It is easy to open and the variable angle is quite nice, easy to adjust and yet it remains solidly right where you put it. In this bright coffee shop where I am sitting next to a window facing the sun, the screen is set to a much lower angle than would have been possible with the first two Surface generations and is thus easy to read without glare while allowing me to have a much better posture than was possible before.

Because this is a full PC, it has a fan. The cooling scheme that Microsoft developed for this device is pretty neat. I?ve read various reviews of the device and the range of descriptions of the fan has been amusing. While no reviewer has said it was loud, some have said it was more noticeable than Microsoft claimed (although they didn?t make a claim about that) and that it kicked on ?too much? although I?m not aware of a standard the defines how much is too much, Other reviewers also claimed the SP3 got hot, just not uncomfortably so, while most reviewers just said it got warm in one specific space. First, let?s just agree that terms like warm and hot are rather subjective. My experience: if the fan is running in this coffee shop or in lots of other places with louder than home levels of ambient background noise, you won?t hear it. (Later, I did hear the fan while using the SP3 in the quiet of my home but even then it was not noticeable beyond a few inches away. As for heat: the way I define the terms, it gets warm in the upper right corner of the rear of the device.

In setting up the SP3, I told it to copy settings from my other devices, so within minutes there was my lock screen, desktop and all of my Windows 8 apps. I finished the setup process and headed off to my conference where I used the SP3 for note-taking and looking up web materials. I never had a problem not finding or losing my Wi-Fi connection.

I noticed that carrying the SP3 around the conference center it was not noticeably different than carrying my Surface 2. It is bit bigger and heavier but the difference in the feel of carrying the device is negligible.

The Surface Pro 3 is a great mobile device. I?m glad I bought it in Texas so I could give it a work related workout right from the unboxing. It passed with flying colors. Great job, Microsoft.
 

hopmedic

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SomeoneInWA, first let me say thank you for a very thorough and well-thought-out review. It is appreciated. But let me offer one comment to combat myth.
...slight incline in the keyboard which makes it better ergonomically.
This is a myth.

I have suffered severe tendonitis in both hands - tendonitis that woke me up at night because of the pain. Tendonitis that resulted in several injections and months of physical therapy. Therefore when I use a keyboard I have a very strong motivator to do it right. A positive angle of the keyboard (higher in the back) is a repetitive stress injury waiting to happen, and it bothers me that keyboard manufacturers continue to put the feet on the back of keyboards to jack them up. When I see someone typing with the keyboard jacked all the way up I just want to grab it and break those legs off. What they should be doing is exactly the opposite. The keyboard should be flat (as I use my Surface keyboard when I have the space to do so, like on a table). I do not use the magnets to prop it up unless I don't have room to avoid it. The truly ergonomic keyboard will have a flat to slightly negative angle (lower in back). Your wrists should be as close to straight as possible. Any bending of the wrists, whether bending them back or overly bending them forward, has the potential for an RSI. Another thing I look for in a keyboard is as light a touch as possible for the keystrokes, and if there is an option, as short a keystroke as possible.

Here is a site to back up what I'm saying, so that people don't think I'm making this stuff up.
CUergo: Neutral Posture Typing
badkeyboardsetup.jpg

idealtyping.jpeg

Just trying to prevent unnecessary injuries! :smile:
 

someoneinwa

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Thanks for that Rich. You are right about the myth. I don't know how many times I've heard and read what I repeated. I've been blessed thus far in a long career of working at keyboards not to suffer from my ignorance. As a tall guy, I've always been more interested in the posture of my back and shoulders while writing. That is one of the problems that caused me to stop using my original Surface Pro. I'd find myself slouching in the chair to see the screen with that one-position kickstand.
 

hopmedic

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No problem. The back is just as important. I speak from the experience of spending a good bit of time at the chiropractor, working out the problems in my back and neck, and especially my right shoulder. Make sure your monitor is high enough. My chiro says the top of the screen should be at eye level. And like one of the articles I've read says (maybe the one I linked above), angle it so that you're not looking at reflections, and the lights aren't glaring in your eyes. I've gone so far at work as to untwist the fluorescent tube lights above my desk. They're directly above my PC, and too bright. Now they're dark, and I get light from the sides from the other ceiling lights. Yesterday some maintenance guys were going through the office, and mentioned my lights. I told them no - I did that. Don't touch it. :wink:
 

WillysJeepMan

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SomeoneInWA, first let me say thank you for a very thorough and well-thought-out review. It is appreciated. But let me offer one comment to combat myth.

This is a myth.

I have suffered severe tendonitis in both hands - tendonitis that woke me up at night because of the pain. Tendonitis that resulted in several injections and months of physical therapy. Therefore when I use a keyboard I have a very strong motivator to do it right. A positive angle of the keyboard (higher in the back) is a repetitive stress injury waiting to happen, and it bothers me that keyboard manufacturers continue to put the feet on the back of keyboards to jack them up. When I see someone typing with the keyboard jacked all the way up I just want to grab it and break those legs off. What they should be doing is exactly the opposite. The keyboard should be flat (as I use my Surface keyboard when I have the space to do so, like on a table). I do not use the magnets to prop it up unless I don't have room to avoid it. The truly ergonomic keyboard will have a flat to slightly negative angle (lower in back). Your wrists should be as close to straight as possible. Any bending of the wrists, whether bending them back or overly bending them forward, has the potential for an RSI. Another thing I look for in a keyboard is as light a touch as possible for the keystrokes, and if there is an option, as short a keystroke as possible.

Here is a site to back up what I'm saying, so that people don't think I'm making this stuff up.
CUergo: Neutral Posture Typing
View attachment 71508

View attachment 71509

Just trying to prevent unnecessary injuries! :smile:
You are correct! I've been doing that (back end of the keyboard tilted back) for over 30 years. It went contrary to everyone and everything I've read... but my wrists didn't lie. :)
 

mister2d

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So it's been a couple weeks with my SP3. I'd give it a solid 9/10--with some cons:

Whatever happened to that soft pillow-y sound that the kickstand used to make on the first gen Surface? Remember Microsoft went to great lengths explaining how they wanted to get the kickstand closing sound "just right"? Now it closes like a less refined lid. Seems like the cut a corner or two there.

The other con I noticed is the color of the backing. Remember VaporMg and it's color? The Surface Pro 3's back looks and feels a little like paint primer. As if Microsoft skimped on its production vs what they did with the first gen.
 

zeal0us

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Mister2D,

I see where you're coming from regarding the VaporMg's look, but if you check the used market with all the SP1s and SP2s floating around, the finish has not held up exceptionally well.

The corners of the devices seem to fade for some reason, even if there wasn't any significant contact involved in that area over those products' short lives thus far. Another affected area is the charging port, which unfortunately copes with a lot of hit-and-misses of the power connector. Given that the SP3 replaced the power connector with a new type that's much easier to use, the finish in that region shouldn't get ruined as easily. However, only time will tell if the changes they have made to the finish overall have yielded a more robust scratch-resistant design.

As for the hinge, I'd much prefer the continuous adjustment functionality as opposed to the older Pros that were limited by 1-2 hinge positions yet provided that satisfying "car door" sound. It's plausible that MS found the older closing feel unfeasible to implement with the new hinge type. It need not be said, but long as the SP3 hinge proves to last without issues, it's the winner by a mile.

TL;DR: Function over form! xD
 

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