The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is the ultimate laptop replacement ? truth or fiction?
The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is being marketed as the tablet that can replace your laptop but can it live up to its promise? To see if it can fulfill its role as the ultimate mobile computing device, take a more in-depth look at what it has to offer.
Design
With a 12-inch screen, a screen resolution of 2160 x 1440 (216 ppi) and a bright, silver colored magnesium shell, the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 certainly feels like the premium device that it is. Despite its larger size, the Surface Pro 3 is also thinner and lighter as compared to its predecessors. It also has a more sensible aspect ratio (3:2 instead of the usual 16:9) to display more content and feel more comfortable to hold.
The Surface Pro keyboard was also given a much needed boost. After coming back from the drawing board, it now features a more responsive touchpad and a double hinge that allows it to be propped at a more comfortable angle.? Despite these improvements, however, there is one major problem with the Surface Pro 3. The keyboard does not come with the device so you have to buy it separately.
Hardware
The Surface Pro 3 is powered with a dual-core 1.9GHz Intel Core i5-4300U processor, and is equipped with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, Intel HD 4400 graphics, 802.11 ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
According to the results of Geekbench cross-platform processor benchmark tests, the Surface Pro 3 managed to come out on top when it comes to performance. In fact, it has outperformed the iPad Air 2, Google Nexus 9 and Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. Thus, you can use the Surface Pro 3 to do a number of things at once without compromising speed and performance.
Unlike other tablets or laptops, the device remains silent and the metal surfaces remain cool to the touch despite extended usage. The only problem is that the battery delivers less runtime and is far from being on the top of the list. It is not all that bad but it is not that impressive, either.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 definitely has a lot of style, is comfortable to use (both as a laptop and as a tablet), and provides impressive performance (save for the subpar battery life). With a few more tweaks and improvements, it can be a step closer to accomplishing its mission to replace the traditional laptop.
