48 hours with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3

Surface Pro, is already on version three 18 months after the first version appeared. That’s good, it shows Microsoft is moving fast and responding to market needs.

The new Surface Pro 3 fixes almost all the things that were wrong with earlier versions. But there’s more than that.

The first Surface models were tablets with laptop-like qualities. Surface Pro 3 turns that around. It has evolved to become a tablet-like laptop-alternative. Microsoft does little to hide this, the Surface Pro 3 advertising makes direct comparisons with Apple’s MacBook Air:

While the Surface Pro 3 is a good Windows tablet, it is one of the best Windows 8 laptops. Yet despite what Microsoft says, it is not a direct competitor with the MacBook Air.

Third time’s the charm

It took Microsoft until Windows 3.1 to get its operating system right. Since then there’s been a long-standing joke that you have to wait until version 3.1 of anything before Microsoft irons out all the kinks.

That could well be the case with the Surface Pro 3. The earlier Surface Pro 2 was good, but there were niggles. Its screen was big enough for a tablet, but not for serious laptop-style work. And the screen was the wrong shape for serious writing or spreadsheet work.

The Pro 3 has a better screen. It’s bigger, at 12-inches instead of the 10-inches in earlier Surface Pro models.

Portrait and landscape

Perhaps more important than being bigger, the Pro 3 screen is a better shape for getting things done. Older Surface Pros had a widescreen format that’s optimised for watching HD video. That's fine, but it feels just plain wrong when you hold the tablet in the portrait orientation.

The Pro 3 screen has a height to width ratio of 2:3. That means it works nicely as a tablet in both orientations and makes sense when you’re typing a document down the page while word processing in landscape mode. It also makes working with spreadsheets, photographs and websites easier.

Microsoft says the screen is 40 per cent bigger with 50 per cent more pixels. It certainly looks better.

A bigger screen makes for a slightly larger device, but at the same time the Surface Pro 3 is thinner than its predecessors and lighter at just 800g. Despite this, there’s nothing flimsy about the device, it still has superb built quality.

Physically it’s just the ticket.

Keyboard good, not perfect

Because Microsoft sells the Surface Pro 3 as a tablet, it doesn’t come with a keyboard as standard. The Surface Pro Type Cover costs another $200. It's not really optional.

The extra money gets you a good tablet keyboard. It’s thin, with proper physical keys and backlighting. In theory the $200 turns your tablet into a laptop.

However, the Type Cover is still a tablet keyboard. While you can work, even touch type on the keys, it isn’t as good for sustained writing sessions as a the keyboard on a full-price laptop. This is where Microsoft’s comparison with the MacBook Air falls short. All the functionality is there, but the experience isn’t the same.

Understanding the Surface Pro 3

And that’s the key to understanding the Surface Pro 3. It’s the perfect device for certain people in certain niches, it can be both the functional equivalent of a good quality tablet and a laptop.

Generally attempts at hybrid devices end up with something that’s not the best of both worlds. There are compromises. In this case, you end up with a less than perfect laptop keyboard — if you don’t spend all day typing, that’s not going to matter.

I’m not one for sticking a laptop on my lap. I work at desks and tables. When I don’t, I use a tablet without a keyboard. When Microsoft says the Surface Pro 3 can be used on your lap, it is telling the truth, but it is uncomfortable and the weight is distributed in an unnerving way.

Surface Pro 3 price

New Zealand prices for the Surface Pro start at NZ$1200. That’s for a tablet with 64GB of storage and an Intel i3 processor. The model I’m looking at had 128GB of storage and an i5 processor — I suspect this is the sweet spot at NZ$1450. There are other options, the top of the line model with an i7 and 512GB will set you back a hefty NZ$2829.

You’ll need to budget another $200 for a keyboard and NZ$310 for the docking station.

Microsoft prices are in line with premium laptops including the MacBook Air. It doesn’t directly challenge Apple, nor does it threatens high-end Windows laptops for people who need solid keyboards.

If you want a light Windows laptop that doubles as a tablet, this is the best way to go.