Gadgetory

it's been nearly three years since Microsoft first revealed its original surface tablet and let's just say it hasn't been a smash hit the original surface RT suffered from performance issues the surface 2 improved it but you still couldn't really use it on your lab and sure the surface pro line has been much better but it's also expensive so Microsoft Surface 3 aims to fix all of that it runs real Windows not RT it's smaller but most of all it's the right price at $4.99 the surface 3 starts with the 10-point 8 inch display running at nineteen twenty by twelve eighty which gives it the same three by two aspect ratio as a surface pro 3 that slight change makes portrait mode a little more usable and a little less clunky but it doesn't change the fact that the surface still isn't really designed to be a pure tablet Microsoft is selling a type cover for 120 $9.99 and you really need it if you want to get the most out of the surface 3 without it you're left with a tablet and a severe lack of quality apps in the Windows Store but with it you can use it as a real PC with traditional apps that aren't as touch friendly the basic hardware design hasn't changed much from the surface 2 but the best change is the adjustable hinge because now the surface 3 has three modes it's not fully adjustable like the pro 3 but Microsoft says it would cost too much to put in a better one the surface 3 hinge works well enough with angles that accommodate most situations good enough isn't great though it's still awkward to use at times and honestly I don't know why I sat like this the new type cover does have some cleverly placed magnets that snap onto the screen to make things a little more sturdy it's backlit and it has a full keyboard but the trackpad is still a little too small you can also buy a stylus for $49.99 it's one of the more unique aspects of the surface and it works just as well here as it does on the pro 3 with different levels of pressure sensitivity it still feels like Windows itself isn't well equipped to use a pen naturally but apps like OneNote make really good use of it with a full version of Windows 8.1 powering the surface 3 you can now run apps like Chrome iTunes and Photoshop if you want to get work done an office or in some of the millions of traditional Windows apps you can it's effectively a smaller version of the surface pro 3 only without nearly as much power Microsoft has opted for an Intel Atom processor and while it's actually fast enough for most basic tasks I did notice some lag here and there especially when you multitask with a lot of apps but if you think of this as a basic laptop or a Chromebook then it copes well enough with web browsing editing office documents and playing some mobile games but if you're looking to do video editing or anything really more powerful than just the basics you should look elsewhere battery life is around seven hours in our own tests so if you start work at 9:00 a.m. that would just squeak out a working day that's probably enough for most people but the addition of a micro USB charging port means you can use your phone charger to top-up the surface 3 microUSB also doubles as a standard USB port if you buy an adapter like the surface before it there's also a full-size USB and a mini display port for connecting up a monitor if you're not happy with the 64 gig or 128 gig storage options there's also a micro SD card slot to expand on them should you buy the surface 3 that really depends on how you're going to use it if you can afford it you should probably just get the surface pro 3 it has more power or honestly just buy a laptop but if you're looking for a combined device with a touchscreen stylus and a keyboard then this is one of the best on the market for this price at $4.99 just know that there are compromises the surface 3 is trying to be a laptop and a tablet but it doesn't nail either mode really well and to take advantage of all its features you're going to need to buy that keyboard and pen separately maybe it's time Microsoft just made a surface laptop at the end of the day it seems like that's what it really wants to be