Microsoft Announces Surface 3: 10.8-inch 2-in-1 with Atom x7 on 14nm from $499
by Ian Cutress on March 31, 2015 9:52 AM EST
The next element of Microsoft’s Surface line is here, and the anticipated Surface 3 throws up a couple of (nice) surprises. Starting at $499, the Surface 3 will complement the Surface Pro 3 by offering a 10.8-inch device in a 1920x1280 resolution. That sounds a little odd being a bit more than full-HD, but offers a 3:2 resolution like the larger Surface Pro 3. Under the hood is Intel’s new Atom x7 which we discussed briefly during the Atom re-naming launch earlier this year, which means a 14nm class device featuring Airmont cores and the direct upgrade from Silvermont and Bay Trail. The release states that this is the high end model, which would suggest a quad-core Atom design running above 2 GHz. Microsoft/Intel are not directly calling this Cherry Trail, and our discussions with Intel seem to avoid the Cherry Trail nomenclature, but the SoC will be partnered with 64GB or 128GB of storage, plus a 4G ‘LTE Ready’ version will be coming later.
The Surface 3 is being billed by Microsoft as the thinnest and lightest Surface device, and will run the full Windows 8.1 inside which can be upgraded to Windows 10 later this year for free. The price will include a 1-year subscription to Office 365, as well as 1TB of OneDrive storage. On the device will be a full-size USB 3.0 port, a mini-DisplayPort and a microSD card reader to supplement storage. Charging comes via a bundled fast-charging micro-USB, although it can also be charged with a standard smartphone micro-USB as well. Battery life is listed as 10 hours for video playback, with the screen being described as having ‘incredibly accurate colors’ – here’s hoping for a calibrated display out of the box. Front and rear cameras (3.5MP / 8MP) are designed to both capture 1080p, with an auto-focus feature on the rear camera.
The device on its own will be 8.7mm thin, weighing in at 622 grams (1.37 pounds), and seems to not feature the kickstand that Anand liked in his Surface Pro 3 review. Instead we get a standard 3-position stand. Accessories start with the standard Type Cover but also include a Docking Station with more USB ports as well as ‘The Surface Pen’. The new digital pen will be available in red, blue, black and silver with 256 levels of pressure sensitivity - we presume this is an N-Trig design although we’re waiting for official confirmation.
The Surface 3 and accessories are now available for pre-order in the US, shipping on May 5th. Resellers and partners should have availability on May 7th, although from 1st April users should be able to head into a Microsoft Store in Canada, Puerto Rico and the United States for some hands on time before full launch.
We’ve already put in our request for a review unit.
Source: Microsoft
| Microsoft Surface 3 | ||
| Size | 10.52 x 7.36 x 0.34-inch 267 x 187 x 8.7-mm |
|
| Weight | 1.37 lbs - 622 g | |
| Display | 10.8-inch ClearType Full HD Plus 1920x1280 resolution, 3:2 ratio 10-point multi-touch Surface Pen Support |
|
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours (video playback) | |
| Storage/DRAM | 64GB / 2GB | 128GB / 4GB |
| CPU | Atom x7-Z8700 Quad Core 14nm 1.6 GHz Base Frequency 2.4 GHz Burst Frequency |
|
| WiFi | 802.11ac + BT 4.0 LTE Models at a later date |
|
| Ports | USB 3.0, Mini-DisplayPort, microSD, Micro USB charging, 3.5mm Headset Jack |
|
| Software | Windows 8.1 Office 365 Personal with 1TB OneDrive (1-year) |
|
| Front Camera | 3.5 MP | |
| Rear Camera | 8.0 MP with Autofocus | |
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 64-bit | |
| Warranty | 1-year limited | |
| Price | $499 | $599 |
Edit: This news post originally stated that the kickstand was the same as the Surface Pro 3. This error has been adjusted due to new information.
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royalcrown - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Ian,Will you please test some games on this, such as civilization V and other light games. I could see using a monitor and a keyboard at my desk and taking this to another room when I don't feel like being chained down to my usual spot. This could be a good desktop substitute for folks that do mostly internet and casual use.
kyuu - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link
I can already tell you Civ V is playable. Played it just fine on my Venue 8 Pro (low settings, of course).boozed - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
"The device on its own will be 8.7mm thin"It's okay to say "8.7mm thick", you know.
AnandTechUser99 - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
The price for the Surface 3 (4 GB / 128 GB) model in Canada is $769.00 CAD. The Type Cover is $159.99 CAD and the Surface Pen is $49.99 CAD. Together that's $978.98 CAD before tax or $1106.25 CAD after tax (13%).Thanks to the high USD, the price increase in Canada is considerable. Not exactly an affordable option for students.
WorldWithoutMadness - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
You don't need to confirm whether this is N-trig or not as it will be 100% N-trig.N-trig had been bought by Microsoft, why would they use other competitors product just after they acquire the company?
zeo - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link
Yeah, it states right on their page that the Pen works with both the S3 and SP3... So it can only be N-Trig...tramways - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link
18 months ago I bought a Medion Akoya convertible from Aldi.Its specs are:
Bay Trail Celeron Quad at 1.86GHz
4GB RAM
64GB emmc
500GB HGST HDD in keyboard
2nd battery in keyboard
1xUSB3,1xUSB2,micro HDMI,headphone port,charging port in tablet
2xUSB2,charging port in keyboard
1920x1080 IPS 10 point touchscreen
Windows 8.1 64 bit OS
AC wireless and bluetooth
AU$600
It has never missed a beat with good battery life.
Now we get 1 USB port and think it's OK.
I like the screen height though.
digiguy - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link
If this is the Medion I saw at Aldi (P2212T), this thing weighs almost as the original Surface and is 1,7 KG with the keyboard, while this surface is around 900g with the keyboard. Also one of the main strengths of the Surface (pro) 3 is the aspect ratio, more similar to ipads, that makes it usable in vertical position to read pdfs, etc. I have a couple of 16:9 windows convertibles and their are more similar to netbooks than to tablets. When I bought the Surface pro 3 (I3) I wanted a tablet first (I already had an ultrabook) to read documents and annotate them (the stylus is another major plus), that could also be a light and usable laptop as a bonus.milkod2001 - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link
Imagine MS comes with this product on day of official release of Windows 10 offering 128/4GB model for $399 including keyboard....my point is MS should attract mass market with good price, not only to target businesses especially with very average Atom inside.BMNify - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link
Yeah and piss off and bankrupt the OEM partners in this process, Microsoft is rightly targeting the Mid-High end market with Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3, they need not price their premium products at prices which are lesser than toys like ipad. Regarding Atom x7 performance, lets wait and watch for Anandtech review before announcing it as average , intel surprised last time with Baytrail performance and we should wait for Cherrytail performance reviews.