Surface Pro has never been a bad idea. One device that's both your
laptop and your tablet! Sounds great! The problem was that it was just
never quite either; it was awkward on both counts. The new, bigger Surface Pro 3 though, might have actually found a way to walk the line.
The
first thing you'll notice picking up a Surface Pro 3 is that it doesn't
feel like a Surface Pro. It's not a black, pretty-but-chunky monolithic
slab. It feels more like a Surface 2, Surface Pro's RT-based,
pure-tablet younger brother. It's far more iPad Air than laptop, which
is seriously impressive for something with guts like this.
typically wonderful Surface design is in full effect here. This sucker
is a pleasure to hold and behold. The angular edges still melt into your
palms, and this sucker is thin and light enough that it's easily
one-handable, though you might not want to try it for more than a few
minutes.
The new, improved fan that Microsoft touted during its
announcement no doubt makes this smaller form-factor possible, and it is
impressive; I couldn't tell if the fan was on or off when I was playing
around with it (albeit in a noisy, drafty press lounge). What we did
notice is that it got hot. Fast. And from little more than just zooming
around the desktop. It's not oppressive unless you grab the upper back,
but it's still a little concerning for a device you're supposed to spend
much of the time holding.
the many things that are new about the Surface Pro 3, the screen size
feels the least remarkable. Yeah, it's bigger, but not in a way that's
immediately stunning or noticeable.
That's a good thing; the
screen sort of fades away into the background right away without
assaulting you with its largeness. I can't be exactly sure why, but I
think because it feels more laptop than tablet, and as far as laptops
go, 12 inches is reasonable, even smallish. Oh that screen looks
puuuuurty.
change that is more noticeable from the get-go is the new hinge. Gone
are the lovely snap-snap-snaps of hinges gone by. Instead, the Surface
Pro 3 hinge clicks open with a snap that's a ghost of its predecessor's,
and then proceeds to offer total freedom; some thick (and pleasant!)
resistance lets you angle the stand anywhere you want between the min
and the max.
sad to see the clicks go, but the sacrifice is well worth it for the
extra options which make it better than ever to use on a lap. It's
immediately clear that the addition of a second-stage last time around
was a half-measure, and this is the full one. The freedom to pick
whatever angle you want finally makes the Surface Pro a device that fits
to your slouching style instead of one that expects you to fit it.
of increased "lapability" (ugh), the Type Cover's new trick to fold up
and mag-lock against the entire bottom bezel of the tablet really does
help add to a sense of stability. It's no laptop hinge for sure, but
it's closer.
it comes to actually typing, the Type Cover seems just about as good as
what came before, which is to say that it's a totally workable
keyboard, but takes a little getting used to. The increased size though
will certainly help.
Having a stand on your knees still feels
weird and a little precarious, even if the wealth of angles help it to
be more stable. It's not that the Surface Pro 3 is perfect for a lap,
but more that its failings might be small enough to be forgivable this
time.
The stylus is a stylus. It feels pretty pen-like, and works
well and with little latency on the screen. There's no place to store
it in the tablet, but the Type Cover at least has a small loop for it
this time. You'll still lose it though; I already misplaced it once.
told, the Surface Pro 3 feels like it's moved to more tablet-like by
getting thinner and lighter, and more laptop like by getting a bigger
screen and more lap-options courtesy of the new hinge. Only time will
tell if it can effectively fit into life as either one of those (or
both!) but one thing is for sure; the Surface Pro has never stood a
better chance.
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