Microsoft Announces Surface 3, a $499 iPad Fighter

Daniel Howley
·Technology Editor
Updated
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We loved Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 laptop-tablet hybrid for its gorgeous design, powerful specs, and beautiful display. But with an $800 starting price, it was expensive.

But now there’s the Surface 3, a smaller, slimmer version of the Surface that packs most of what we loved about the Pro into a less costly package, starting at $500.

Designed for students, parents, and workers on the go, the Surface 3 comes with a smaller 10.8-inch display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. The Surface Pro 3 has a larger 12-inch screen, with a higher 2160 x 1440 resolution.

While the Surface Pro 3 came with a powerful laptop-grade Intel Core I-series processor, the Surface 3 gets a less impressive Intel Atom chip.

And while the Atom processor should be more then enough for surfing the Web, streaming Netflix or Spotify, and working in Microsoft Office, the Surface 3 will struggle with things like Photoshop and other resource intensive programs.

The Surface 3 also has fewer storage options than the Pro 3, with Microsoft offering just 64GB and 128GB models. The 64GB version gets you 2GB of RAM, while the 128GB gets you 4GB.

The Surface 3 also loses out on the highly adjustable kickstand of the Surface Pro 3. Instead, the Surface 3’s kickstand can only click in to 3 positions.

And like the Surface Pro 3, the Surface 3 doesn’t come with a keyboard or stylus, which means you’ll still have to fork over $130 for the Surface 3 Type Cover and $50 for the Surface Pen.

So in reality, you’re going to pay about $680 for the whole package. That’s not a bad deal, when you consider the fact that the Surface 3 ideally takes the place of both your laptop and tablet.

An iPad Air 2 with 64GB of storage will cost $599, but unlike the Surface 3, it can’t run full programs. And like the Surface 3, that $599 price doesn’t include a keyboard or stylus

Like all of Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 devices, the Surface 3 will get a free upgrade to Windows 10 within the first year of the operating system’s release.

Stay tuned for our full review of the Surface 3 in the coming weeks.

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.

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