It's an ergonomic improvement, although it makes typing louder and clackier. This gives you a more natural typing angle. Like the Pro 3 version, this new keyboard cover includes a secondary hinge, which is really just a line near the top edge you can fold the cover along, lifting the rear up and holding it against the body via a magnetic connection. The kickstand hinge and keyboard cover are miles beyond what other tablet-makers offer. The hardware feels good, is solidly built, and includes enough ports to get by. Add in the cost of the keyboard dock and there are better values out there, at least in terms of raw specs.īut, the Surface 3, like the previous Surface Pro systems, represents one of the best overall user experiences for a Windows 8 tablet. But, like most Atom-powered PCs, it also had occasional moments where it inexplicably seized up, sometimes when running multiple tabs in another Web browser, such as Google's Chrome.įor around the same price or a little more, you can find many Windows 8 laptops and tablets, most running similar hardware, but occasionally with a more powerful Core i3 or Core i5 processor, such as the $599 Lenovo Flex 3. In practice, for casual websurfing, email, and streaming HD video from Netflix and other sources, the Surface 3 runs smoothly, especially if you keep to Windows-optimized programs such as Internet Explorer 11 or other pre-loaded apps in the Windows 8 tile interface.

Microsoft surface 3