Microsoft Surface Pro 3 – Experience

sp3_pic00 I received my Surface Pro 3 about a week ago, and I’d like to report my experience with it so far. To start  off, I had chosen to get trade in my MacBook Pro to get the 1st generation Surface Pro which I didn’t regret. I could just do more of my work related content on a PC than a Mac. Anyway, I enjoyed the portability and features that the SP1 provided. The only thing that bugged me was that I ordered the 64GB model. By the time I installed Visual Studio, Office 2013, and some games, I was down to 15GB, and that’s hardly enough space to store other content. One of the areas the SP1 didn’t do well in was the battery life. For me, it lasted around 1-3 with just Wi-Fi turned on, and on and off playing games and browsing the web. This was a bit unacceptable to me, as I had to keep plugging the tablet into the power outlet. Even when getting a hold of the Power Cover, it did help out a bit, maybe 1-2 hours in the way I use my tablet, the extra weight added on by the cover just didn’t jive with me. When I heard news that the SP3 was coming out, I knew that I would be upgrading. I love the innovation Microsoft is with their Surface Pro line, and each model improves their design and adds some content that increases usability and productivity.

When the SP3 came, I was impressed with its sleek design, screen size, and features it provided. The sound was much better than the SP1 in where I can actually hear music coming out if I’m in a noisy or fan filled room! The screen size was perfect, as there wasn’t enough screen real-estate on the previous SP models. This factor was very important to me, as I need to have numerous applications up and have them right in front of me so I can do some coding and development work. The slot to where you connect your power adapter was improved greatly. Before on the SP1, I had to continuously fish to connect the adapter and I would worry sometimes that I would be scratching the surface. With the SP3, the power adapter just snaps in easily, and I felt this was a similar experience with the MacBooks, which is a good thing!

Of course, with every new release there are bound to be some bugs that need to be worked out. Some problems as of now that hasn’t been fixed yet is Wi-Fi issues and problems coming out of sleep mode as well. There are times that you may get a blue screen when you come out of sleep mode or sometimes the Wi-Fi is performing slow out of sleep mode. Hopefully these issues can be resolved soon…maybe on the upcoming patch Tuesday. Other than that, I love the space I got (256GB), and the battery life. I can say strongly that the SP3 has indeed replaced my laptop. I thought the size would feel awkward, but its just the right size, and the light-weight of it really helps to affirm this.

Now, with the price of the SP3, you’re highly likely get a laptop that can have a better processor, graphics card, and more USB slots. With this said, I still enjoy the SP3, and it just works with me. Being able to position the SP3 in a wide range of ways via the kickstand already helps me in my productivity as I just type as I’m lying in bed, or if I’m sitting on a couch doing my coding and browsing. As of now, this is all I have to say about the SP3, and will post more if my experience changes!

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