Recently, Yantrick’s back has been taking a bit of a beating having to lug around a laptop and an iPad in the bag. While tablets are handy and great for entertainment and media purposes, laptops and desktops are still required owing especially to the much higher RAM that they provide.
What Yantrick yearns for is a capable device, powerful enough to handle the most memory-consuming of Excel worksheets, while at the same time, is lightweight enough to carry around. With the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, Yantrick might just have discovered the holy grail of a tablet-PC hybrid.
The third edition of the Microsoft Surface series, the Pro 3 is not only thinner and lighter than its predecessor, but also boasts a larger, higher-resolution screen. A seductive and sleek silver slab, the Surface Pro 3’s chassis is made of a sturdy magnesium alloy. At just 0.36 inch thick and 800 grams weight, the device has got the feel of a tablet just right. A kickstand adorns the back, which can be easily adjusted to nearly any angle between 22 and 150 degrees, depending on your need.
Also built into the thin body are: a full-size USB 3.0 port, microSD card reader, Mini DisplayPort, 5-megapixel and 1080p HD front- and rear-facing cameras, stereo speakers with Dolby Audio-enhanced sound, as well as a Bluetooth 4.0 capability. The touch screen that the Surface Pro 3 packs in is 12 inches diagonally, and has a display resolution of better-than-HD (2,160 pixels x 1,440 pixels), equating to pixel density of 216 PPI. The IPS screen looks clear and bright, while excellent viewing angles make the screen perfect for reading, watching movies or viewing photographs.
Internally, the Surface Pro 3 boasts specs to rival any current generation premium laptop. Particularly adapted to run on Microsoft’s full version of Windows 8.1 operating software, and available in Core i3, i5 and i7 CPU processor variants, the Surface Pro 3 packs in an impressive RAM of up to 8 GB, along with a built-in Intel HD graphics card. It is thus easy to see why Microsoft is touting the Surface Pro 3 as a laptop or notebook replacement.
Microsoft ships the Surface Pro 3 with a super fast SSD internal storage of 512GB, which can be further enhanced by 128GB via the microSD slot. All of this equates to a device capable of handling memory and graphic intensive applications -- ideal for using worksheets, presentations, videos and games. And thanks to the excellent Type Cover, an accessory that doubles as a keyboard as well as a beautiful cover, you won’t even notice you’re not on a PC.
Yantrick’s Verdict: With the base Core i3, 4 GB RAM and 64GB SSD internal memory, Microsoft Pro 3 tablet is available at Hamrobazaar.com and at gadget shops for approx. Rs 90,000.The Surface Pro 3 is well worth the price, because the Surface Pro 3 is essentially a tablet and a laptop fused brilliantly into one device.