The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 was a brilliant reboot of Microsoft‘s maiden convertible — a powerful, beautiful, versatile device for work and play. Cutting-edge and desirable, the Surface Pro 3, however, came with a price. And to some, out of reach. Microsoft has responded, finally, to the call for a more affordable Surface, now with the Surface 3. Starting at just RM1,989 (incl. 6% GST), the Surface 3 packs performance and value into a sleek, lightweight form factor. Pre-orders of the latest device start on Monday, 13 April 2015.
The Surface 3 is powered by the new quad-core Intel Atom x7-Z8700 processor running at 1.6GHz (with Intel Burst tech up to 2.4GHz). The x7 is the most powerful processor in the Atom family and is also power efficient, giving the Surface 3 up to 10 hours of video-playback. It also packs 2/4GB RAM and up to 128GB of storage.
Encased in a magnesium exterior, the convertible device weighs in at 622g, and measures 8.7mm thin.
It gets a 10.8-inch ClearType Full HD Plus display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and like the previous Surface 2, supports 10-point multitouch. It also supports input from the brilliant Surface Pen (RM189), but of course you’ll need to purchase this separately.
Despite its price, the Surface 3 is a feature-packed. There’s Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, a 8MP 1080p rear camera with auto-focus, a 3.5MP 1080p front-facing camera, Dolby-Audio enhanced stereo speakers and microphone.
In terms of expandability, the Surface 3 impresses with a full-size USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader, micro-USB charging port and plethora of sensors.
With the optional Surface 3 Type Cover (RM479), the tablet transforms into a full-fledged notebook and will be ideal for school, work or play. There’s also a Surface 3 Docking Station (RM769) for enhanced productivity and connectivity letting you connect to an external monitor, audio system, full-size keyboard and printer.
Surface 3 comes with Windows 8.1 and can be upgraded to Windows 10 for free when it is released (hopefully soon!). There’s also a complimentary one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 Personal including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus handy OneDrive cloud storage (1TB).
https://youtu.be/-Hj0-2zMHY8
Pricing and availability
Surface 3 and accessories will be available for pre-order in Malaysia starting 13 April at select partner retailers:
- Aone Plus Supplies & Services
- All IT Hypermarket
- Harvey Norman
- Hello Station (Nokia Outlet) – +603-21810847
- PC Image Sdn Bhd
- Sen Heng
- SNS Network
- Style Vision
- Thunder Match Technology
- Viewnet Computer System
Full price list below
- Surface 3 (2GB RAM, 64GB storage) – RM1,989
- Surface 3 (4GB RAM, 128GB storage) – RM2,389
- Surface 3 Type Cover (Black, Bright Blue, Red) – RM479
- 24W Power Supply for Surface 3 – RM149
- Docking Station for Surface 3 – RM769
- Screen Protector for Surface 3 – RM179
- Surface Pen (Black, Bright Blue, Red) – RM189
Starting 5 May, customers can start purchasing the Surface 3, Surface 3 Type Cover, Surface Pen, Surface 3 Docking Station and Surface 3 Screen Protector. Availability in all 26 markets globally is expected by 7 May.
