Microsoft Announces Surface 3 Tablet

We reported recently that Microsoft will soon unveil a new Surface tablet. Even though it would be the Surface 2’s successor it won’t be relegated to Windows RT. That’s precisely what Redmond announced today. Microsoft has formally announced the Surface 3 tablet. It’s the thinnest and lightest Surface that the company has ever shipped. Surface 3 runs full Windows and desktop applications, comes with a one-year subscription to Office 365 and even has a 4G LTE compatible model.

Surface 3 has the same design and is made out of the same premium materials that the company uses for the premium Surface Pro 3 tablet. The new Surface with its 10.8-inch display and 3:2 aspect ratio is just 8.7 mm thin and weighs 1.37 pounds. Like other Surface tablets the Surface 3 also has a kickstand that can support the device, and disappear when it’s not needed.

There is an 8 megapixel rear and 3.5 megapixel front camera. Microsoft says that the battery is good for up to ten hours. The tablet comes with a microUSB charger so it uses the same connector as most smartphones on the market today. It also has a full-size USB 3.0 port, a microSD card slot and a Mini DisplayPort.

The tablet is powered by a quadcore Intel Atom x7 processor and runs full 64-bit Windows 8.1. For business customers it will be available to Windows Pro. Microsoft has also confirmed that the Surface 3 will be upgradable to Windows 10 when the new software is released this summer.

Microsoft Surface 3 starts at $499. The new tablet can be pre-ordered today at Microsoft Stores, microsoftstore.com and via select retailers. Surface 3 will officially go on sale come May 5th.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Computers, Tablets
Tags: Microsoft, Surface 3, surface pro 3