Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 23, 2014 3:55 AM ESTDisplay Analysis
I published an analysis of Surface Pro 3's display shortly after receiving my review unit. For those of who you haven't seen it already, the results and analysis are reprinted below.
With Surface Pro 3, Microsoft finally accepts that while 16:9 may be a great aspect ratio for watching movies but it's not optimal for a multi-purpose tablet. The tablet features a 12" 2160 x 1440 display (RGB stripe, not RGBW/PenTile), which ends up being a 3:2 aspect ratio. The difference is immediately noticeable in notebook-style use. While the Surface Pro 2 was never quite all that comfortable to use as a laptop, Surface Pro 3's display makes it substantially more laptop-like. There doesn't appear to be a big impact to tablet use either with the larger display. Particularly with Windows 8.1's split screen mode, the larger display ends up working extremely well. The LCD continues to be laminated to the cover glass just like with previous Surfaces.
Default 150% Scaling on Surface Pro 3, the 2160 x 1440 display behaves like a HiDPI 1440 x 900 display
Color accuracy is improved out of the box as well. The original Surface Pro had a display capable of being quite accurate, if calibrated, but out of the box it was a bit of a mess. Microsoft slowly improved out of box calibration over the years, eventually culminating in what we have today with Surface Pro 3.
Max brightness drops a bit compared to Surface Pro 2, likely due to the Pro 3 having 50% more pixels to light. Black levels at max brightness are pretty good, thanks in part to Microsoft's optically bonded LCD/cover glass stack. Contrast ratio remains competitive with previous designs.
Grayscale accuracy is the biggest issue with the new display, green levels are just way too high:
Our basic sRGB gamut test paints a great picture for Surface Pro 3. Full saturation color reproduction is excellent:
The saturation sweep also looks solid:
Unfortunately Surface Pro 3 doesn't do so well on our GMB color checker test. Part of the problem is its performance in the grayscale swatches included in this test:
Overall the Surface Pro 3 display is a huge improvement over the previous two generations, but it doesn't quite meet the high standards set by some of the other competitors on the market today from both notebook and tablet spaces.
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mkozakewich - Monday, June 30, 2014 - link
Not as much to do with cost. They were trying for thinness. I doubt they'll thin it more next time, because its current size is actually very nice. They don't need to reach iPad levels, they just needed to get to an acceptable tablet size.For an "ideal tablet PC", you'd probably be doing a lot less, and not spending all your time rendering at 99% CPU usage. I'd set the power configuration to use as little power as possible, and that would probably give good thermal performance. For instance, I'm running my Surface Pro (original) at full brightness and also charging it, but the fan hasn't come on because I'm in power-saving mode.
nos024 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
I don't mind not having an SD card slot as long as it has USB ports for a Windows based system. There's tons of USB flash drives that are dirt cheap as well as USB adapters for SD cards. I do mind if my phone or tablet (android-based) device doesn't have it.Also, I'd like to have a replaceable battery or so-called "end-user" replaceable battery. If the battery malfunctions, the system is basically toasted. I hate to have a battery to likes to overheat and not charge up properly just right outside the warranty period - like my tablet.
ymcpa - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
This has both a microsd and a USB port. You just won't get a user replaceable battery in premium products. the products that have one use a flimsy plastic cover. All devices that are thin and light weight and use premium materials also can't be opened easily. Although, the surface is near impossible to open. The ipad can be opened with some skill.mkozakewich - Monday, June 30, 2014 - link
This isn't a budget laptop/tablet, and it uses a premium battery. It should last a few years before you notice any wear, if you treat it right. They do have a battery-replacement program, too.savaytse66 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
I'm pretty sure this does have a MicroSD slot that supports up to 128GB...mkozakewich - Monday, June 30, 2014 - link
If it's SDXC, it should support up to 2 TB.cparker09 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
The $200 price increase from 64 to 128 GB SSD is also accompanied by a move from i3 to i5. Seems like a decent price step up, considering they also need to differentiate units.Tigran - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
***In prolonged workloads you'll see a bit of a gap, and even a slight regression vs. Surface Pro 2 due to the thermal design targets for the new chassis***Isn't it due to higher screen resolution (1,440 x 2,160 vs 1,080 x 1,920)? I wonder how two identical GPUs (HD 4400) performed nearly equally while Pro 3 screen resolution is x1.5 higher than Pro 2.
randomhkkid - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
The resolutions are both set to 1080p.Tigran - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
Thanks.