Hi! I'm Megan. I'm a college student who bought a Surface Pro for school a little over a year ago. I love my surface and have been very happy with my purchase. However, I saw the recent addition of the Surface Pro 3 and I'm considering buying one. What are the differences and benefits over the original surface pro that would be worth me shelling out another $1000 for? Thanks!
Surface Pro user thinking about Surface Pro 3?
- Thread starter Megan
- Start date
lparsons21
Active Member
As a college student, you know that money is an issue all the time.
With that in mind...
What is the SurfacePro you have now not doing for you? If it does all you want or need to do, then the only real benefits to it are a longer battery life and a bigger screen.
The battery life on your Surface Pro can be extended with a Power Cover that you can usually find on EBay for about $100.
I have the original Surface Pro with 128Gb and had considered getting the SP3, but in the end I couldn't figure out enough benefit to spend that much for one.
With that in mind...
What is the SurfacePro you have now not doing for you? If it does all you want or need to do, then the only real benefits to it are a longer battery life and a bigger screen.
The battery life on your Surface Pro can be extended with a Power Cover that you can usually find on EBay for about $100.
I have the original Surface Pro with 128Gb and had considered getting the SP3, but in the end I couldn't figure out enough benefit to spend that much for one.
Zog1971
Active Member
Hi Megan. I might be able to give some insight as I am a graphic design college student, owner of the original Surface Pro and have had the SP3 256gb i7 model now for a week. I LOVE my original Surface Pro--it had made this Apple fanboy a believer in Microsoft again. I bought it in January and used it for a full semester as my sole desktop, laptop, and tablet. But, I have to say, if you have the means, the Surface Pro 3 is rocking my world. 
First of all, I fully agree that if you haven't had the opportunity to go to a Microsoft store or Best Buy to get a hands on feel for the new SP3, do that as soon as you can. The form factor itself sold me, but that could be different for you. It is amazing that even though it only dropped a quarter pound in weight, how much better this feels in tablet mode.
Secondly, everything is faster than my SP1. As it should be since I spent $800 more than I paid for my SP1. That being said, I was always pretty happy with my SP1 speed and performance. For a real world example, I always think that the microsoftstore.com website is very slow to load. (kinda funny, actually) Pages that will take 6-7 seconds to load on my SP1 will load at 4-5 seconds on the SP3. So, it's only a second or 2 faster, but I do appreciate it. At the end of a productive day on the computer, those seconds will mean minutes added to your workflow and life.
Next, and a HUGE thing for us as college students, is the new pen and how it works with One Note. It is a joy. Really. The accuracy even without any calibration is so amazing. I sincerely plan on doing ALL of my note taking for the next 2 years on the SP3. The actual feel of the stylus on screen feels much more natural, the accuracy is amazing, and the 3:2 aspect makes portrait mode actually feel like a real notepad. My notes are then synced automatically to One Drive and viewable on all my devices. Unbelievable. It's like a dream. The note taking advantage alone is enough for me to recommend this over the original. Granted, you can still do all these things on the SP1. It's just not as easy and doesn't feel nearly as "right" as it does on the SP3.
The trackpad on the new Type Cover is a nice improvement. The stylus itself is a huge improvement. The power connector used to drive me crazy on my SP1 and the new one is SOOOO improved. Likewise, the kickstand is a monumental improvement to the SP1. The display itself is even more gorgeous than the SP1 and the new aspect ratio and size make everything better. Truly.
A few negatives: The SP3 can get hot during highly intensive CPU usages. This has only happened during update and application installation, but it is worth noting. My SP1 definitely got warm too, but would say the SP3 does get warmer. Also, I have experienced some issues with WIFI upon waking from standby (as can be noted by many users in many threads) but have worked around that by shutting down instead of going into standby. This is also something that MS will be addressing with further updates. Another thing, even though the stylus is a big improvement, I am already noticing the nib of the pen to be wearing with just a weeks worth of play. This has also been noted in many other threads. Today, through the online chat, MS support is sending me a replacement bag with 3 nibs.
Overall, I LOVE my SP3. Go and play with one. The SP1 was great and as I said I did indeed love it, too. But, as I've stated in other threads, the SP3 is one sexy little beast.
First of all, I fully agree that if you haven't had the opportunity to go to a Microsoft store or Best Buy to get a hands on feel for the new SP3, do that as soon as you can. The form factor itself sold me, but that could be different for you. It is amazing that even though it only dropped a quarter pound in weight, how much better this feels in tablet mode.
Secondly, everything is faster than my SP1. As it should be since I spent $800 more than I paid for my SP1. That being said, I was always pretty happy with my SP1 speed and performance. For a real world example, I always think that the microsoftstore.com website is very slow to load. (kinda funny, actually) Pages that will take 6-7 seconds to load on my SP1 will load at 4-5 seconds on the SP3. So, it's only a second or 2 faster, but I do appreciate it. At the end of a productive day on the computer, those seconds will mean minutes added to your workflow and life.
Next, and a HUGE thing for us as college students, is the new pen and how it works with One Note. It is a joy. Really. The accuracy even without any calibration is so amazing. I sincerely plan on doing ALL of my note taking for the next 2 years on the SP3. The actual feel of the stylus on screen feels much more natural, the accuracy is amazing, and the 3:2 aspect makes portrait mode actually feel like a real notepad. My notes are then synced automatically to One Drive and viewable on all my devices. Unbelievable. It's like a dream. The note taking advantage alone is enough for me to recommend this over the original. Granted, you can still do all these things on the SP1. It's just not as easy and doesn't feel nearly as "right" as it does on the SP3.
The trackpad on the new Type Cover is a nice improvement. The stylus itself is a huge improvement. The power connector used to drive me crazy on my SP1 and the new one is SOOOO improved. Likewise, the kickstand is a monumental improvement to the SP1. The display itself is even more gorgeous than the SP1 and the new aspect ratio and size make everything better. Truly.
A few negatives: The SP3 can get hot during highly intensive CPU usages. This has only happened during update and application installation, but it is worth noting. My SP1 definitely got warm too, but would say the SP3 does get warmer. Also, I have experienced some issues with WIFI upon waking from standby (as can be noted by many users in many threads) but have worked around that by shutting down instead of going into standby. This is also something that MS will be addressing with further updates. Another thing, even though the stylus is a big improvement, I am already noticing the nib of the pen to be wearing with just a weeks worth of play. This has also been noted in many other threads. Today, through the online chat, MS support is sending me a replacement bag with 3 nibs.
Overall, I LOVE my SP3. Go and play with one. The SP1 was great and as I said I did indeed love it, too. But, as I've stated in other threads, the SP3 is one sexy little beast.
Last edited:
hertsjoatmon
Member
More of the same from me. As a student you need to decide if the cost is really worth what will be a bit better performance (although the jury is still out on ntrig vs wacom performance, if you dont draw then this isnt an issue), and what may be a better form factor for you. $1000 is a lot of money. If you dont have anything it would be better spent on then go for it, I'm sure you wont be disapointed with it. I'd have either saved the money or spent it on something else if your current pro is not causing you any problems though. All it takes is a car problem or something to eat that cash up. I'm still paying off my student loans 7 years after graduating.
smalltowngirl13
Active Member
Welcome aboard Megan and good luck on your decision ...
...
malberttoo
Well-Known Member
Thank you for all the input
Hi, welcome to the forum!
Everyone else has pretty much hit all the points that I think are important. Go try one out at a Microsoft store and see what you think. I will tell you though... I liked my Surface Pro, but it never replaced my laptop (a Tablet PC). I love my SP3, and haven't turned on my laptop in almost a month!
Also if you decide to get an SP3, there is some decent resale value in your Pro on eBay. That's what I did.
Megan - I am a medical student, and though I didn't own the SP1 or SP2, a few of my classmates have them and have been very happy. I was taking notes on a Samsung Note 10.1 for some time, then the Note Pro 12.2 when that came out. The screen size difference of about 2 inches diagonally alone made a huge difference in my productivity, even in the Android world.
Now the Note Pro 12.2 is getting ebay'ed, as I've fallen in love with OneNote 2013 and the SP3's form factor. Even though the screen size is similar to the Note Pro 12.2, the 3:2 aspect ratio of the SP3 as compared to the 16:9 aspect ratio of the NP12.2 is a huge improvement, as now I can actually use portrait mode for chart notes, etc.
The Samsung tablets used Wacom digitizers much like your SP1. I found them to be good, but I like the N-Trig a lot more. I find I have a lot more detail and accuracy, as I can write small and connect lines when drawing without having to keep zooming in and out. I'm not sure how the SP1 behaves with small writing, but the SP3 shines.
Over all, if you can sell the SP1 for a good price, I'd go for it. I went with the i5/128gb model with student discount. I also applied for the Best Buy credit card so that I could get 10% rewards points (which was $85), and I also ordered it online (for store pickup) so that I could take advantage of the BestBuy.com link through UPromise which pays back 4% extra. All in all, totally worthwhile.
Now the Note Pro 12.2 is getting ebay'ed, as I've fallen in love with OneNote 2013 and the SP3's form factor. Even though the screen size is similar to the Note Pro 12.2, the 3:2 aspect ratio of the SP3 as compared to the 16:9 aspect ratio of the NP12.2 is a huge improvement, as now I can actually use portrait mode for chart notes, etc.
The Samsung tablets used Wacom digitizers much like your SP1. I found them to be good, but I like the N-Trig a lot more. I find I have a lot more detail and accuracy, as I can write small and connect lines when drawing without having to keep zooming in and out. I'm not sure how the SP1 behaves with small writing, but the SP3 shines.
Over all, if you can sell the SP1 for a good price, I'd go for it. I went with the i5/128gb model with student discount. I also applied for the Best Buy credit card so that I could get 10% rewards points (which was $85), and I also ordered it online (for store pickup) so that I could take advantage of the BestBuy.com link through UPromise which pays back 4% extra. All in all, totally worthwhile.
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