We exclusively reported that Microsoft is working on smaller version of the Surface tablet, and it turns out we were spot on. Microsoft has officially announced the budget-friendly Surface 3 tablet, carrying an extremely affordable price tag and a decent set of specifications on board. Customers interested in the tablet can pre-order it through several channels, including Microsoft Stores, microsoftstore.com and select retailers, with its official availability set to May 5th. The tablet is set to launch in 26 international markets by May 7th.
The Surface 3 starts at $499 with its most expensive version going as high as $699 which has LTE connectivity on board. Here’s the complete breakdown of the pricing:
- $499: 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage
- $599: 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage
- $599: 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage with LTE
- $699: 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage with LTE
As far as the specifications are concerned, the tablet features a 10.8-inch display sporting a resolution of 1,920 by 1,280 pixels with a 214 ppi pixel density and 10-point multi-touch. The new tablet is powered by Intel’s latest chipset, Quad-core Intel® Atom™ x7 processor to deliver users with an impressive performance. The tablet also features up to 4GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage and optional LTE connectivity as well. The company claims the tablet can offer users with up to 10 hours of battery life, but the real world usage may vary depending on the users.
As far as the operating system is concerned, the tablet runs a full-fledged Windows 8.1, and comes with a free one-year Office 365 Personal subscription. Other features includes an 8MP camera for photos and videos, 3.5MP front-facing camera, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, one USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort and a microUSB card reader. You can check out a quick first glance at the Surface 3 in this video, and head to a Microsoft Store for a hands-on preview beginning tomorrow, April 1st:
The new tablet also comes with support for the Surface pen, but it’s not included in the bundle and is sold separately. Furthermore, the company has introduced the new pens in several color options, including red black and blue. The Surface 3 also comes with support for the Type covers to use the tablet as a laptop. The covers are available in multiple color options.
I’m not sure about you, but I’m going to get the new Surface 3 as soon as its available in my region, what about you?
