I’ve only tested the Sony Active Pen, but other manufacturers like Motion already offer a compatible pen with replacement tips.Īs touted by Microsoft, the digitizer is free of the edge inaccuracies that have plagued many of the Wacom devices I've tested. The N-Trig digitizer on the Surface Pro 3 is compatible with a variety of pens already on the market. Unfortunately, there is no precise date when these will be available. Microsoft has heard our concerns and will be offering tip replacements including softer options. It feels a little too slippery on the glass. Button configuration will also be possible and they are considering adding a marking or radial menu similar to Wacom’s.Īlthough the pen nib is much preferred over the hard tip on the current Surface Pro pen, it is still a bit too hard for my taste. I’ve asked them to consider adding visual meters to the tip adjustments so that it’s easier to see the amount of force being applied. Microsoft is promising to deliver a control panel applet shortly after launch that will enable pressure curve and tip sensitivity settings. So bottom line, the Surface Pro 3 is a huge improvement over its predecessors and addresses nearly all the issues anyone has had with prior incarnations. Because I’ve been using a pre-production machine, there have been a handful of quirks (like disabled wifi after waking) that Microsoft is promising to fix by ship date.My test unit has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Overall performance seems to be on-par with the similarly spec’d Surface Pro 2.Some users have complained that it’s too easy to hit it accidentally.
The Windows home button has been moved and is now on the center right of the screen (in landscape mode).While the type cover is angled, it lines up with the very bottom of the display and makes it impossible to swipe up from the bottom and difficult to unhide the taskbar or select taskbar icons.The new magnet at the top of the type cover, which angles the keyboard slightly for typing, is a huge improvement (I’m typing this post on the SP3 right now).The touchpad on the new type cover is larger and significantly improved.
The pen is a significant upgrade over the original Surface Pro stylus.No more fiddling with the finicky magnet! The redesigned power adapter is much easier to attach.As I write this, I’ve been going for over three hours and am at 60%. I’ve been able to go the entire day on a single charge. The pen really is impressively accurate and handwriting on the screen is as good an experience as it’s ever been.You won’t feel the heat at all if you’re just browsing or doing simple office tasks.