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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name99 - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
"This used to be how people felt about Apple products."You mean back in the 90s when they were extremely unpopular?
MS appears to sell about a million SP's per quarter; Apple about 25 million per quarter. (Both rough numbers, but correct order of magnitude.)
Sure, I'm making a cheap shot, but the fact is that all this reviewer and internet love is not translating into substantial sales. There is no obvious reason to believe that SPro 3 significantly changes this dynamic --- basically it appeals to the same people who would have bought the first tow versions without adding a compelling improvement to bring new buyers into the fold.
kyuu - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
As far as sales numbers go, I won't argue that the Surface line has been a huge commercial success. *However*, what has to be kept in mind is that the Surface line is simply one option in a crowded market of Windows-based laptops and tablets. On the other hand, all of Apple's products are the *only* option for those in Apple-land. Comparing the sales of *any* Windows OEM to Apple's sales is a flawed comparison.andrewaggb - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
in 12-15 months there will likely be a surface pro 4 or 5.mtalinm - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
By far the best of the dozens of reviews I've read (laptopmag was also good). Most are biased. Recode was a complete joke.scbundy - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
I read the recode one. It was pretty horrible. Business Insider, which is essentially an Apple blog, posted a really awful one too. The review's major complaint was that when she was in a coffee shop, with the SP3 on her lap, that when she crossed her legs, it flipped shut cause it's top heavy. And her macbook air never did that.....ymcpa - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
At a coffee shop, I pretty sure she used the table and not her lap. I have never seen anyone use a laptop with their legs crossed. Have you? Also, if she lowered the kickstand, the surface wouldn't have flipped even with her legs crossed.Tigran - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
No Onscreen GPU test? Pro 3 screen resolution is 1.5 times higher than in Pro 2 (1,440 x 2,160 vs 1,080 x 1,920) - how to score the actual GPU performance on the device?jameskatt - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
Quote: Yet in a device like Surface Pro 3 where you're forced to rely on touch more thanks to a cramped trackpad, I'm often in a situation where I'm interacting with the Windows desktop using the touchscreen - a situation that rarely ends well.This says it all.
BPB - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
When that situation arises on my 8" Windows tablet I use the pen. And for non-lap times I use a wireless mouse. In fact a use a wireless mouse for actual notebook use as well. I'd take the SP3 over anything if I could simply afford it. But any nice/high end notebook is going to be costly.mkozakewich - Monday, June 30, 2014 - link
I've actually gotten really good at pressing where I want with my fingers. I've used the assistive tools to show that white circle where I pressed, so I could learn where I pressed in relation to how my finger felt.The only problem is when I touch where I want, but Microsoft decides I probably meant to touch somewhere close by. If I could turn off that auto-adjustment feature, I'd have no problems.