Microsoft Surface Pro 3 launched – looks to kill off laptops

Earlier today Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 3, a 12-inch tablet which the company says can replace your laptop.

The Surface Pro 3 arrived today with a redesigned hinge to aid use when on your lap, a larger high resolution screen and a powerful processor. These are just some of the reasons why Microsoft believes the Surface Pro 3 is the product which will finally see a tablet replace a laptop for everyday use.

Microsoft has increased the size of the Surface Pro 3 screen to 12-inches (a whole foot!) from the 10-inch Surface Pro 2 which was launched just seven months ago. The new tablet is also the thinnest Surface to date at just 9.1mm.

This has been achieved by being fan-less thanks to a close collaboration with Intel – the new tablet has their high-end Core i7 processor under the hood.

The ClearType screen has a resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels which is similar to the resolution of the 9.7-inch iPad Air.

The tablet is also light compared to a MacBook Air, which Microsoft believe is a comparable device. The Surface Pro 3 is lighter at 800g compared to the 13-inch MacBook Air which weighs 1.35kg. However compared to an iPad Air which weighs 469g, the Surface Pro 3 is much heavier.

The Surface Pro 3 however is aimed not at the casual market, but at the enterprise market, with Microsoft launching a new docking station for its latest tablet, allowing you to output your display to the a high resolution 4K monitor.

A new touch-enabled version of Photoshop was shown off on stage to display how powerful the tablet is. The tablet also makes use of a digitiser pen. The pen has a neat trick as, when you click a button on it, the pen will automatically turn on your tablet and you can start writing immediately. Handy for those flashes of inspiration.

A second click of the pen will save the note to your OneDrive account.

Whilst the Surface Pro 3 is all about productivity and not on-the-go fun that hasn’t stopped Microsoft slipping in not one, but two 5 megapixel cameras. They’ll take decent photos but both also have the ability to shoot 1080p video. Perhaps that’s more for video conferencing though when I think about it.

The Surface Pro 3 also sports a redesigned kickstand. The new kickstand allows the tablet to lie almost flat and will help users to use it in their laps – something many users have complained about with previous models.

To further aid this, Microsoft has also introduced a new Type cover with Microsoft focusing on mainly improving the trackpad which is now over 60% larger with over 75% less friction.

The new cover also attaches more securely to the screen to make using the device more secure, and feel more like a traditional laptop.

The Surface Pro 3 is available to preorder from todayu, Wednesday May 21st and will cost from $799 (£475) though UK-specific pricing has yet to be announced.

The Surface Pro 3 will go on general sale in the US and Canada on 20 June and will be available in 26 other countries including the UK by the end of August.