I am a Linux Thinkpad user and this Surface 3 was one of my best purchases! Highest spec (4gb, 128gb, 4g), pen, keyboard and dock for 170 GBP! That was a steal. It has been a boon for my University tutoring where I can use it at the board or draw on it when explaining solutions to the students. As you said, it is a wonderful travel companion and the only Windows 10 device I truly enjoy using :)
I think this is still better than any other tablet with Android or iOS. I mean this thing can replace a laptop for most people who own a real PC, a normal tablet doesn't.
I get it, you’re a real PC user whatever but a Windows device with 2gb RAM is not usable at all… Not in 2015 and not ever since. I’d take the cheap Amazon HD10 or any iPad over this antique PoS
Tablet rear-facing cameras I find are best for taking photos of whiteboards or papers. Office Lens (also built into OneNote) is good for quick scans to markup some dinosaur/paper document.
I also find people really discount the availability and greatness of indie games that run great on low end PC hardware! "Gaming" doesn't have to mean running Half Life: Alyx in VR, max spec!
Hey, I'm still using Surface 3 now! I bought it back in 2015, to replace Surface RT, though a year later I accidentally broke the screen glass, had to spend some more money to get a refurbished one. Other than that I get more care, so it is still working fine now. I mostly use for watching TV series offline, or using some apps, I played some games in the beginning, but now I rarely play games.
My mum's Surface 3 is still going strong. She brings it to meetings/professional stuff as it's lighter and more "pro" looking than the 15" HP Pavilion she dailys. I've got a Surface Pro 6, which aside from a major structural failure in the kickstand that neccesetated me getting it replaced, I love it.
I just bought a surface 3, and I went to go look up videos wondering about the quality and how it'll hold up for me. Your video answered questions I didn't even know I had, and you did a wonderful job at explaining everything. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this very objective video, much of the tech journalists out they are naturally focused on what’s new but forget about the relevancy of some “old” devices and the real use cases, so I agree with you and support the message you’re conveying, which is responsible ownership and reusability of a device when possible, keep up your great work !
Fun fact they actually made a secret - 4GB Ram, 64GB storage - version that was only available to companies. I worked for a company 5 years ago and they had me buy everyone in the company (including myself) one as a gift. It was something like $75 cheaper than the normal model but we bought...like 175? So it ads up. Still have it and I totally agree with your video.
I still have a Surface 3 that I used up until about 6 months ago when I upgraded to a Surface Pro 7. It was a great note taker, web browser, emailer! Still is. I even did some light video editing with an old version of Adobe Premiere and multi-track audio recording and mixing with Reaper on the Surface 3
This Tablet, in Certified Refurbished was the Woot Deal of the Day. Grabbed the base model for $199, which came with a new keyboard, new Surface pen, kit of Surface pen tips, and new bumper case. Pretty dang good deal. I'm excited to try it out. Thanks Colin for the video!
I wonder how they refurb it. The must have a good source of cheaper and decent screens... or just don't really refurbish, just test. Because refurbing these is just not economically viable. It's a glued together monstrosity. Terrible for repairs.
I still have my Surface 3. I had a relationship of love and hate with it (but mostly love). I used it for a few years as my main and only computer working as a translator, the typing experience is not bad. But I've had some annoying issues: - The type cover sometimes stops working... have to disconnect, clean, restart... - It suddenly shuts down if I try to transfer files with an external hard drive. Connecting the power cable prevents that. - It doesn't always recognize the pen properly (it sometimes writes when the pen is just hovering on the screen). Restarting solves that. - I used to prepare Power Point presentations with short video clips... it was painful to edit that... it gagged a lot (even if it's the 4GB version) - It was not always reliable for my work... in the middle of a presentation connected to a projector, sometimes it would simply shut down. My students made fun and told me to buy a Macbook (which I did later!). Yes, you can still use the Surface 3 for simple things. I was planning to sell it, but I'm glad I didn't. I mostly use it when I'm away from home, fits my bag. And its note taking is not a bad experience.
I took a new job and needed a new laptop. Found my old Surface 3 in the closet a few days ago and ordered a keyboard yesterday. I don't need a laptop now. This thing was and still is all I need
Great video, i just picked my surface 3 with keyboard 4gb 128gb on ebay for 129.99 and a 1 year warranty for 14.99, its still a really good tablet to draw on as well.
The Surface 3 I have is one my company provided for us. When they finally moved to the iPad, we were offered a purchase option: $75 and it was yours through a simple payroll deduction. And this was in 2018 ...maybe 2017. And it's the "high" end option (128GB SSD/4GB RAM) plus the keyboard. I use it primarily for traveling and it continues to serve me well. I'm not a gamer and I'm obviously not doing high intensity spread sheet or graphics work with it. I tend to use it with my photography as a "viewer" and storage device; the micro SD card makes saving large photo files convenient and portable. Any photo editing is strictly simple, such as cropping. I still find the speed and processing capabilities more than sufficient here in 2023 and a well-equipped USB hub easily makes up for the single USB port. Realize the Surface was an alternative to the iPad, offering that lone USB port, the ability to connect to a full-size monitor and an optional, integrable keyboard cover. The iPad offered no external connection capabilities (save for a headphone jack) and if you wanted a keyboard, IIRC, it had to be a separate Bluetooth device ..usually integrated with a cover. While not upgradeable in the purist sense, the Surface did offer an expandable storage capability (the micro SD card) for things like music, photos and other large files; the better not to fill your limited hard drive space with. Apple offered no such option.
June 2022 Update - I've been using a Surface 3 that I was given for free for the last few months, and, well, it's ok. Since my company Dell is locked down, the S3 is my media, web surfer and all around throw it in the bag and use it everywhere machine. The screen is superb, the keyboard is usable and the WIFI solid. I have the 4GB 128GB model and have all my basic apps on the eMMC, which I just wish Microsoft had used a proper nVME SSD. I added a 1TB Micro SD (bitlocked) with videos, music and docs and that really made the difference. And whilst it is slow, it is still usable and it's starting to grow on me. For the low price of free, I can't complain. Another outstanding feature is the total lack of any fan noise as it's silent! I'm running W11 Pro on it and everything works just great! I was travelling with the work Dell latitude 7410 and an XPS 13, and moving to the S3 made my bag much lighter! I also love the fact that I can charge it from pretty much anything! I have a USB-C to Micro USB cable that works with all my USB-C power adapters. Another neat thing that helps keep the S3 relevant is the USB 3 to USB C adapter. It only sticks out 1/4" and allows me to use all my USB C devices.
I had the Surface 3 for a long time. I sold it 2 years ago, but I did love the device. It's still in use today by a friend and they absolutely love it. It does what they need really well.
I still have my surface 2 RT. Sadly, they made it unusable and worthless shortly after I bought it. I haven't bothered buying an MS branded tablet since. I wish I had bought a pro as I would have a different opinion on the surface tablets.
Emphasis on "depending on your needs" The travel restrictions caught me at my sister's house (I live in South America), and I'm chugging along with a loaner HP laptop from 6 years back. I installed an ssd and it made (some) difference, but can't afford to keep doing upgrades to a machine I'm not going to keep. I'm seriously considering getting something affordable but modern to be able to work from "home". Too bad, since I own a more than decent laptop gathering dust at home (8th Gen Core-i5, 24gb of ram, 2gb vram gpu, m.2 ssd,)
I use my Revo 3600 in 2020 as a media center and plays 1080p h264 flawlessly .OTOH H265 sucks but what can I ask for a 10+ yo second hand computer running LibreElec from a USB drive? If ain't broken, don't fix it. And the good things are made for last
I've had mine for going on four years now and didn't know about the memory slot behind the kickstand !🤯 Thank you sir and excuse me while I rummage for a SD card .
Have fun getting it to work lol. The SD card slot has always been an issue with not reading cards. I've updated drivers and it still doesn't work and never has. I went with an external hard drive instead.
Thank you very much for this video and the up-to-date review of the Surface 3. After initially only wanting to use it as a tablet, it's now my mobile all-in-one device with a really great keyboard. The only weaknesses: 1. It sometimes crashes or loses contact with the keyboard when it has less than 20% battery and then runs videos or other applications with a high load. The power management seems to be a weak point in this otherwice great device (format&weight are best) 2. When you connect the power supply, it occasionally loses contact with the keyboard or mouse pad -> briefly unclipping and clipping on the keyboard helps 3. A little bit less memory -> Changing the memory setting (under Win 10) from automatic to min 4Gig/max 16Gig makes everything much smoother. 4. I still don't know what to do if the battery (currently still 75% remaining capacity) is at 50% or less.
I got my Surface 3 a few years ago for school, and it still works great. I mostly use it with the pen for taking notes in class. My only issue with it, besides the fact that it's pretty slow, is actually the charging port. Being micro usb does make it convenient, but it charges so slowly that it usually can't even charge while I'm using it. The battery is usually enough for at least a day or two of use for me, though.
I've not used one, but the amount of amps the charger outputs (if it's not the original 2.5A) and cable thickness will affect charging speed. I've had old USB cables go weak and an app called 'Ampere' showed some charge my Android phone 3 times slower.
Using my surface 3 as my main machine since my dell XPS 9360 died on me, it's been great considering its age. I've got the 4gb model thankfully and though the battery life is not amazing lasting about 4-6 hours on a charge I just attach it to a portable charger whenever it's in my bag. The typecover is definitely showing its age and fraying badly it still feels nice to use and through extensive testing running on windows 10 with a bit of debloating it has reasonably respectable performance as long as you're a bit patient. I use it with an external monitor at home and it can handle 1080p RU-vid plus some chrome tabs and an excel document with pretty low stutter. Would definitely recommend if you need a backup/secondary device for everyday use or to throw in a backpack as a media/streaming device
Bought one used for 200 bucks, 4GB RAM model + LTE and keyboard, battery is still awesome. I really love this thing, still very much usable as a secondary PC or for note-taking with the pen. Super portable
@@JonnyInfinite it's old and the processor cannot run my guitar effect programs. I tried RAM. 8gb. Now I can run a ton of stuff slowly. Ha! It's time for new ones. I'll make my old one into an either Android or Linux toy.
2021 now and I’m still using mine. Can’t believe the battery hasn’t swelled yet which is when I plan to retire it. This is basically my just in case and travel computer.
I am still using surface 3 and the only thing I replaced is the battery that I changed one year ago in Taipei battery store. And this machine just upgraded to win11 testing version. Not bad at all.
They're $50AUD (about $40USD) now. I think I'll get one for my wife for Christmas. Perfect for artwork in Inkscape with the optional pen. Probably not got enough to turn her drawings into 3D printable parts in Fusion 360, but maybe I can work out a lower end 3D software instead.
I use mine almost daily during the school year, if you’re looking for a cheap machine that can take good notes then it’s the best option for $100-$200 imho
i bought my surface for about $175 USD a few yrs back. it came with the magnetic keyboard, has win 10 and is doing pretty well. it's a good backup. i use it for retro gaming, some shopping, youtube, email, and the odd search. i love my desktop PC but the days i don't want to be locked to my office? this lil baby is wonderful. i do plan to dual boot it with linux when win 10 goes the way of the dodo. i have some awesome games that will run just fine offline.. i will be replacing the battery soon. i plan to use this bad boy till it keels over. :D Cheers!
i bought one after watching this video! still works fine for intended purpose (writting over documents and pdf for online school). the only issue that i encounter is that the micro usb charging port. not a biggie, i just buy a new normal charging cable. it charges slower than the original cable but the battery life is great despite the age. better than buying android tablets taht costs even twice the rpice.
It is 2021 and I am just now upgrading from a Surface RT to this Surface 3 so no issues for me. I will use it primary as a second screen to my main computer. The RT for as limited it was with its software has incredible build quality and the battery still works perfectly 7 years later so I am actually really looking forward to the Surface 3 and the fact it actually runs on a real version of Windows 10.
It is so so nice that Microsoft has all their drivers in one convenient installer. Run the installer after a fresh install and everything works. I did a fresh install yesterday, as I just received my pre-owned Surface 3 128. It still took roughly 4-5 hours to get all the Windows updates, but that's likely more to do with my Windows USB being on 1909. I should see about downloading install media for 20H2, or perhaps wait for 21H1 to release.
I had one and it was amazing, i gave it to my father and he is still using it to this day! I'm now using a Surface Go, the bump in performance is noticeable especially if configured with an SSD. To me it's incredible how well Microsoft can build those lower end (and price) devices
Yup! Don't get the base Surface Go, it's slow af. The base model doesn't have a traditional SSD rather EMMC storage which is basically the equivalent of running your OS off an sd card.
You're bringing back memories of the Surface RT! During hurricane Sandy, a Microsoft employee I was Facebook friends with posted an article with a headline like "The Surface RT was so useful it got me through the hurricane!" - and when you went to actually read the article it was all about how they used the battery in the Surface RT to charge their iPhone - ha!
The backcamera is for the person who is the notetaker during a meeting, when a whiteboard is used. You can take a high res photo of the model/diagram/text and get OneNote to "translate" it and get it to type the text and "correct" the models, so that the lines are more straight etc. You can also take a photo of a hardcopy with text or pen on paper notes, that can be directly copy/pasted in ascii. The Surface Pro hybrid laptops are by far the jack-of-all-trades office machine. Name a tablet, where you can do serious coding without relying on a remote machine to do your editing/compiling. The only big problem, which still persists, is the Windows Store offering of native tablet apps. I had hoped that the Google Store would have been available as well, because then the device would not have any downsides at all, if you could Android apps without sorting to 3rd emulators. The iPad Pro is becoming more and more, what the Surface Pro line should have been moving towards, but unless you write your own applications, then the device is seriously limited for "tablet/mobile" use.
This is great advice. Lucky for me in 2019 I was able to snag an Acer Switch 12 (very similar to Surface Pro) with a quad core i5 6200U, 8GB RAM,256GB SSD (I added a 128GB MicroSD card), 2K screen, and included magnetic keyboard for around $370USD. Like new, was just an open box. Very happy with it overall for the money. A comparable Surface would have been well over twice the price.
@@timfountain98 Build quality isn't that bad. It got dropped in a bag on its corner. Crushed the corner plastic a tad bit; the screen was fine. That said, my screen has begun lifting a bit so I've had to epoxy it back down. The looks I don't mind at all. It looks like a surface for the most part.... To this day I still believe for the money it was the best full windows tablet one could buy at the time, and perhaps even still today.
I love seeing stuff like this, but I gotta wonder.... how would this guy do with a lighter Linux kernel installed instead of Windows? You said its usability in regards to video playback and browsing was still pretty snappy, so...
Was tempted by these when they were new, but it was a tad too pricey once the keyboard and a couple choice accessories were factored in. Agree it's a lovely built thing though. I think most would be quite surprised how nicely older hardware holds up if your computing needs are light.
Absolutely true these days. I got a MacBook 2008 Unibody (8 GB RAM) a few months ago and it’s fine for most of the stuff I do. Runs macOS Catalina using a hack too. If I need anything that doesn’t work on the MacBook (such as editing videos, rendering or gaming), I use my XPS 15 instead.
I have an Acer tablet hybrid with the same configuration, its "fine" but sometimes it just bogs down. I found running a lighter web browser helped a lot. I mostly use it as a media playback device for my home HIFI as its powerful enough for music and has a small footpring.
Mi Surface three has survived a lot of punishment. I've used it as a secondary machine for travels and field work in the Peruvian amazon. It has gone places toughbooks are common and it has come out with a few scratches, but fully functioning. Now that we are virtual schooling because of isolation measures and my five year old is using it as his full time machine. In summary, 5 years and still great.
I mentioned on Twitter my Surface Pro 2. i5, 8GB RAM, and 256gb ssd. I got it for around $300 refurbished at Microcenter years ago. It's now my wife's main computer and has been flawless. The cameras are shockingly good for what it is and the audio is surprisingly good as well (both mic and speakers). Blows my $1,500 gaming laptop out of the water. The keyboard (not the flimsy touch keyboard) is also superb. Port selection is poor and the proprietary charging cable is frustrating....but at least it's magnetic and the brick has an extra USB port for charging other devices. I'd never in a million years recommend buying a brand new Surface. Completely over priced. BUT a USED Surface is a no brainer. I bought the used Surface Pro 2 on a whim and it has turned into a workhorse in constant, daily, flawless, peppy, potent use.
I just got one as a gift and it suprised me how zippy it is and the cameras are beautiful despite the time it came out. Perfect for remote learning and can play super smash flash 2 on low settings. Looking forward to see how it does with gamepass on pc with lowest settings
2021 here, this surface 3 is a champ, only thing I’d fix/need to fix is the battery, issue is the process to access the battery can potentially break the digitizer so I’m on the fence to do the repair but I have a wireless 1tb HDD, surface dock, wireless display adapter & wired display to hdmi and an ext 10Kmah battery....this thing can get stuff done. Looking to get an newer surface for the right price.
Haha. Thanks. Your video kinda makes me wonder why did i buy this laptop again? That sleek, light-weight design and just to browse the internet explorer 😆
I have a surface pro 3 I3 and I just converted it into Zorin Book just to play with Linux, get better performance, and for lite coding and unit testing. But beware the amount of research and debugging.
My brother has the Pro 3 he uses every day since new. He got it in college. He recently graduated to getting a desktop (I gave him, he had monitor) in exchange for keeping the Pro 3. I'd say it's time to retire the Pro 3. My brother uses his, as far as I know, for ultra portability/tablet functions only mainly because he has a desktop for more power and a more newer work laptop. If you want the Surface 3 or Pro 3, don't make it your only computing device. Use it like you would an iPad but you have the ability of doing full computer functions and full websites (I still access multiple websites a day that crash my Samsung Note 8 because they require Internet Explorer compatibility mode). If you are looking at an Atom surface or Surface Go, consider ponying up for the i3 Surface Pro instead.
I just needed a small form factor tablet that has a windows OS installed and this is perfect for the web browsing and watching videos on the go. Best of all it fits in my small shoulder sling bag (that portability is sick!).
I'm watching this on my Surface Pro 3! It's a neat idea in concept, but the awkward keyboard, very reflective screen, and lack of repairability and upgradeability mean I'm having to get rid of it. (I just got an HP Envy x360 13" to replace it, and would 200% recommend the Envy over the Surface Pro Admittedly the Surface is a bit cheaper, but the Envy is still the better option)
I always tell my wife if our house is on fire this is the first thing I grab and run. Surface 3 is the best device I have ever owned to date. It is a compact device worthy of being my 2nd Pc.
You really failed to mention that the much more convenient micro USB charging is also one of it's biggest weaknesses. It will often DISCHARGE while plugged in if it's running under a pretty good load because even the OEM charger just can't supply enough power. Don't plan on using any other USB power source unless the unit is off or you'll just trickle charge it. The microsoft dock can charge it faster by using the USB 3.0 port though.
I have a Surface RT sitting here right now. I tried to used it after I found it at a thrift store for $10 last year. Unfortunately I now get an error trying to install any apps in the store and during Windows Updates. Sad. My kid could have still had fun on it if it was working.
@ThatGuyExperiments Yup. Factory reset and still getting the same errors. One says the internet connection is too slow to complete the purchase (or free store apps) yet my internet is 75MBit and I even tried a second connection with WiFi Hotspot to my LTE phone. And Windows Update doesn't seem to ever finish checking for updates. Same issue before and after factory reset.
Is it usable, absolutely. I absolutely would have used mine today however the battery died and since it's all in one glass well, you get what you pay for. Improvements that could make it even better: 1. Removable battery 2. Oled display 3. Better port selection 4. Better igpu That's all I want out of the surface series, one day Microsoft will do right.
great video...am in the market for a used unit for my kids, was sceptical at first...but after watching this, SNAP 1 unit up for the kids. :) Thanks mate
I might pick one up just to have a more modern machine that isn’t my school laptop. For basic file browsing and downloading and streaming this seems perfect for what I need. I was going to go with a cheap windows laptop from Walmart, but this might win me over
I’ve had mine for 5 years (128 GB) and still use it more than my much higher spec Dell XPS 13. It’s a brilliant little device and I can’t think of a good reason to replace it. It owes me nothing by now. When it ceases to function, or I give it away, I shall replace it with the latest Surface Go.
Good video, thanks. Might I suggest that when using the focus in or out, that it be done faster. I found that to be a bit annoying because it was out of focus for so long. good video otherwise. thanks.
