Microsoft Surface 3 review

SURFACE 3 TYPE COVER KEYBOARD

The Surface 3 doesn’t come with a Type Cover keyboard in the box, so you’ll need to add another £110 onto the cost of the tablet if you want to buy one. However, unless you already own a Bluetooth keyboard, we feel it’s a pretty essential accessory and so we’ve factored this in to our final verdict.

Thankfully, rather than shrink the keys to fit the Surface 3’s smaller screen, Microsoft has kept the same sized keys as the Surface Pro 3’s Type Cover and has instead sheared off the excess space round the sides to match the width of the display. It attaches via a small magnetic strip on the bottom of the tablet and can snap to the lower bezel to give you a slightly raised typing angle, which we find is far more comfortable than typing flat on your work top.

^ The Surface 3’s Type Cover comes in several different colours, but it does add another £110 onto the overall cost of the tablet

The keys are backlit, which is great for working in low lighting conditions, and the raised angle brings a welcome sense of stability to the keyboard if you’re typing while reclining on the sofa. There’s a very small amount of flex in the keyboard, but it never bothered us and the great level of tactile feedback meant we were typing at normal speed in no time.

The Type Cover’s touchpad is still pretty small, but we found it afforded plenty of space for moving the cursor round the screen and multi-touch gestures such as pinch-zooming and two-finger scrolling was incredibly responsive.

CONCLUSION

When you add in all the various accessories, the overall cost of a Surface 3 can quickly feel like it’s ballooning out of control, but it’s by far one of the most capable and attractive Windows hybrids we’ve seen in quite some time. We much prefer it to Asus’ Transformer Book hybrids, and its display is one of the best around. Likewise, the free subscription to Office 365 Personal adds a lot of extra value to the device and the Surface 3’s minute size certainly beats carrying around a bulky laptop when you’re travelling. It may not have the speed or staying power of the larger Surface Pro 3, but if you’re looking for a more wallet-friendly way of replacing your old laptop, the Surface 3 is a great choice.