Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 Tablet Revealed, Boasts Great Specs and Big Potential

Microsoft has revealed a new Surface Pro tablet at a press event in NYC, and it looks good. For starters, it comes in at a large 12-inches, which is one reason Microsoft is touting the fact that Surface Pro 3 could be a notebook replacement. Of course, there’s more than just size that matters in a notebook, but Microsoft has other specs to back things up.

Surface Pro 3 will support Intel’s Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, and boast storage capacities from 64GB to 512GB. For RAM needs, 4 and 8GB options will be available. For ports, it’ll have a USB 3.0, a mini-DisplayPort, and a microSD slot for expanded storage.

Did I mention that it looks good, too?

With its 12-inch display, the Surface Pro 3 is 38% larger than last-gen, and at the same time, Microsoft’s given a 50% boost to the number of pixels, putting us at 2160×1440. The company also assures us that every single unit is color-calibrated at the factory, which can give some peace-of-mind to those who might actually need that.

Tying into that aspect, Microsoft has also announced that the next Adobe Photoshop CC update will feature optimizations for Surface Pro 3. These optimizations include touch and gesture controls, along with great pen accuracy and line precision with larger touch objects.

For accessories, a new kickstand will allow you to position the tablet from 0 to 150 degrees, and click-in Type Covers will come in five colors (seen below). These Type Covers have touchpads 63% larger than last-gen. Further, a new dock-station will be released post launch that will add more peripheral outputs to the unit.

Not convinced? Microsoft has a video for that:

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 will become available for pre-order tomorrow, with the base model set to cost $799. That model will include a Core i3 processor, 64GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM. The top-end model will have a Core i7, 512GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM, for $1,949. Other prices include $129.99 for the Type Cover, $49.99 for a spare Surface Pen, $79.99 for a spare power supply, $39.99 for an Ethernet adapter, and $199.99 for the forthcoming docking station.