UPDATE (5/13/2021): The issues with the screen yellowing only seems to have become more noticeable and more prominent as time has gone by, which is really concerning. The yellow splotches on the display have only gotten worse. Looking up the issue on reddit, users pointed out search results on Microsoft’s help forum where people are reporting the same screen yellowing issue for all sorts of Surface products. See here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/search/search?SearchTerm=Yellow%20spots%20laptop%202&tab=&status=all&advFil=&IsSuggestedTerm=false&isFilterExpanded=undefined&CurrentScope.ForumName=surface&CurrentScope.Filter=&ContentTypeScope=QnA&page=1&sort=Relevance&dir=Desc
Back over on reddit, the shared understanding amongst most users is that this screen yellowing is likely the result of heat or battery expansion. In all cases the yellowing only gets worse over time. This yellowing will affect the color accuracy of everything on the display. Overall, Surface products seem to be stereotyped for having faulty screen hardware.
Lastly, it should be noted that the assessment of the Surface 3 being an affordable tablet is not necessarily a fair one, considering that to get the “full Surface experience” will cost quite a bit when all the accessories are obtained. Therefore, adding a Type Cover and Surface Pen along with the tablet itself raises the price of the total entourage to above 175 EUR or 200 USD, assuming everything is bought used from a site like eBay. The Surface is not necessarily an affordable tablet. When talking about price performance, or value for money, there may be better options in the same price range if the goal is to find as performant a laptop as possible. Certainly, much beefier CPUs can be found in order laptops and tablets in this price range. Thus, the Surface 3 is for those on a low-end budget who need a small, compact, ultra-lightweight, high-resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio, touch-screen-enabled, pen-enabled, device with decent battery life as requirements. In other words, the Surface is a bit of niche device. That applies both within the price range it sits in and in general overall.
Check out the gallery at the bottom for the images of the screen issue.
INTRO
The Microsoft Surface 3 was launched in 2015. Now it is 2021. Since the 2015 launch of the Surface 3 the product has already had 2 spiritual successors in the form of the Surface Go and the Surface Go 2. Microsoft sells entry-level models of the Surface family that are smaller, lighter, and less powerful than the other models in the series. The Surface 3 is one of those entry models. But is it any good? Taking a look at the 6-year-old tablet, this review will explore what the Surface 3 has to offer.
For this review, a used Surface 3 has been acquired for examination. Microsoft no longer sells the device brand new, nor do any retailers. Therefore, physical properties like the battery, the screen, the storage, and the CPU SoC, may be affected by aging. Regardless, the effects of aging may be found on all Surface 3 devices available on the used market for purchase at this time. Although conditions may vary from device to device.
CASE
Unboxing the device and seeing it in hand for the first time is a quite interesting experience. The first thing that is noticed, without even turning on the device, is that it feels extremely premium. The device feels so cool, sharp, and genuinely expensive. It feels like jewelry. This thing exudes premium. It feels deliberately like a luxury device. This is spectacular because despite being the lowest entry-level model Microsoft offers in the Surface brand, it still feels like a high-end device. It probably means that the apex, top-of-the-line models in the Surface family must feel unbelievably premium.
Speaking strictly about aesthetics, this thing is a sharp-angled trapezoidal prism with rounded corners. This thing looks like it's from the future. The clever feature of the built-in kickstand is such a bold move that this is rightfully the signature design touch of the Surface family of devices. The Surface 3 gets high marks for its design and build quality.
STORAGE
After turning on the device, and performing a factory reset, since it's a used device, the 64 GB eMMC storage has 57.4 GB as the maximum drive space. Of the 57.4 GB, only 33.5 GB (59%) is free for the user after the OS and core apps take up 23.9 GB (41%) of space. Since it is recommended to preserve some of the drive as unused storage space, ideally this should be 20% for successful defragmentation, as little as 11.5 GB should be earmarked as space to leave unused. Therefore, after a factory reset, there's 22 GB of freely available space on the built in eMMC for the user to install apps and files.
Luckily, this small, limiting storage space can be bolstered with a microSD card, since there is a slot for flash storage on the rear of the device. This is perfect for storing files and media. It would also be useful to compliment the storage space with OneDrive cloud storage. With OneDrive space the small onboard storage might not be so bad. Unfortunately, with only 22 GB to install apps and games, space will be very, very limited, and choosing which store apps and executables to install should be done very carefully and with a great deal of thought and planning. Everything else should be stored on a microSD card or cloud storage.
With 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC storage in this review model, the Surface 3 feels like a very tight space to work in. A sort of digital claustrophobia sets in and the small RAM and storage begins regulating how work can be done with this machine. Anyone working with a Surface 3 has to be very conscious about what is downloaded or installed onto the system. Essentially, the Surface 3 forces users to be minimalists. It’s an alright experience, and it's an adequate experience if this is used like a basic study machine, or companion device. The Surface 3 offers a very spartan experience when it comes to memory and storage. That said, try find a top-of-the-line Surface 3 model with 4GB RAM if possible. Absolutely stay away from the 2 GB RAM model as if it is a poison. The 2GB RAM model is guaranteed to be worse than the 4GB RAM model. 4GB is the very absolute bare minimum for a Windows 10 device in 2021.
For doing more heavy professional work, look for a completely different device that can offer 16GB RAM and at least 256GB of fast SSD storage, or more. Surface 3 cannot be a full-time media production or CAD machine. The Surface 3 is alright for light computing but nothing more.
SCREEN
Honestly, the device is pretty awesome. The touch screen is extremely responsive, and Windows 10 works well with touch screen devices. The screen is extremely sharp with 200+ dpi. It is 1080p screen at 10.8 inches. Watching videos look extremely rich on this screen. Colors are vibrant and accurate. Colors are great. Screen has a very nice contrast and blacks are very dark for an LCD screen. Blacks look very deep. The LCD shows no sign of light bleed or unwanted glow. It is a struggle to find anything bad to mention about this device when it comes to the display of the device except for how the screen holds up after 6 years of aging.
It should be pointed out that the review model is used. It has a good amount of yellowing burn-in along the 4 edges of the screen. Surfing the internet, through forums and help boards, it is noted by many netizens that this is a relatively common defect.
The negatives would be that there is a yellow tinting that occurs around all edges of the display. It is unlikely that the display was like this when the device was brand new. This seems to be damage that occurred from wear and tear. Besides the screen yellowing, their appear to be sprinkles of stuck pixels, which remain white on the screen. Stuck pixels, or white pixels, are usually cause by pressure to the screen. All of the screen issues are likely due to a mixture of aging and years of a former owner mishandling the device.
Some days the yellowing is not so noticeable, other days it will look really burned into the screen. Usually, this type of screen yellowing can be attributed to heat from behind an LCD, but in this case, it's not certain that is the problem. Searching through forums looking for an answer, there are several netizens who claim that this is a manufacturing defect and an issue known to Microsoft. Many of the same users claim their devices were replaced for this issue when under warranty. Several report that when these screen issues started on their tablet, after few weeks or months later, their battery began swelling causing the screen to bulge and separate from the body of the tablet. Now all Surface 3 devices are beyond warranty and walk-in Microsoft Stores have officially closed down, don’t expect Microsoft to do anything this fix a Surface 3 screen very easily.
BATTERY LIFE
Battery life on this machine is highly satisfactory. For a 6 year old tablet, battery run times are quite satisfactory. Cycling between the various power modes on the computer was interesting, as almost instantly the performance differences manifest when selecting any of the available power modes. The device doesn’t become unbearably slow when the power mode set to "Battery Saver" to accommodate for the longest battery life.
Charging the device is acceptable so long as the charging is done with a high wattage fast charging brick and a high-speed charging cable. For this review, a 3 port Powstro 15W fast charger was used, and the Surface 3 was able to maintain its charge at 5.4V at 2.3A therefore maxing out at 12.4W. It charges 0-100 in about 3 hours. Not bad.
Since the Surface 3 reviewed is used, there is some evident battery degradation, but all within a reasonable amount for a second-hand device. After running a battery report in power shell, it looks like this tablet hybrid has gone through 250 charge cycles and has its battery is at 89.6% of full capacity, or roughly 90%. With this, according to the report, that turns out to 7.5 hours of battery life. Not bad, for a computer manufactured in 2015.
However, it should be noted that endurance is totally based on the tasks the tablet asked to perform. For example, webcam use for a video call, in this case, it was tested for an hour-long language class using Edge browser, shredded the battery at 38% per hour. Testing this on 2 separate occasions, in the course of one-week, and the results were consistent. 1 hour of web calls equals a 40% decline in battery. For example, in the second test, in one hour, the battery cell in Surface 3 goes form, 90 to 54% - The high battery drain in web calls is immediately noticeable. However, luckily, watching HD videos does not tax the battery as hard as a video web call.
From 100-0%, runtime while playing Civilization 4 on battery, the tablet was able to game for 3 and a half hours. Which is not bad at all, but it does show that even a relatively simpler game will run fine on this tablet.
The best-case scenario, battery can last a full 7 hours straight of HD YouTube video binge watching, That's on a good day. Spending all day, browsing text-based websites, and typing in Microsoft Word or OneNote, it can be possible to extend those runtimes to about 8 or 8-and-half hours. Keep screen brightness to about 20%. However, video chats or web calls cut runtimes in half and shreds the battery. For whatever reason, video chats with the webcam, drains the battery quickly.
The original design capacity of the Surface 3 is 7270 mAh, which means battery life is remarkable if we consider the 10.8-inch screen size, the quad-core intel Atom chip, and the fact that this thing is running a full version of Windows 10. Other than video calls, battery life is pretty awesome! Playing basic games like Civilization 4 nets a 3.5 hour run time. Pushing the CPU to its limits when running the GeekBench 5 benchmarking app, the tablet saw a 5% drop in just 10 minutes. Drain while benchmarking equates to 30% per hour.
Battery statistics from the Windows Store app, Save Battery, shows the maximum drain recorded was 38% per hour. On the bright side, the all-time average for battery drain is about 16% per hour, that comes out to an average run time of 6 hours and 15 minutes. That being said, standby is also awesome with this device. It really holds a charge when the device is resting on a table not in use.
Since OS install 7:26:20 48:05:44 8:07:30 52:31:55
33 % / 16 h 30 % / 16 h
DESIGN CAPACITY 28,443 mWh
FULL CHARGE CAPACITY 25,490 mWh
PERFORMANCE AND OPERATION
Using this device for 2 weeks gives a pretty good idea of what performance to expect. Essentially, it can handle all basic, normal tasks which are generally done on a laptop. Therefore, it will handle things like typing in Word or OneNote, replying to emails with the Mail app, browsing the internet with Edge, and watching YouTube with the MyTube! App with ease. For students, it should be possible easily attend online classes with the webcam, Word, and several files open. For professionals trying to get a little bit of serious work done, this little tablet can even handle some lightweight Photoshop sessions. For gaming, don't expect playing anything more intense than Civilization 4; though there are several videos on YouTube demonstrating this tablet playing Tomb Raider, Skyrim, and Fallout 3.
The intel Atom x7 Z8700 is a very interesting quad-core chip. Sure, it is not a some mobile workstation powerhouse, but with tempered expectations this is actually a very likeable SoC. The performance cam feel very snappy while doing light tasks. Keep multitasking limited, under 3 apps open at the same time, and performance should move along smoothly. Performance can get a bit sluggish when video calls are engaged. But outside of video calling, performance is fine.
It can be bit hard to jump between an online class in one Edge browser window and Microsoft Office and Word open in other windows side-by-side. It is doable most of time, though sometimes it may lag a bit. Basic photo edits in Photoshop are doable. Working on multiple Word document files side-by-side is also doable. Essentially, this is an adequate device for accomplishing homework, professional work, and tiny bit of online classes over a webcam. The tablet gets the job done when you are using it like a laptop. Even when it comes to gaming, some light games like Civilization 4 or Asphalt 8 are enjoyable.
There is a tendency to see a little bit of lag from time to time. Even while, typing this review in OneNote, the typing began to lag and slowdown for some unexpected reasons. But it sorted itself out after some time. If lag doesn't sort itself out, then slowdown can be solved by closing and reloading the app. This happens from time to time when the tablet is really pushed but only in those instances when the tablet is pushed to its limit will the system falter. Other than heavy load, everything felt snappy elsewhere in the system.
Photoshop was loaded onto the tablet. Photoshop was able to run properly only after performing a registry edit as recommended by Adobe's website. Adobe has troubleshooting tips for the error: "Cannot save because there is not enough ram." Photoshop works well for basic photo editing and tweaks. Testing drawing in Photoshop, it should be noted that fingertips and non-active styluses are not compatible with Photoshop for creating for high quality drawings. A powered active style pen like the Microsoft Surface Pen is definitely required for drawing in Photoshop.
Testing drawing the pre-installed Paint and Paint3D apps with a non-active stylus that simulates fingertip presses, the experience is found to be adequate. Just adequate, nothing special at all. However, those two drawing programs have inherent limitations considering the lack of support for multi-layer drawing. After all, they are not high-level art programs like the applications that Adobe has to offer. Regardless of which art program is being used, whether it is Paint or Photoshop, the Surface 3 is really nice to hold in the hand like an actual paper drawing pad.
Overall, this is not a powerful machine, and should not really be thought of as such. That is not the purpose of this device. Seriously, there are smartphones that reach higher scores in GeekBench 5 benchmarks compared to this tablet. Consider everything mentioned so far: This tablet can handle basic tasks like word processing, typing, email, web surfing, video streaming, even light sessions in photoshops, but it will lag if pushed too hard. Suffice to say, benchmarking score results are below:
GeekBench 5 (v5.4)
On Battery, Battery Saver mode 50% or Less
*Note the benchmark ran for about 10 minutes and sacked 5% of battery level
Single core: 226
Multi core: 832
On Battery, Highest performance mode 100%
*Note the benchmark ran for about 10 minutes and sacked 5% of battery level
Single core: 222
Multi core: 841
Plugged in via MicroUSB AC Power, on highest performance mode 100%
Single core: 227
Multi core: 811
VERDICT
The Surface 3 has many detractors. There are plenty of netizens found online commenting about how painfully slow this device is. Many say that it cannot even handle browser tasks. However, that assessment is not realistic at all. As this review has detailed and revealed, the Surface 3 is snappy enough and perfectly suitable for watching YouTube in PiP with several browser tabs open, a few word documents, and OneNote open and running all at the same time. If the entry-level processor's limits are respected, the device will run smoothly. Push it and it will lag. Respect its limits and capabilities, it will run smoothly like any other computer. The Surface 3 is like using any other normal laptop, except of course, it is much quieter because it is fan-less, and much lighter so can be carried around with greater mobility than a typical laptop.
The Surface 3 is highly recommended. This is the best tablet that can be purchased for 150 USD. Try to find them on eBay, since the device can mainly be found used, and is no longer in production or sold by Microsoft.
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RECAP AND SUMMARY
To quickly sum up the review of this phone:
Body - The magnesium body of the table exudes luxury. The devices feels very nice. It's of a perfect well-balances weight that feels nice to carry in hand.
Storage - 64GB is a small space for a Windows 10 Machine, and this will force some lifestyle changes.
Screen - The screen is extremely sharp with 200+ dpi. It is 1080p screen at 10.8 inches. Watching videos look extremely rich on this screen.
Performance and operation - The intel Atom x7 Z8700 is a very interesting quad-core chip. Sure, it is not a some mobile workstation powerhouse, but with tempered expectations this is actually a very likeable SoC. Performance is entry-level. Performance is good enough.
OS - It’s Windows 10. And that's the selling pitch here! You get a full version of Windows in a very small and portable tablet package.
Camera - The webcam is fantastic. Very sharp quality that will be posted below. Also the tablet also has a rear camera that means documents and be easily scanned simply by snapping the document with the camera app.
Battery - Battery life is good, especially considering this is a 6 year old device.
Security - Unfortunately, it lacks Windows Hello, so there's no fingerprint or face detection for fast login
Audio - Fantastic. Speakers are absolute fantastic for this little device
Price - Price as reviewed is 105 GBP or 165 USD, but the device is averaging around 150 USD on eBay
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