Microsoft Surface Pro 3 vs Surface Pro 2 – The Differences and Similarities Of The Microsoft Flagship Tablets

 
Even though the Surface Pro 2 was marketed as the laptop-tablet hybrid which has the best of both world, they did not quite manage to achieve this.

However, the Windows maker later released the Surface Pro 3 which was an improvement over the Surface Pro 2.
How do these two devices compare? Well, we put them side by side and got to see what was different between the two and here are some of our findings.

1. Screen Size

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is definitely larger that the predecessor. It comes with a 12-inch screen. The new screen does away with the 16:9 screen ratio of earlier models and has a unique 3:2 screen ratio. This is an amazing 38% increase is screen size over the Surface Pro 2 which had a 10.6-inch display.Surface Pro 3 is better in more than just the screen size. It comes with a screen resolution of 2160 X 1440 pixels which is a 50% increase over the Pro 2 which had 1920 X 1080. This provides a display experience with an impressive contrast ratio. There is also optimized scaling which has been introduced uniquely for the Surface Pro 3.

2. Design

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a uniquely Microsoft design. It has a very thin build which is way thinner than that of the predecessor. The Pro 3 is 9.1mm in thickness while the Surface Pro 2 had a thickness of 13.462mm. The device is also way lighter than its predecessor which weighs 907g while the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 has a weight of 800g. This is quite an achievement by Microsoft and we expect to see even more improvements.

3. Processor

The Surface Pro 2 came with a 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor. On the other hand, the Surface Pro 3 comes in i3, i5 and i7 models to fit any budget. This is a huge improvement by Microsoft who have spent a huge amount of time designing the features of this tablet-hybrid which seems capable of handling whatever processing load is put on it.

4. Features

The Surface Pro 3 comes with all the other features that made the Surface Pro 2 amazing such as a microSD card reader, Mini DisplayPort jacks and a USB 3.0 port. There is also a greater change in the kickstand in Surface Pro 3 which comes with a friction hinge that can take an angle between zero and 150 degrees for greater adaptability on your lap.
The surface pro 3 also comes with front-facing speakers which have Dolby sound which are 48% better than those of the predecessor.

5. Battery Life

Microsoft managed to squeeze in a bit more battery life into the Surface Pro 3. By their numbers, they managed to get 20% more battery life the predecessors. The Surface Pro 2 has 7 hours of continuous battery life which is great for all day computing without a charger. Its successor, the Surface Pro 3, has better battery life approaching nine hours of continuous usage and 7 days of idle usage.
In conclusion, the new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a great improvement over the Surface Pro 2 with a number of new improvements in terms of battery life, screen size, resolution and processing power. We definitely expect more with the upcoming Surface Pro 4 which is slated to be released later this year.