Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Drawing Review

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Mobile Computing | Tech Reviews

Review: Microsoft Surface Pro 3

I can summarize my impression of Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 tablet PC in a single word: "Finally!" But that wouldn't make for a very informative article. So let me explain in a bit more detail.

In the Surface Pro 3, what Microsoft has given us, for the first time, is a tablet that can truly replace a traditional notebook. And really that's understatement. For those involved in creative production — whether student or faculty — the Surface Pro 3 is vastly superior to a traditional laptop.

Form & Functionality
What makes the Surface Pro 3 unique among tablets is the combination of size, display quality and pressure-sensitive stylus input — coupled with processing power that rivals mid-range traditional laptops.

At 12 inches, the Surface Pro 3's display brings much needed screen real estate to those who do more than just browse Web sites or watch videos. Add to that a fourth-generation Intel Core processor (a 1.9/2.5 GHz Core i5-4300U in the case of the pre-release unit I'm reviewing, but up to a 3.3 GHz Core i7 in shipping models), and this is truly a fully functional computing device. It can do anything any Windows-based computer can do, and it gives you enough screen room, RAM (8 GB in my unit) and storage (256 GB internal, plus SD card slot for internal storage expansion and USB for external storage) to do it comfortably.

Yes, it can run office applications, which Chromebooks, iPads and Android devices can do as well — in their own way. But it can also run serious software, from Adobe's Creative Suite to high-end 3D modeling and animation tools like Autodesk Maya 2015. That differentiates the Surface Pro 3 from all "media tablets" — which is to say Android and iOS tablets — designed primarily for consumption and light use of word processing or other productivity tools.

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 running Photoshop CS6
Unlike the original Surface RT, the Surface Pro 3 can run high-end graphics, video and 3D animation software like Photoshop (pictured), After Effects and Maya.

Further, the Surface Pro 3 comes standard with a fully pressure-sensitive stylus, which means that for creative apps like Photoshop, Synthetik Studio Artist, Core Painter and Ambient Design ArtRage, you can not only draw directly on the screen, but you can take advantage of pressure-sensitivity to make the experience much more natural and intuitive.

And this, to me, is what makes the Surface Pro 3 really exciting. To get a good interactive pen display this size — say a Wacom tablet, of which I'm a fan and which I have owned and used extensively throughout the last two decades — you'd have to spend about $1,000 — about the same as the Surface Pro 3 itself.

The Surface Pro 3 pressure-sensitive stylus gives users a more natural drawing and painting experience.
The Surface Pro 3's pressure-sensitive stylus gives users a more natural drawing and painting experience.

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