Last year, Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3 with impressive specs. Surface Pro 3 has a 12-inch ClearType Full HD display, 4th-generation Intel Core processor (upto i7 on the top end variant) and up to 8 GB of RAM. With up to nine hours of Web-browsing battery life, Surface Pro 3 has all the power, performance and mobility of a laptop in an incredibly lightweight, versatile form.
Today, Microsoft announced the new Surface 3 tablet and it comes with 10.8 inch Full HD display and is powered by Intel Atom Quad core processor with 2 or 4GB RAM. The storage is at 64GB or 128GB. The Surface 3 will be available with a price starting $499. Surface 3 will be the first real competitor to iPad from Apple.
So in case you are confused on what exactly is the difference between Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3, here is a detailed comparison of the two tablets based on the specs.
| Specifications | Surface Pro 3 | Surface 3 |
| OS | Windows 8.1 Pro | Windows 8.1 |
| Display | 12” 1.76 lbs Full HD Display Resolution: 2160 x 1440 |
10.8” 1.37 lbs Full HD Display Resolution: 1920 x 1280 |
| Kickstand | Multi-position | Three position |
| Battery Life | Upto 9 Hours | Upto 10 Hours |
| Processor | 4th Generation Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 | Quad-core Intel Atom |
| RAM | 4GB/8GB | 2GB/4GB |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB | 64GB and 128GB |
| Sensors | Ambient light Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer | Ambient light sensor Proximity sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer |
| Camera | 8MP Rear camera, 3.5MP front camera | 8MP Rear camera, 3.5MP front camera |
| Size and Weight | 292.10 x 201.42 x 9.14 mm, 0.79kg | 267mm x 187mm x 8.7mm, 622gms |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE (optional) |
| Ports | USB 3.0, microSD card reader, Headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port, Charging port | USB 3.0, microSD card reader, Headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port, Charging port |
| Price | Starts $799 onwards | Starts $499 onwards |
While the Surface Pro 3 is a full fledged laptop/ultrabook which is also a powerhouse with upto Core i7, the Surface 3 is more of a tablet although it can run full fledged desktop apps on Windows. Both the devices are upgradable to Windows 10 when it releases later this year.
Surface Pro 3 also has bigger display and storage capacity making it more for powerful work like editing photos and videos. Both the devices have compatibility with keyboard dock and pen. Connectivity wise, both the devices have similar connectivity options except for 4G LTE available on Surface 3.
