Is the SP3 right for me?

[//zythyl]

I've recently been placed in the exciting position of having to choose an on-the-fly / study / at-work productivity and consumer device. I've lost my Google Nexus 10 recently and the replacement is yet to be chosen!

What do I need this device for?
- Document viewing, editing, uniform compatibility with MS Office suite (e.g. text files, presentations, spread-sheeting, note taking at conferences)
- Web browsing
- HD video viewing (e.g. movies)
- General consumer tasks (e.g. music, movies, games)

I suppose the note taking and document management aspects are second-to-none in priority of what to look for in a device.

It has therefore come down to two devices (keeping in mind I am beyond naive in terms of what to choose in devices):
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5
Surface Pro 3 i5 128GB

Based on what I'm looking for, is the SP3 right for me? I heard the i5 doesn't handle high-def video very well... how accurate is this? Are there devices I haven't listed that better suit my needs?

 

[Wiidesire]

For your needs Surface Pro 3 i3 should be sufficient.

 

[//zythyl]

I've seen some reviewers criticise the 4GB in the i5 / i3 models... should I jump to 8GB for UHD?

 

[ctitanic]

The amount of memory depends on your use or the way you use it. If you play attention to how many Apps you have opened and you close them when they are not needed 4Gb is more than enough, that's what I use.

About no handling HD videos well that's not true. If the HD video was properly model you will not have any problems playing any 1080p video.

 

[//zythyl]

So would you recommend I fork out the extra cash for the 8GB i5? Worth it? How about battery life...? Difference between 8GB and 4GB re: battery?

 

[ctitanic]

So would you recommend I fork out the extra cash for the 8GB i5? Worth it? How about battery life...? Difference between 8GB and 4GB re: battery?

Like I said. I know that I can live with 4Gb. I'm constantly closing Apps when I don't need them. If you have the extra money to burn go for 8 Gb. The battery life is not affected too much by the amount of memory because the SP3 has a very efficient SSD so having more activity in the swap file does not impact the battery life that much like if you have a traditional HDD.

 

[GreyFox7]

So would you recommend I fork out the extra cash for the 8GB i5? Worth it? How about battery life...? Difference between 8GB and 4GB re: battery?

As alternatives to the Galaxy Tab S I would hope that Samsung will release a 10.5" version of their Galaxy Note line in the near future (Sept???) which includes a pen. and I believe they already have a 12.2" version on the market.

For the use cases you mentioned 8Gb would be nice but not required. With volume discount you will have to see how it prices out but $200 (whatever the differential) times the number of units adds up... until next year when they drop the price and introduce the next version that's even more attractive.

I'd go with the SP3 based on your stated requirements. Note taking with OneNote is awesome! its perhaps the productivity "killer" app right now. Not productivity killer but killer productivity