Should I buy a Surface Pro 3?
- Thread starter carly
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malberttoo
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum!
There are tons of threads on the forum about how the SP3 fits into student life, almost all positive. But I wouldn't consider it an "even exchange" for another laptop, the SP3 has a ton of extra features that set it apart.
Do you know much about the SP3? What about it is attractive to you besides the weight?
I mainly am interested in it because of the note taking capabilities as well as the size but at the same time I feel a little wasteful since I have such a new laptop...
malberttoo
Well-Known Member
If you're near a Best Buy or Microsoft Store, go and check a SP3 out. I understand what you're saying about having a pretty new laptop, but honestly the SP3 isn't even in the same class, it's just a totally (and IMHO awesome-er) experience. It's like saying "I really want a car, but I feel wasteful because I just got this mo-ped last summer"...
Just different experiences, I think.You could sell the Dell to recover so e costs but it looks like the SP3 would cost you more.
Depending on the configurations the SP3 would probably perform better based mostly on the SSD vs HDD.
Besides note taking what things would you use it for?
Should you buy one??? As a doctor of rationalizations I could prescribe an SP3 for back pain relief.
Ultimately I think this falls into the want category. Although it might improve your notes somewhat.supremekizzle
Member
If you can afford it, absolutely. As a student l, the SP3 has boosted my productivity a lot. I actually WANT to do school work just to use this beautiful machine. I also had a relatively new ultra book that was non touch that would have been OK for school, but I'm glad I threw rationalization out the window and splurged on this device.
markusbeutel
Member
Are you in the maths or sciences If you are, the SP3 could be useful for note-taking. If you're in the arts, you're much better off taking notes with your laptop. Do you write a lot of papers/essays? Then keep the Dell, as the keyboard experience is much better. The typecover is decent, but if you're writing 10-15 pages every couple weeks, you'll want a better keyboard.
Also, unless you're in school mon-fri and lugging the Dell around a ton between commutes, I'd keep the Dell. The SP3 costs a lot, and it doesn't retain its value like Macbooks, at least not yet, so that $1500 you spend on an i5 right now doesn't mean you'll get $1200 or $1300 for it in a couple months.
Basically, is it worth spending $1400-1500 including the typecover, a case, probably a screen protector, extra pen batteries/nubs, for a downgrade in specs (after throttling), an inferior typing experience, and 2 less pounds in your backpack.
To purchase a gadget with the intent of selling it in the short term is the single best way to prevent yourself from fully enjoying and realising the full benefits of the gadget because you will always be mindful of preserving the condition of the gadget. C'mon, the said Macbook if in poor condition will not fetch as high a resale value as one in mint condition no matter that it is a Macbook. And let me assure you that as far as I know, the depreciation of the SP3 is slower than many people anticipated perhaps because of the beneficial value that it is reputed to have.
I use the Surface Pro 3 extensively for work and it is the best purchase that I have made. 5 months prior to purchasing the Surface Pro 3, I purchased the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro. The price was similar to the SP3 as the configuration was about the same. I was also like the op in a conundrum because the Lenovo was a pretty good machine. But in the end I bit the bullet and purchaed the SP3 and didn't look back. The most important thing I believe in purchasing any gadget is to work at it to ensure that it does not become a white elephant (a vanity purchase) and ensure that the gadget pays for itself in the financial sense or in terms of your grades in school. I am sure that if you manage to get really really fantastic results in school, the price you have paid for the gadget would seem like peanuts compared to the benefits that you derived out of it. Wouldn't you agree? Of course if you don't have the necessary budget for the expense of the new gadget, then, my friend, you should make do with what you have.
kristalsoldier
Well-Known Member
I disagree with this. I am, among other things, a writer and an academic. When I say writer, I mean an author of books or what is known in the publishing world as "scholarly monographs". And, my preferred device is the SP3. I do all of my writing using the Type Cover. I have not found the Type Cover to be lacking in any way. Indeed, I actually compare the Type Cover and the general user experience of the SP3 rather favourably with what I think is one of the best Windows laptops - the ThinkPad X201 (with an NMB keyboard!).
markusbeutel
Member
Pretty sure the majority of people on this site would agree with you, but you gotta realize within the scope of windows laptops/convertables/etc, you're in the extreme minority. From a different perspective, I doubt there's many people out there that can type faster and more accurately on an SP3 typecover compared to a conventional keyboard. Its plus's are that it's light, while a traditional laptop keyboard wins in every other category. Not to say you can't be efficient with a typecover, just that you're less efficient than on a real keyboard - you can probably come close with enough practise though.
I've been beating this dead horse for awhile now though - everyone's got there own opinions, pretty much impossible to change those opinions once people have their bias's set.
kristalsoldier
Well-Known Member
Which "dead horse" is that?
I actually disagree. How efficient you can type on the keyboard depends on the feel of the keys, spacing of the keys and the travel etc....which is different for different people. I would take the SP3 keyboard anytime over say the new Microsoft Universal Mobile keyboard. It may be a conventional keyboard but the keys are extremely rigid and the key size is a bit smaller than I would like. I love the Logitech K810 keyboard and I was so surprised that the SP3 keyboard was really nice to type on.....also the SP3 keyboard is a mechanical keyboard. Remember there are different keyboards with different quality of build. While very few can beat the best conventional keyboards out there, the SP3 keyboard sure beats the heck out of many many keyboards out in the market.
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