The first generation of surface tablet (domestic net name Sophie) was launched in October 2012, and surface RT was the leader at that time. Compared with RT, which sold poorly, the surface Pro series launched later was obviously more successful, but the starting price of the latter was $799 (about 5000 yuan), while the price of the new surface 3 was reduced to $499.
Different from the surface RT of the first two generations of arm processors (the first two generations are Tegra 3 and Tegra 4, which are also not very strong in the ARM camp), the surface has made great efforts to use the X86 architecture atom. Although the performance is not strong, it is at least a full blooded mobile CPU, which can run almost all desktop software. And the ARM version of win8 specially made for the previous two generations disappeared with them.
parameter
267 x 187 x 8.7 mm 622g
10.8 "1920x1280 resolution 3:2 screen
Low configuration 2G memory 64G storage, high configuration 4G memory 128G storage
CPU Atom x7-Z8700, 14nm4 core, 1.6GHz base frequency, and 2.4GHz Remax
USB3.0, mini DP, micro USB charging port, 3.5mm headphone interface, TF memory card slot
3.5 million front cameras and 8 million rear cameras
$499 for low configuration (about 3095 yuan), $599 for high configuration (about 3715 yuan)
Native Windows 8.1 and one-year office365 subscription, free upgrade later
appearance
Compared with the 12 inch surface pro3, the surface 3 is a whole circle smaller. The magnesium alloy shell feels sour and cool, the power and volume keys are very tight, and there is a solid tap sound feedback when pressed.
The most obvious appearance feature of the surface series is its folding bracket. The original surface RT has only one gear, surface 2 has increased to two gears, and surface 3 has "naturally" upgraded to three gears, which can be placed at three different angles. However, the surface Pro 3 has achieved stepless gear shifting. Of course, this simplified three gear design saves weight and structural difficulty, and it is not as tight as the Surface Pro 3 (in order not to slide when placed, it has a large damping).
mini-DP，USB、micro-USB、 The headphone connectors are on the right side of the body; The bottom is the magnetic connection port of the keyboard; The top is a plastic strip of different colors reserved for the antenna.
The most obvious feature of the surface ratio of the previous generation is that the screen ratio has changed from 16:9 to 3:2. It has to be said that this simple scale transformation is very important. At this ratio, the vertical screen tablet mode looks much more comfortable, while the horizontal screen notebook mode can provide a more panoramic view when viewing the web or working, which is much easier to use. Of course, the price is that the movie is black again
Another thing worth praising is that the speakers are placed in the front and are quite hidden (the same is true for Sony Z series flat panel speakers).
Another change on the fuselage is that the magnetic charging interface has become a micro USB interface. The universal interface allows you not to take an additional charging line, but at the cost of its low wattage, which severely limits the charging speed, and it can only charge (the mirco USB interface on the PC has almost no other function). Both the original magnetic charging interface and the USB-C interface on the macbook can provide more current. Surface3 uses micro USB as the charging interface, which is actually a step backwards.
keyboard
The Surface series started with a magnetic adsorption keyboard. In the era of Surface RT, the touch keyboard without mechanical structure was also introduced, but the strange feel was not accepted by the public, and this version soon disappeared. Now, the film keyboard with conventional scissors foot structure can provide actual feedback feel.
The keyboard is magnetically attached to the bottom of the machine and can be used as a screen saver when closed. When it is used as a flat panel, the keyboard can even be placed on the back of the body like a common protective cover after a circle.
The keyboard of Surface3 is basically a miniature version of the Surface Pro3 keyboard. It can also be folded up to absorb a part of it under the screen to provide a higher keyboard angle, with backlight. The keyboard itself is also available in bright red, red, black, blue and light blue.
It is worth noting that on the Surface Pro3 keyboard, the shortcut key designed for win8 has been canceled and replaced with the FN function key of the traditional notebook (like the capital key, it has its own work indicator light). It has to be said that this "retrogression" is more practical. Hearing and feeling, the keyboard sound becomes smaller, and the resistance is turned up.
Because the fuselage has changed from 12 "to 10.8", the touchpad has also shrunk, but by a small margin. Because the touch pad and keyboard are attached too tightly, its gesture recognition distance is increased to prevent accidental touch, and the finger will be recognized after moving a certain distance.
The original magnetic keyboard is more handsome and convenient than the third-party Bluetooth keyboard. Its design is very good, but unfortunately it doesn't come with a random delivery, and the price is not cheap. The price of $130 is 28% of the price of bare metal.
When using it as an ordinary tablet, you may dislike the fact that the keyboard is too heavy. But when you want to type and send emails, you will naturally think of it. Moreover, surface devices have always been used as substitutes for laptops, which requires them to have keyboards. Although it is not a bundled accessory, I suggest you buy it (Sophie without keyboard cover is not a good Sophie).
Stylus
And surface pro3. Surface 3 also has a touch pen using N-Trig technology, and this is the first time that a non pro series has its own touch pen. The biggest feature of this multi-level pressure pen is the button at the back. After clicking, you can directly start onenote and open a new note, and you can customize the function triggered by the button.
The feel of this pen is almost the same as that of surface pro3, which is cool in summary. After the anti false touch option has been added, the problem of jumping out when accidentally touching the win key when writing has also been solved (right-handed people will encounter the win key on the right when writing).
Expansion dock
This is a rare accessory, and surface pro3 also has it. It is used to make it easier for you to connect the external display and keyboard and mouse. Enterprise users will like its own power interface, but Shenghui will pay $199.
The expansion dock provides two USB3.0, two USB2.0 interfaces, gigabit RJ45 network cable interfaces, and HDMI interfaces. It has a guide rail, which can be easily put into the machine. On the left side, the stylus can be magnetically attached, even when connected to the keyboard.
CPU background
In 2011, Intel announced that it would help Atom processors remove the impression of second-class citizens and bring them to the mainstream processor field. After staying at 45nm for many years, Atom finally came to an end (thanks to the ARM camp in the mobile field to a certain extent). The Silvermont architecture atom in 2013 added disordered execution and was the first atom to use the 22nm process, while the Airmont architecture launched a year later jumped directly to 14nm.
When the 22nm process came out, Intel used it on the desktop and high-performance mobile processors as usual. Atom waited seven quarters (nearly two years) before using it. Half a year after the 14nm process was first launched on core-M, the Airmont Atom even used 14nm earlier than the desktop platform.
The x7-8700 on the surface3 is the most advanced product of Intel Atom, code named Cherry Trail, manufactured by 14nm FinFET process, and used the good Broadwell GPU core with the same architecture. It is the successor of Bay Trail, the famous Z3700 series of which is also the CPU used on many domestic win boards last year.
Cherry Trail is in the process improvement year of Intel's tick stock strategy (next year upgrade process and architecture). That is to say, Cherry Trail has basically improved the manufacturing process in addition to a small improvement in the architecture. The direct effect is to reduce the energy consumption and reduce the chip area. Audiences who hope that Atom will have a huge performance improvement can only wait for next year's Goldmont Atom. However, the 14nm process allows the CPU to maintain Remax more persistently, which can improve performance to a certain extent.
Officially, the package area of this generation of atom is 64% smaller. Although Intel does not need to publish the chip area on IDF, it is estimated from existing data that its area is about 83mm2, even smaller than the A8X on Apple's iPad air 2 (89mm2). The 3D dimension of the chip is 17 * 17mm * 0.937mm, which is more than 50% smaller than 30 * 16.5 * 1.05mm of Core M. The CPU frequency is 1.6-2.4GHz, the low frequency can be pressed to 480MHz, and the scenario power consumption is only 2W.
Out of order execution, 32K first level cache, 1m second level cache shared by two cores (4-core version has 2m second level cache, but the whole series has no third level cache). Support LP-DDR3/DDR3L 1600 dual channel memory, integrated PCIe 3.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eMMC v4.5.1 controller, support eDP, DP, and HDMI 1.4b display outputs.
The biggest change is that the GPU has been upgraded to Intel's eighth generation image processor. With the space and power saved by the 14nm process, 16 execution units (EU) can be added to the top mounted x7-8700, and the GPU frequency can also fluctuate between 200-600MHz. Compared with the castrated version of the seventh generation GPU with only four execution units on the Bay Trail, the improvement is quite obvious. However, compared with the core i series of Broadwell architecture with 23-48 execution units, the gap is still obvious.
ISP and hard solution capabilities have also been upgraded. support H. 263, MPEG4, H.264, H.265 (HEVC), VP8, VP9, MVC, MPEG2, VC1, and JPEG hard solutions, and H.264, H. 263, VP8, MVC, and JPEG hardware encryption. This is Intel's first processor with HEVC hard solution, and is temporarily Intel's most advanced multimedia processor.
CPU computing performance
The test machine is a beggar version of 499 US $2G LPDDR3 memory. The machine runs 64 bit win8.1. Web benchmark test can maintain high frequency for a long time depending on the advantages of manufacturing process. Although it is far weaker than core i series, it is second only to core M and is far away from the previous generation of atom.
The score of PCMark 8 Futuremark is still far from that of the core i series, but it is unexpectedly close to that of the Surface Pro 3 using the core i3. It may be that the i3 is not turned on and has no Rui frequency.
In the TouchXPRT 2014 test, there were many short-time and high-intensity operations, and the CPU was given enough cooling time between tasks. You can see that the processor runs without frequency reduction. In addition to the i3 without Remax, Atom is once again defeated by the core i series, but it is still better than the HP Stream11 with the previous generation of processors.
Cinebench is a simple test of CPU performance, and is sensitive to the main frequency. Although the new Atom has four physical cores, while i3 has only two physical cores and four logical computing units, the multithreaded computing is far from perfect.
Core M does have a lot of ferocious performance, but at the cost of high heat, and Atom's heat control is quite good, even if the high-intensity run does not exceed 30 degrees. In general, compared with CPU, its EMMC is the biggest performance bottleneck.
GPU graphics performance
To compress the power consumption to 2W, the Atom x7-Z8700 has only 16 execution units compared to the core-M with 24 execution units (EU), and the highest dominant frequency of the former is 900MHz, while the latter is only 600MHz.
In the run, although it can win over the previous generation of Atom, its performance still cannot win over some arm tablets with abnormal GPUs.
Compared with our own products, the surface pro3 with i3 is 40% faster than the new atom on average, and the core M is 47% faster on average. As a comparison, the power consumption of the former is 11.5W, while that of the latter is 4.5W, which is much higher than that of the 2W Atom.
Compared with DOTA2, surface3 is really not suitable for running large games. Even the higher level core m is just enough
Storage performance
Left surface 3, right surface Pro3
Although eMMC is cheap and simple in structure, it is the biggest bottleneck of the new atom. In the storage performance score of CrystalDiskMark, the gap is still very large. This will affect our software installation and loading speed, and this is the main reason why we found computer cards.
screen
Although the 16:9 widescreen allows you to split the screen from left to right, when working or browsing the web, you need more vertical space. Moreover, the previous 16:9 screen is not suitable for use as a tablet. The long body will make the machine feel heavier (longer arm), and it will grow too strange when placed vertically.
In general, we absolutely like the 3:2 screen ratio more than we step on it. And it is closer to the square ratio, so that the screen display area has actually increased. The 10.6-inch surface 2 is 5.2 * 9 inches (47 square inches), and the 10.8-inch surface 3 is 9.2 * 6 (55.2 square inches).
The 1920 * 1280 resolution adds 200 pixels vertically, but its pixel density is almost the same as that of pro3 (2160 * 1440), which is 217 PPI. Although the fineness is lower than that of Android tablet, it is already very high for the win tablet (even higher, it will be blurred due to stretching display).
The maximum brightness of this screen is 432 nits, 100 nits higher than the Pro3 launched last year. Although the black field is a bit overwhelming, the contrast is also 920:1.
In terms of color accuracy, the machine is a bit oversaturated, and the blue color is weak, but the overall accuracy is fairly good.
The most exaggerated part of this screen is the GMB test, which is unparalleled among competitors of the same kind. And these are the results before using the software, which shows that the hardware itself has been adjusted accurately. This is also one of the most accurate screens we have tested. In a word, this is a good screen, and its performance will not disappoint your eyes.
Endurance
The surface 3 is equipped with a 28Wh battery, which is much smaller than the 42Wh of the surface Pro3, but the CPU power consumption is also much smaller, and the theoretical endurance is also difficult to distinguish.
The result of the 200 nit brightness test was unsatisfactory. The surface 3 lasted less than 8 hours in the browser test, while the iPad air2 with a smaller battery could last for 2 hours more.
Almost all the video playback tests are completed by hard solution, and the computing pressure is also very low. But the endurance is not very good, not only lost to the tablet, but also lost to many notebooks.
In the high-intensity test for notebook, surface 3 finally saved face and beat all notebook peers. From the phenomenon that "endurance is not given in low-intensity computing, while endurance is relatively given in high-intensity computing", it can be inferred that CPU power consumption has little impact on endurance, and displays and other components consume most of the power. However, despite this, it still set a record for the power consumption ratio of the notebook (the output of computing power per unit of electricity).
Charging time&others
Endurance compared with the flat panel, in hours
Endurance compared with notebook, in minutes
In terms of charging time, the machine is equipped with a 13w charger. The charging time is so long that it's disgusting. Four hours of iPad Air charging is enough to break eggs, but the surface 3 is even more exaggerated. 0-100% charging takes 5.5 hours @ # ￥ # @ ￥%... # @ ￥ @% @!%
This is almost certainly the fault of using the micro USB interface. The current and voltage supported by this interface are too low to be suitable for charging large battery capacity devices. The original magnetic charging interface or USB-C interface is the correct choice.
In terms of sound quality, although there are dual speakers for users in the forward direction, the sound quality is similar to those of mobile phones with insufficient internal space. The low frequency sound below 150Hz can hardly be heard, and the sound after 15KHz high frequency sound can not be heard. In short, the high and low levels can not be reached. The maximum volume is only 76dB, which is not very large, but the hearing is acceptable.
The resolution of the front camera is rare (2304 * 1536), but because its bracket angles are three fixed angles, the camera's self taking angles are only a few. The 8 megapixel rear camera performs unexpectedly well, and also performs well in low light.
summary
For his predecessor, Surface 3 is a very good successor, and even makes people complain that "I hate to meet him too late, and tm should have done so". It is a good equipment, beautiful magnesium alloy fuselage, and the workmanship is completely abusive to OEM manufacturers. It also has the lightest weight in history. In fact, a 3:2 screen improvement alone is worth the ticket price, which really makes the tablet and notebook modes much more comfortable.
The performance of the new atom is close to that of the top ARM processor, but it is still far from that of the mainstream core series. However, considering the difference between 14w and 2w thermal power consumption, this is reasonable. It is more than enough for daily light office work, and the surface series can finally run X86 programs! The real performance flaw is that it does not use SSDs, but uses egg shredded eMMC 4.5, which is not even as good as the flagship of modern Android with eMMC 5.0. Although this problem is not obvious in normal use, it is the most obvious performance bottleneck of the machine.
Another problem is the endurance. Compared with Android tablet and iPad, this endurance is more attractive. Although the PPI is lower than others, the backlight consumes more power, which directly reduces the endurance performance. This Panasonic screen may not be as power-saving as Sharp's IGZO panel. In terms of overall power consumption, the improved standby power consumption is pretty good, so the actual endurance is not bad. In fact, the biggest reduction in the battery life is the charging speed. It takes five and a half hours to recharge, which is not acceptable to every user.
In terms of pricing, the Surface 3 starts from 64G, which is also a conscience. The 128G and 4G memory can be upgraded with an additional $100, which is worth the price. In terms of accessories, although the touch pad of the keyboard is very small, it is not unusable, and other parts are very easy to use. If you only want to use it as a tablet, you can not buy this keyboard, but it is the source of the important feature (bi ge) of the Sophie series, which is actually difficult not to buy (suddenly it seems to understand why Microsoft wants to sell the keyboard independently...). The touch pen has a good feel and accuracy. If you need to draw or take notes, you can buy it. For the expansion dock, let's forget it.
The price of Surface 3 Beggar's bare metal is competitive, but this price is a castration version without a keyboard. With the addition of a keyboard and a stylus, the cost performance ratio is not very good. With a $130 keyboard and a $50 stylus, its price is close to that of the ASUS UX305, but the latter uses Core-M, which has much better performance.
fabulous:
Good workmanship, beautiful appearance
Thin and light, 3:2 screen is much easier to use
Eye catching display
Step on:
Capable of using, but still weak
The endurance is satisfactory, but the charging time is too long
Bare metal machine has high performance price ratio, but it is expensive when equipped with keyboard
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