Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Microsoft might
not be the first company to break into 2-in-1 laptop, but it's one of the few
to get it right. The first Surface was a suave new device that worked both as a
laptop and tablet. Thanks to an ergonomic kickstand and excellent magnetic
keyboard, it easy to use whether you're at a desk or even laying down. The
Surface Pro 3 is thinner and lighter than the previous two versions, despite
having a larger 12-inch display and higher screen resolution. A new kickstand
makes it easier to set up and use, and the keyboard cover remains a
best-in-class example. The Surface Pro 3 is now optimized for a digital pen,
which is included. Performance Despite its
remarkably slim and light frame, the Surface Pro 3 is a powerful machine. In
benchmarks it's a match for pricey ultrabooks like the Toshiba Kira. Its 1.9GHz
Core i5 processor scores 5,532, more than Toshiba (5,424) and the 2014 MacBook
Air (5,401).
The MacBook and Surface Pro make an interesting comparison
here. Apple favours a slower processor, but a faster PCI-e SSD and Intel's
faster HD 5000 graphics. It's a trade-off that makes the MacBook very snappy,
but the Surface Pro 3 is no slouch either.
That faster processor gives it an edge in processor
intensive tasks, too. This is no workstation class processor, of course, but
anything you can throw at an ultrabook works fine on the Surface Pro 3. That
means any task or application you use in everyday work and life. It's an
efficient and effective replacement for a work laptop or ageing desktop.
It isn't noisy, either. If you're just watching video or
doing some other simple task, it's rare to even hear the fan spin up. Even when
it does it's an unobtrusive whir. You'll notice it in quiet surroundings, but
it's barely discernible over the hubbub of an office. It's another reminder of
the incredible industrial design in the Surface Pro 3. But
That excellent keyboard cover is not included in the base price, and its
improved touchpad still doesn't measure up. The chassis lacks pen storage, and
even with tweaked kickstand and keyboard hinges, the Surface Pro 3 still
doesn't fit perfectly on the lap. The Bottom Line
While the new Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft's best PC to date, it's more
successful as a tablet than a laptop replacement. CPU: 1.9GHz Intel Core i5-4300U |
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4400 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 12-inch, 2160 x 1440
multi-touch display| Storage: 256GB SSD $649.99 VS Samsung Galaxy Note Pro
12.2 hands-on Samsung had announced a
new larger-screened Android tablet in the form of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. The
Samsung Galaxy NotePRO is a 12.2-inch tablet targeting more business-minded
users. Performance
Apps
loaded quickly, and screen transitions were smooth and stutter-free. Everything
worked as gracefully as I expected it to with an octa-core Exynos 5 chip and
3GB of RAM. It's
a performance hiccup that only grew worse with the addition of more windows.
Yes, the Note Pro 12.2 is technically capable of displaying four open apps plus
floating pop-ups on top of that, but there's no real benefit for the user. How
could there be when the experience is marred by a noticeable lag? In fact,
there's a pervasive slowness to the Note Pro 12.2 that ruins any sense of
rapid-fire multitasking. It's the opposite of what the device's prosumer
customer would want.
As
a media viewer, however, you can't really go wrong with the Note Pro's
considerable screen size. That 12.2-inch screen's an ideal venue for showing
off presentations and high-res photos. It's similarly fantastic for watching
Netflix or any other streaming media, so long as you can find a comfortable way
to position it. If you can find a suitable way to prop it up, the Note Pro 12.2
can even serve as a solid replacement for viewing media on your laptop. The
dual speakers are powerful enough that you should be able to comfortably watch with
chatty friends or even in a moderately noisy environment. As a bonus, there's
also no distortion when the volume is pushed to the max. And now, back to that Exynos 5 chip. As noted earlier,
this WiFi-only model comes equipped with 3GB of RAM and Samsung's octa-core
processor inside; that of the big.LITTLE architecture. So you're not exactly
getting all eight cores firing simultaneously, but a setup wherein the
best-suited set of four cores, be it for light tasks or heavy processing, takes
over. It's likely the reason the Note Pro 12.2 seems to take its time cycling
through tasks when activity ramps up. The Note Pro 12.2's
9,500mAh battery is a significant bump over the 8,220mAh one used in the Note
10.1 2014 Edition. Which makes sense, since it needs more juice to power all
the pixels on that 2,560 x 1,600 display. If you've ever taken a look at your
power management tab in Android's settings, you know that the display is the
biggest drain on battery life. Knowing that, you should temper your
expectations for longevity. During a normal eight-hour workday, the Note Pro
12.2 lost just under 50 percent of its charge and that was with what I'd
consider normal usage -- some light browsing, emailing and monitoring of my
Twitter feed. I'm sure it'd retain that charge even longer, perhaps for two
days, if power-saving were enabled and it was left to mostly idle under light
use.
As
well as playing host to the company’s now familiar S-Pen stylus, the high-end
device packs in a raft of productivity features around a premium array of
components and an all new user interface.Although pricing has yet to be
announced, Samsung has confirmed that the NotePRO will start a global rollout
this March in white and black versions.The specs on the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro
12.2 are top of the range, the 2560 x 1600 TFT LCD display is dazzling, add to
that 3GB of RAM; an 8MP rear-facing camera & a 2Mp front-facing camera; a
9,500mAh battery; Android Kitkat 4.4 and you’ve to the blueprints to a big
screened tablet with a lot of power.
VS HP Pro Slate 12 The HP Pro Slate 12 is a nice-looking tablet, with a metal back, beveled
metal edging, and big speaker grilles along the top and bottom of the display.
It actually looks a lot like an oversize version of HTC's One M9 smartphone,
and that's a compliment. The whole thing feels extremely solid and durable.The HP Pro Slate 12 makes a confident entry
into the productivity tablet market with the ability to turn handwritten,
ink-on-paper notes into on-screen text.The
HP Pro Slate 12 does pack some impressive specs. Of course, the biggest (in
every sense of the word) is the screen size. The HP Pro Slate 12 comes equipped
with a massive 12.3-inch display. This is an IPS display which offers
a 1600 x 1200 resolution. On the inside, the Pro Slate 12 is equipped with
2 GB RAM and powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor (clocking
at 2.3 GHz). In terms of storage, the Pro Slate 12 is equipped with 32 GB
internal storage and also offers the ability to expand another 32GB storage,
thanks to the inclusion of a microSD card slot. Moving to the cameras, the Pro
Slate 12 comes loaded with an 8-megapixel rear-facing option, which is coupled
with a more modest 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Additional features include
front-facing stereo speakers (with DTS Sound+), a 3G SIM-card for those
interested and the tablet comes running on Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop). But,The HP Pro Slate 12 can house up to 32GB
of storage and 2GB of RAM (it starts at 16GB and 2GB of RAM), so don't expect
this tablet to be your primary device. If you're leaning toward using it for
everyday data entry and immediate storage, you'll want to purchase extra
capacity in the cloud, or an external drive. The Pro Slate's multi-core
score is slightly below average. Comparable tablets, like the aforementioned
Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and the Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000, performed better,
with the Note Pro 12.2 narrowly edging out the Slate with a score of 2,797.
However, the Dell tablet, which features an Intel Core M
processor, wallops the Android tablets with an average score of about 5,000 on
third party tests. For reference, other notable tablets on the market also
trounce the Pro Slate.
The Surface 3, which
also features a Core M processor, scored in the 3,300 range, and its bigger
brother, the Core i5-powered Surface Pro 3 scored in the magnificent range of
5,500. Just for reference, the iPad Air 2 scores about 4,500. The Duet Pen has a
double-ended writing nib with a rubber stylus for use on the tablet at one end
and an ordinary ink pen at the other. You pull out the nib and reverse it
depending on how you want to work. This is not a particularly elegant solution,
but it's easy enough to switch writing modes. The Duet Pen is powered by its own battery, which you charge via a
Micro-USB port. The tablet reports the pen charge level in its notifications
area so you can see whether it needs a boost. To pair the pen, you simply place
the nib onto a target area in the centre of the tablet's screen. The HP Pro Slate 12 is short of ports and connectors. Aside from the
MicroUSB charge port, MicroSD and SIM card slots there's just a headset jack
and a HP docking port which is not, at present, associated with any accessories
at HP's website. THE BOTTOM LINE : The
HP Pro Slate 12 is a worthy productivity tool for most businesses, with great
apps and reliable digitisation tech, even if the Duet Pen can't quite handle
the ruled lines of certain design work and it's running a slightly outdated
processor and operating system. Pric:$569:00
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