Surface 3 is appealing, less pricey Microsoft hybrid

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NEW YORK — I never completely bought into Microsoft's tagline that its Surface Pro 3 is a "tablet that can replace your laptop." By my way of thinking, if you need a laptop, get a freaking laptop.

Even so, I liked the Surface Pro 3 very much, which as tablet-laptop hybrids go is near the top of the list. I can now say much the same about Surface 3, the new version of Surface that no longer carries the Pro designation and is available for preorder.

Surface 3 bears a strong familial resemblance to Surface Pro 3 but it is smaller, lighter (1.37 pounds) and considerably cheaper. It starts at $499, compared with $799 for Pro.

Like its more expensive sibling, Surface 3 is a fully capable Windows 8.1 computer that can run all of your Windows programs — Photoshop, Quicken, Office, you name it. That's a huge benefit — your iPad can't do that. Plus, you'll get a free upgrade to Windows 10 software once the next version of Microsoft's venerable operating system becomes available.

For perspective, the first Surface computer to hit the market in 2012, Surface RT, ran a Windows 8 variant called Windows RT, with specialized versions of Microsoft Office and other programs. It was incompatible with all of your regular Windows PC programs.

The new Surface 3 shares other traits with Surface Pro 3. It has a kickstand that lets you prop the computer up onto a surface. OK, it is not as good a kickstand because there are only three possible ways on which you can angle the computer onto a desktop, while the Pro kickstand has infinite angles. It's still better than having no kickstand at all.

Most of the other trade-offs aren't a big deal, at least for the casual user who would gravitate to Surface 3. The 10.8-inch, Full HD, multi-touch display on Surface 3 is very nice, but it's smaller than the 12-inch display on Pro.

With an Intel Atom x7 processor inside, the machine isn't as snappy as the Pro version (which uses more robust Intel processors). That pretty much rules out hardcore game play and heavy-duty video editing.

The Dolby-enhanced stereo speakers on Surface 3 sound fine but aren't very loud. I don't think you'll buy Surface 3 for its 3.5-megapixel, 1080p, front-facing camera or 8.0-megapixel, 1080p, rear-facing camera.

Let me come back to price for a second. The $499 sum sounds swell in theory, but to fully exploit Surface 3 — and the same, for that matter, holds for Surface Pro 3 — you're going to want to spend more.

Start with the optional $129.99 keyboard Type Cover that really does kind of transform a tablet into a laptop of sorts. Microsoft cleverly layers real Qwerty keys onto this very thin cover, versions of which earned bragging rights for Microsoft as far back as the original Surface.

The Type Cover is still no match for a good built-in laptop keyboard, but it comes reasonably close. My biggest quibble isn't so much with the keys themselves, but rather the smallish trackpad.

Microsoft sells a couple of other options worth considering. One is the $49.99 Surface Pen you can use to write on the screen. Such a pen is supplied with the Pro model.

The other is a $199.99 docking station that lets you add an external monitor, Ethernet and up to four USB accessories.

Microsoft claims up to 10 hours of video playback before you have to charge the battery. In my very harsh test — power-saving options turned off, screen cranked up to top brightness, constant streaming video — I got just shy of 7½ hours. Not bad under the circumstances.

The charger is one area where the new Surface bests the Pro model. The reason is that instead of having to rely on a proprietary charger as on the Pro — with a clumsy connector to boot — you can charge Surface 3 via any micro-connector, the same connector used by countless phones (but not the iPhone).

Alas, the power brick on the Pro model includes an extra USB connector you can use to simultaneously charge other devices. The small power brick that comes with Surface 3 lacks the extra USB.

The entry-level Surface 3 model includes only 64GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, not very much. At $599, you can double those capacities.You can also expand storage via a microSD slot.

Microsoft sells Surface 3's with optional 4G LTE, a $100 premium over models that lack the feature.

When I reviewed Surface Pro 3, I said it wasn't a perfect tablet or a perfect laptop, but a perfectly appealing combination of the two. Those words ring equally true with Surface 3.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter

THE BOTTOM LINE

Surface 3

$499 on up; microsoft.com

Pro: Solid tablet-laptop hybrid at decent price. Clever Type Cover keyboard, ability to draw with pen. Can charge via microUSB. Kickstand.

Con: Type Cover and pen are options. Kickstand is less versatile than on Pro model. Entry-level version has limited storage.