Microsoft today unveiled the next entry in the company’s line of tablets, the Surface 3.
Starting at $639, the Surface 3 is a lighter, slimmer but much more affordable version of its cousin, the Surface Pro 3. Â An immediate draw is the full Windows 8.1 that Microsoft has promised would be upgraded for free to Windows 10 once available.
In terms of specs, Surface 3 is definitely a different beast than the Pro 3. Â At 1.37 pounds it is much lighter, and also offers a smaller 10.8 inch FHD screen compared to the Pro 3’s 12 incher.
It runs off of Intel’s quad-core 1.6GHz Atom x7 processor, which does not require a fan and hopefully less juice.  It is somewhat aimed at light work and play with Microsoft bundling in a one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 Personal, which includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus OneDrive cloud storage.
Microsoft has promised “up to 10 hours of video-playback battery life.”
While the initial release date is May 5, four configurations will eventually be available between 64 and 128 GB and 4G LTE and non-4G LTE versions.
Gizmondo reports that the device will also feature a full-size USB 3.0, a Mini DisplayPort, a microSD card reader, a microUSB charging port, headphone jack, and an 8MP rear and 3.5MP front-facing camera.
Microsoft told CDN that, while consumers are now able to pre-order the device, for enterprise customers, the Surface 3 is “available through Distribution and Authorized Surface Resellers.”
