It has pen support, a keyboard, and even a premium feel to it. The ASUS Transformer Mini T102 is a $349 tablet that's about the same size as the Surface 3. You can get newer tablets for around the same price, however, more often than not, they always compromise on something. The Intel ATOM is more than fine if you're using the Surface 3 as a lightweight Office and web browsing machine, and the hardware is still super premium. Is it possible to get by using a Surface 3 in 2018? Yes. You can even use the new Surface Pen launched last year on the Surface 3, and it works just like you would expect. Also, a rarity on sub $500 is pen support, which the Surface 3 has and support very well. The screen on the Surface 3 is more than fine. Most sub $500 on the market today still ship with sub 1080p screens, which suck. It's 1920x1200, but since it's on a small-ish screen, it looks very nice. The display itself still looks great for 2018. Its size is its biggest advantage over any of the other Surfaces on the market today. The tablet itself is doing very well, and I still take my Surface 3 out and about with me when I'm traveling when I know I'm not going to need my Surface Laptop.

Other than that, the Surface 3 is still holding up well.

The one that came in the box no longer works for me, and you can't just use a normal smartphone cable, even with the power brick that comes with the Surface 3. It's also really finicky in the sense that the Surface 3 will only charge with some Micro-USB cables. The other issue I have with the Surface 3 is the Micro-USB charging port, which is outdated for 2018. Luckily you can find Surface 3 Type Covers on Amazon or eBay these days, so if it does fall apart, I can just replace it. It's not the end of the world because the peeling is very small, but it's an issue nonetheless. Oddly, the fabric has slowly started peeling away from the device. One thing that has started falling apart ever so slightly is the Type Cover, however. I've looked after my Surface 3 a lot, and as such the device still looks new. The kickstand is still strong, and the device has no dents or scratches that I can see. Even after three years, my Surface 3 has held up well. It's built well and essentially looks like a mini Surface Pro. The Surface 3 hardware is arguably the best part about the Surface 3.

Microsoft surface 3