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Surface 3 Alternatives

nviz22

nviz22

Cancelled
Original poster
Jun 24, 2013
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Are there any good alternatives to the Surface 3? I like and miss the line's form factor. However, it's expensive to drop $300-$400 on a tablet. I was looking for something around $200 for a 1080p display, Atom x86 processor, 4gb of RAM, and full Windows 10. Any good suggestions?
 
I think the difficulty is finding a low cost alternative that also has a 3:2 screen ratio.

But one I'm aware of is Chuwi Hi10 Plus
http://en.chuwi.com/product/items/Chuwi-Hi10-Plus.html

It's a Chinese market tablet so you would need to buy from somewhere like AliExpress and be comfortable with lack of support etc.

I don't have one myself but I have been considering getting one.
 
nviz22 said:
I was looking for something around $200 for a 1080p display, Atom x86 processor, 4gb of RAM, and full Windows 10. Any good suggestions?
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I think the chuwi may be your only option, a full tablet running windows 10 for 200 is really pushing the boundaries imo.

Good luck in your search.

by the way, you can get the chuwi on amazon, as the http://en.chuwi.com/product/items/Chuwi-Hi10-Plus.html site has a link to amazon
 
nviz22 said:
Are there any good alternatives to the Surface 3? I like and miss the line's form factor. However, it's expensive to drop $300-$400 on a tablet. I was looking for something around $200 for a 1080p display, Atom x86 processor, 4gb of RAM, and full Windows 10. Any good suggestions?
Click to expand...

Check out this guys You Tube channel, he reviews lots and lots and lots of Chinese Windows tablets, and modifies the cooling and then shows the performance difference. It's a good channel

 
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maflynn said:
I think the chuwi may be your only option, a full tablet running windows 10 for 200 is really pushing the boundaries imo.

Good luck in your search.

by the way, you can get the chuwi on amazon, as the http://en.chuwi.com/product/items/Chuwi-Hi10-Plus.html site has a link to amazon
Click to expand...

I saw they have one with 2GB of RAM for $100 as well. How are their warranties? Or am I better off with the iPad Mini 4 or Air 2?
 
nviz22 said:
How are their warranties?
Click to expand...
I have no idea about their warranties, but I'm a big believer in getting what you paid for. Getting such a cheap tablet, you cannot expect it to last very long, or use premium components or have an expansive warranty.

nviz22 said:
r am I better off with the iPad Mini 4 or Air 2?
Click to expand...
You never stated what you're going to use this for, so its impossible to say if an iPad will be a good fit.
 
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maflynn said:
I have no idea about their warranties, but I'm a big believer in getting what you paid for. Getting such a cheap tablet, you cannot expect it to last very long, or use premium components or have an expansive warranty.


You never stated what you're going to use this for, so its impossible to say if an iPad will be a good fit.
Click to expand...

True, I should've mentioned the purpose. So I would like to watch movies, stream TV shows, read emails, surf the web, and occasionally type up notes. I had the keyboard and iPad combo years ago and it worked fine. I had the Surface 3 and I regret moving up from it to the Pro 4 because I hardly used the Pro 4 and sold it.

Now, I am looking for affordability but being a good product and experience. My iPad 4 is bulkier and isn't as likely to get support for the future since 2GB RAM or more will get the better features. So I am thinking iPad Mini 4 or Air 2 vs finding a Surface 3 alternative since it's been discontinued and what is left on the market is terribly overpriced.
 
nviz22 said:
True, I should've mentioned the purpose. So I would like to watch movies, stream TV shows, read emails, surf the web, and occasionally type up notes. I had the keyboard and iPad combo years ago and it worked fine. I had the Surface 3 and I regret moving up from it to the Pro 4 because I hardly used the Pro 4 and sold it.

Now, I am looking for affordability but being a good product and experience. My iPad 4 is bulkier and isn't as likely to get support for the future since 2GB RAM or more will get the better features. So I am thinking iPad Mini 4 or Air 2 vs finding a Surface 3 alternative since it's been discontinued and what is left on the market is terribly overpriced.
Click to expand...
I have this arriving Thursday... if there is anything interesting about it, I'll post it here.

Screen Shot 2016-12-20 at 4.17.33 AM.png
 
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M. Gustave said:
You don't need Windows for that. A Chromebook (for laptop or 2-in-1 form factor), or used iPad Air 2 (for tablet). Both will be around $250.
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I do like the ASUS model SigEp shared. Prefer to avoid Android. Air 2 is better than the iPad Mini 4? I saw it on sale at Staples' related online sales forums, but there isn't one within a reasonable distance for me. I was thinking Windows as a change of pace to my MacBook, but I guess Apple will offer the least hassle?
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sracer said:
I have this arriving Thursday... if there is anything interesting about it, I'll post it here.

View attachment 679008
Click to expand...

Doesn't look bad, especially since the Kindle is within that price range and is a lackluster comparison due to the spec and software compromises.
 
The RCA Galileo Pro arrived on Thursday but haven't had much time to play with it. It's the same "footprint" as my 11" MBA (but thicker and heavier), has a surprising number of ports and slots, the camera is easily the worst aspect of it (with the screen a close second).

I have a lot to say about it already, some bad but mostly good. If I can break free some time between Christmas and New Years, I may make a video to run through it all.

But I'll say this... within the first few minutes of booting it up my immediate conclusions were, "This is basically an Android version of a Surface" and "In the general sense, THIS is the kind of thing that I envisioned an iPad Pro being capable of." (but obviously with iOS and iPad quality) The fluidity in which I could switch between using the touchscreen and using the trackpad (mouse support has been a staple of Android for many years) works well. When not using the trackpad, the pointer disappears.

I had to keep reminding myself, "this is only $80, this is only $80" LOL :D
 
What about the 2nd hand market and older stuff? I had a Lenovo thinkpad tablet 2 for a long time and I'd still put it up against most atom tablets these days, very nice tablet with Wacom digitizer., built in stylus, and decent specs with a good company behind it.

Also the Surface 3 on swappa has listings as low as $255 currently, seems like it's in your price range. I'd MUCH rather have a used S3 than a brand new no name clone, I'll trust Microsoft's quality much more. https://swappa.com/buy/microsoft-surface-3-wifi
 
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spinedoc77 said:
What about the 2nd hand market and older stuff? I had a Lenovo thinkpad tablet 2 for a long time and I'd still put it up against most atom tablets these days, very nice tablet with Wacom digitizer., built in stylus, and decent specs with a good company behind it.

Also the Surface 3 on swappa has listings as low as $255 currently, seems like it's in your price range. I'd MUCH rather have a used S3 than a brand new no name clone, I'll trust Microsoft's quality much more. https://swappa.com/buy/microsoft-surface-3-wifi
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I would only get the 4gb RAM model since 2gb isn't enough on a Surface. I will probably stick to the iPad since it's more suited to what I need.
 
Sorry to revive an old thread but i still find this segment of the market interesting.

Samsung's Galaxy Book seems like a good alternative with core m3 and fingerprint sensor being significant improvements over the Surface 3. However absence of Surface-like kickstand is a negative IMO.

Have there been any other notable Windows tablets released in 2017 with 10-11" 3:2 screen and active stylus?
 
ozaz said:
Sorry to revive an old thread but i still find this segment of the market interesting.

Samsung's Galaxy Book seems like a good alternative with core m3 and fingerprint sensor being significant improvements over the Surface 3. However absence of Surface-like kickstand is a negative IMO.

Have there been any other notable Windows tablets released in 2017 with 10-11" 3:2 screen and active stylus?
Click to expand...

Haven't seen anything since most of the tablets aren't marketed as much. Though the Microsoft Store's site has some Acer, ASUS, HP, and other OEM products.
 
Time to revive this thread again:

Is it worth ditching my iPad Mini 4 for the Surface Pro 3 for $300-$350? I have a keyboard left over from my Pro 4 days. Or should I just wait for the Pro 4 to hit a huge sale now the 5 is about to be announced?
 
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