Microsoft Surface 3 10.8″ Tablet with Intel Atom CPU, Optional Keyboard & Pen

The Microsoft Surface 3 is a tablet with a 10.8″ display and an entry-level Intel Atom processor. However, it isn’t just another model in the sea of affordable Atom-based Windows tablets. As stand-out features, it has a non-standard 3:2 display aspect ratio, digitizer pen input support, a kickstand, and optional 4G LTE connectivity.

The Surface 3 takes design cues from the popular Surface 3 Pro, with beefier hardware components and larger display. But, the non-Pro version is still suitable for daily home and office duties, thanks to the brand new Intel Atom x7-Z8700 quad-core processor with decent performance and an extremely low power consumption.

System memory and data storage options are 2GB / 64GB and 4GB / 128GB.

The 3:2 screen aspect ratio and is a bit unusual for a modern PC. But, that’s good productivity-wise. When coupled with 1920×1280 resolution instead of common 1920×1080, the aspect ratio provides roominess for extra rows of text in your Word, Excel, web browsers, and other apps.

To help you with productivity even more, Microsoft delivers separately sold backlit keyboard cover and digitizer pen. The 3-position kickstand on the back of the device enables its use as a traditional laptop.

The slate has two cameras. The rear shooter has an 8-megapixel sensor, while the front cam has 3.5 megapixels. Both are capable of capturing 1080p videos and the rear one has autofocus. The frontal camera provides a better resolution than the average Windows tablet, usually having a 720p cameras, so Surface 3 is obviously good for video chats.

Other notable features are Wi-Fi supporting the latest 802.11AC standard, Bluetooth, aforementioned optional 4G LTE connection (no word on mobile carrier support yet), a full-size USB 3.0 port, micro DisplayPort video output, a microSD card reader for storage expansion, and a micro USB port which is used for charging.

Primarily thanks to the power-savvy processor, the Surface 3 has a long battery life of up to 10 hours (according to Microsoft’s estimation).

The tablet weighs in at 1.4 pounds, so it’s quite light considering the screen size. The thickness or better said thinness of the system is just 0.34″.

The Microsoft Surface 3 starts at $499. The Wi-Fi-only version is available for pre-order now and will be on sale beginning May 5th, whereas there’s no info on availability date of the 4G variant. All models include a 1-year Office 365 Personal subscription.

Update: Best Buy will have the Surface 3 with a $100 discount during Black Friday 2015 sales event.