The surface pro 3 dock is exactly what I needed. Lightweight and sturdy, the dock is easy to use and enhances the abilities of your Surface Pro 3.
If you’re not a “dock person”, or have limited budget then I certainly hope you’d take a pass, but for me this is a great product that fits my needs perfectly. I believe that if you’re a Surface Pro 3 owners and in need of a docking solution, you will be satisfied.
WHY GET THE SURFACE PRO 3 DOCK ? IS IT WORTH IT?
There are a few reasons why you would want the dock. I fall into category #2, but if the dock fits your needs, then yes, it’s worth it.
- You don’t travel daily with your Pro 3, but at home you simply prefer it docked.
- You travel daily with your SP3, and you’re tired of constantly plugging & unplugging power over and over.
- You need/want more ports for whatever reason.
- You have budget, and love gadgets.
GET EVEN MORE INFO. VIEW ALL OUR PICTURES, WHERE TO BUY, PRICING, AND REVIEWS (Amazon & eBay)
- CHECK OUT ALL 30+ PICTURES OF THE SURFACE PRO 3 ON OUR FLICKR ALBUM
- View this Dock on Amazon -> Surface Pro 3 Dock pricing and reviews on Amazon HERE
- Microsoft’s product page-> https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/accessories/browse#poweranddocks
- HOW TO ARTICLE: SCREENSHOT WITH THE SURFACE PRO (1,2,3 RT)
EASY DOCKING MECHANICS
It’s very easy to actually dock your Surface Pro 3. You “lightly pull apart” (left and right ) on the dock. Then you slide in your Pro 3 ( with or without the type pad keyboard ). There is a groove on the bottom that makes it easy to slide the pro 3 into position. Once placed, you just “PUSH” the Left and Right Sides to lock into place.. Voila.
KEY FEATURES, THE GOOD THE BAD, AND THE 1 “GOTCHA”
- Fixed Docking Angle..
- Although the dock angle doesn’t adjust, I don’t see it as an issue.
- If the engineers could keep the sturdy feel and allow adjustment of the docking angle that would be even better. But fixed angle is OK.
- Cost ( estimated: $160-$200 **at the time of this article..)
- I think the price is ”fair” for early adopters.
- Like any other gadgets, time reduces price, as does aggressive deal searching.
- Dock Power Cable Length
- I prefer a longer power cable length. I also prefer how the SP3’s original power brick has a USB port on it unlike the dock’s power cable. However having the port on the brick is not necessary with all the additional USB ports on the dock itself.
- PHYSICAL: The pro 3 dock is lightweight, sturdy, and easy to “operate”. By operating, I mean, locking the pro 3 in place is simple, easy, and fast.
- As mentioned above, it’s super simple to dock and lock the surface pro 3.
- The existing Mini DisplayPort and USB 3.0 port on your device are available for use even when docked ( very smart )
- *\* Gotcha-> Don’t forget you have to install windows update for the dock to function as expected. **
FORMAL TECH SPECS
- 3 USB 3.0 ports AND 2 USB 2.0 ports..(Plenty of ports, great to have )
- Gigabit Ethernet port.. (nice to have)
- 3.5mm audio input/output connection.. (nice to have)
- Mini DisplayPort.. (Nice)
- Security lock slot.. (I never use this)
- Once docked, all ports are still available, except for power of course :)