Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Teardown: Slim Form Factor is Tough to Crack

If there's a new gadget in the world, iFixit has probably purchase one and promptly torn it apart. Such is the case with Microsoft's new Surface Pro 3 -- the first device that the company is directly marketing as an all-out laptop replacement. Early reviews of the tablet hybrid have been quite positive, but if you're wondering what exactly is within its shell, the teardown linked here has the goods.


The gurus at iFixit were pleased with just how slim the device was, but they weren't too keen on the adhesive that was used. Essentially, Microsoft added a lot of non-modular parts in order to reduce the overall footprint. That's not surprising, but it is a bit unfortunate for those hoping to buy one and upgrade or swap components out.

When breaking things down, the display actually shattered, but beyond that, the team would a cooling system that was "more akin to one found in a laptop than a tablet." They also spotted a 1.9GHz dual-core Core i5-4300U CPU, Intel's HD Graphics 4000, Samsung RAM, a Marvell WLAN/Bluetooth/NFC combo chip, SK Hynix flash, and a Realtek audio codec.


As usual, the teardown photos are lovely to look at (if you're into that type of thing), so feel free to have a look below for a deeper-than-ever peek at the Surface Pro 3.