Microsoft is officially selling the Surface 3. To entice previous surface buyers to upgrade to the latest, and by many accounts, best Surface convertible laptop from Microsoft, the software maker turned hardware manufacturer is offering up to $150 in trade-in value for old Surface devices.
Surface general manager Brian Hall says buyers in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico can trade in their old Surface RT, which was released in 2012, for a maximum trade-in value of $100. The newer Surface 2 can be valued at up to $150. To avail of the promo, customers are asked to visit Microsoft's online store to determine their device's trade-in value, which will depend on a variety of factors.
For one thing, Surface tablets that will be accepted for trade-in must have screens working properly with no cracks or dead pixels, intact housings, working volume buttons, solid and sturdy kickstands, and must power up and boot properly. Also, the existence of Surface accessories, such as the type cover, Surface pen, docking station, and screen protector, also increases customers' chances of receiving the full trade-in amount.
Once the value of the device is determined, customers need to send their old Surface tablets and accompanying accessories to Microsoft, which will then send an email to the customer containing a promo code that can be used to get their discount on a brand new Surface 3, which normally costs $499.
Other buyers in Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand can also buy the Surface 3 starting Tuesday, but not without the discount Microsoft is offering to U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico buyers. On Thursday, May 7, Microsoft will expand the availability of the Surface 3 to a huge majority of the European market, including countries such as Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K., among others.
Surface 3 is a smaller, less powerful version of the Surface Pro 3 and is considered by early reviewers as the best Surface tablet Microsoft has put out yet. It brings a combination of power and portability and, most importantly, will be upgraded to Windows 10 once Microsoft releases its highly anticipated operating system later this year.
Surface RT and Surface 2, both powered by the less than impressive Windows RT, will not receive the same upgrade, and their users will be left behind when the Surface 3 gets the full desktop applications that students and business users will find useful on their tablets.
Check out the video shown to see the Surface 3 in action.
