Microsoft Surface Pro 3 has proved to be the best tablet in the Surface line-up of gadgetry – so much so that an independent study by Which? pegged it as the best tablet out of 80 devices topping even Apple iPad Air 2. Despite the success and accolades, Surface Pro 3 is riddled with issues that any tablet would face – connectivity, low battery life, and performance issues. Here we provide you with a few tips that may provide you with relief from these common, burning issues.
Surface Pro 3 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Issues
One of the most common issues we have heard about in Surface Pro 3 is the Wi-Fi connectivity issue. If you are also facing connectivity issues with your Wi-Fi, the first thing you would want to do is forget the network with which you are connected. To do this go to your Charms menu, tap on Settings and then tap on the Network icon to bring up the nearby Wi-Fi networks. Tap on your Wi-Fi network and forget it.
The next step would be to re-authenticate to the network and check if that has helped resolve the issue. Most of the times, this step resolves the issue. But if that doesn’t help, the next thing would be a router reboot.
If that doesn’t help either, we would recommend you update your Surface Pro 3 firmware to the latest version. You may also want to check if there are any significant drivers updates that might be pending.
Bluetooth issues are also quite common and forgetting and re-pairing Bluetooth devices generally solves any issues you might be facing. To do this, go to the Settings app, tap on PC and Devices. Now tap on Bluetooth and remove the paired device you are having an issue with. Toggle Bluetooth and pair the device again.
Surface Pro 3 Performance & Overheating Issues
Though tablets are fitted with custom chips that have been specifically built for devices with almost no or partial ventilation, there are occasional complaints about overheating. Surface Pro 3 is no different. However, this one comes with vents and fans that reduce such issues to a minimal.
If you are using your Surface Pro 3 for not-so-demanding functions like web browsing, emails, instant messaging, you will most certainly never face overheating issues; however, if you start playing 3D games or run some resource incentive application, chances are you might start feeling the heat from Surface Pro 3.
The best thing in such an overheating issue would be to clear the vents of the tablet. The fan on the Surface Pro 3 sits behind the right top edge of your display. Make sure those vents are clear of dust, lint and debris. Also make sure your case is allowing the Surface Pro 3 to breathe.
If this doesn’t help, you could use an external fan to help the tablet stay cool. Just a note – just because you are hearing the fan doesn’t necessarily mean your device is overheating. If your device suddenly shuts down because it’s too hot, then you have an overheating problem.
Under no circumstances should you try to open the Surface Pro 3 as it will void the warranty and you might not be left with any option but to pay hefty prices for part replacement and repair.
Surface Pro 3 Battery life issues
Though Microsoft claims that Surface Pro 3 will provide a 10 hours of video and media playback, chances are you might not see that much of a battery life as it all depends on what and how you use the tablet.
If you feel that the battery isn’t giving out enough juice, the first thing you can do is to turn off the backlit keyboard by pressing the Function key and then the F1 button on the Surface Pro 3’s keyboard to turn the backlight off.
Next, you can turn down the brightness by going to the Charms bar by swipe from the right edge. Tap on the Settings button and reduce the brightness by bringing down the slider.
Next, you can check the amount of programs running in the background as they can seriously ruin your Surface Pro 3 battery life. Use the X in the top-right corner of every program you don’t need to cut down on processing power and battery strain. Also look in the bottom-right corner of your Desktop taskbar to see if there are any programs running in the background that you don’t want on. Right click on each one and select Exit or Close.
Finally, you can reduce the number of apps that start when the tablet starts. Press the CTRL, ALT and DEL buttons at the same time and select Task Manager. Click Start Up for a list of apps that are impacting your system’s start time. Make sure you only disable the things you don’t need. If you’re no sure what something is, doesn’t necessarily disable It.
