The Surface Mini actually did exist.
Microsoft had apparently written-off the smaller, “new form factor” counterpart to the Surface Pro 3, and decided not to show it at the Surface keynote earlier in thee year.
However, Microsoft did at least have a prototype, and Neowin’s Brad Sams managed to try it out.
Sams reveals that that specs that were rumored about the Surface Mini were accurate.
The Surface Mini has an 8-inch display, a Qualcomm processor, 1GB of RAM, USB and microSD card support, uses the same pen as the Surface Pro 3, and ran Windows RT 8.1.
In terms of looks, the Surface Mini “looks much like a Surface Pro 3 but in a smaller form factor.”
There are some differences between the Surface Mini and the Surface Pro 3, however.
The Surface Mini doesn’t have a QWERTY keyboard cover, but just a normal, detachable front case cover that attaches to the Mini via two little clips.
Sams notes that the bezel of the Surface Mini is “large for the size of the display,” but it works out since it allows users to hold and doesn’t allow the thumbs to obscure the screen.
Despite the Surface Mini’s reduced functionality, Sams notes that when used with OneNote, the Surface Mini is a “pen and paper killer.”
Microsoft seem unlike to ever release the Surface Mini, however, but given the good response of the Surface Pro 3 internationally, the company might reconsider the smaller size option when building the next Surface tablet.
