Microsoft Docking Station for Surface 3 (not compatible with Surface Pro 3) SC EN/XD/ES Hdwr (GJ3-00001)

I've owned my Surface 3 since it came out, so as of right now, May of 2023, it's been close to, what, eight years? For the past five or so it's been very particular with how it charges. Pretty much exclusively has to be closed, laying flat on a table, with the cable *juuuust* right, and I *might* get a full charge before someone sets off a .0000000000000001 on the Richter scale by walking past, just enough for the inner circuits to stop connecting. Been a real pain, and I've been looking for a solution for years.This solution works a treat! Instead of charging via the usual micro USB slot towards the bottom, it plugs into the USB port towards the top and feeds it power that way, and clamps it into place so you don't have to worry about it getting bumped around. It also adds a handful of new features you would otherwise not have been able to do before with your tablet: you can have it hooked up to hardline internet via the ethernet cable port in the back, you can have a dedicated monitor hooked up to it, and you can have up to four USB devices and drives connected at any time. It also has a handy magnetic plate on the side for you to store your Surface Pen when not in use.The only real downside is that this isn't really small enough to be easily portable. I wish I could just toss this in a small bag, but it's chunky enough that I might as well take a full-size laptop. It also blocks your Micro SD slot, so if you need to swap out a card, you have to open up the clamps, take your tablet out, and flip out the kickstand. I mean, it isn't the end of the world, and that all is pretty easy, but compare that to what I had been able to do before by just reaching back, feeling with my fingertip, and popping it out, all while still using it normally. Not a huge gripe. Just something to be aware of. You could also easily just have a dedicated Micro SD reader slotted into one of your four USB ports. Oh, and you can't adjust the angle it's sitting at. It's locked in at what I'd eyeball as 65° (or 25° from vertical, depending on which direction you're going).Otherwise, you can still use your keyboard and mouse like you normally would. For a desktop work-station, especially one bringing life into an old tablet weaker beings would throw away because of planned obsolescence, you can't go wrong here!

This is the only reliable and cheap way to fix the charging port problem the Surface 3 has. The defect was a result of a faulty design. The Surface 3 didn’t charge quickly and in actual use, the user typically has to leave the device plugged in if they want to use it for more than two hours at a time. The slightest movement while plugged in starts the process of the micro USB port going down the road to becoming too loose to charge the device.Mine broke one month after the warranty expired. Whereupon, I discovered the repair cost was more than simply buying a new unit. I was extremely disappointed in Microsoft and won’t buy another Surface again as a result. My surface 3 ended up being about as useful as a brick for the last year and a half. Then I stumbled upon this dock and my Surface 3 has suddenly become a usable computer again. In fact, it is more usable than it was when it was a brand new unit.The dock charges the Surface 3 through its display port rather than the faulty micro USB port. This charging method also charges the Surface 3 faster than the micro USB port does even when it is fully functional, so there is less downtime between charges. If you set the Surface 3 on a table or desk while it is in the dock, you can leave it plugged in giving you unlimited usage. When the micro USB port was in working order and I was using the surface while plugged into an outlet, I would typically drain the battery quicker than the charger replenished it. With this dock that is no longer a problem. I am baffled as to why Microsoft didn’t offer owners a discounted dock to keep them happy. The faulty port design was a well known issue with the device and Microsoft wasn’t receptive to helping people out that brought their poorly designed product.So, if you have a bad charging port on your Surface 3, buy this dock that is deeply discounted from its original price and it will fix your problem. Even if your Surface 3 is in working order, it is a good buy because overall it makes the device so much more usable. The extra USB A ports the dock provides are a really nice added bonus especially when you consider the dock itself now costs about the same as one of those plug in dongles that give you more USB ports.I wanted to add the unit is light which makes it is easy to move your Surface around while it is docked. I like to watch Netflix in bed and I tend to leave the Surface docked and sitting on my bed when doing so. The down side of this design is that I suspect it isn’t very durable and when you have the sides open so you can dock the Surface it feels very flimsy.The only real negative with the dock is that it didn’t come with any instructions on how to use the dock. It took me a few attempts before I realized that the sides of the dock pull apart and slide open so you can mount your Surface. Then you slide the sides back in to secure the device. I suspect I came very close to breaking the dock before I figured out how to open it correctly.