Buy Microsoft surface £140 / $220 cheaper in Malaysia

[spambot]

I am going to Malaysia next month and I am in the market for a new Microsoft surface pro 3 and in Malaysia its 5,000 RM = approx 47k THB

Core i7-4650U (1.7GHz, 4MB L3 cache) - 8GB - 256GB

Lazada - Malaysia

Microsoft launch official price - Malaysia

And same unit in Thailand:is 100 baht short of 54K THB - i.e It is 7K THB (£140 or $220) cheaper in Malaysia

Banana Store - Thailand

IT-City Store - Thailand

Am I missing something here - Since there is a large difference in RRP price - Is there any reason not to buy in Malaysia?

There seems to be a microsoft store even on the island of Langkawi, which is where I am heading (but not yet got confirmation back from the store that they will have stock of the surface for when I visit) - PollyCall Store

I am also trying to get Lazada Malaysia to deliver to my hotel a few days before arriving and still awaiting a response back from them to identify if this is possible.

Possibly there might be an issue with import tax at customs and may need to dis guard the original packaging for the surface and claim I entered the country with the item or warranty cover in country, however outside this - For a big tick item purchase like this what is the reason not to buy from Malaysia.

[richard10365]

The Surface Pro 4 is about to be released.

[spambot]

The Surface Pro 4 is about to be released.

True, but market estimates are suggesting Pro 4 will be targeting an August 2015 US launch (No actual launch dates have been confirmed by Microsoft) - SE Asia was around 3 months latter for pro 3 last launch - Hence (nearly) 12 months wait time - And this is waiting for a product that might not be a step change - other than its form factor (Surface mini and 15 inch version).

I did think about the possibilities of Pro 4, but the question is not when to buy, but rather more about where i.e Malaysia would still be the same question I posed - Why not buy in Malaysia rather than Thailand whichever version of the surface being bought?

[richard10365]

I think if you can save 7,000 baht on a Surface Pro from Malaysia then do it. But how much does it cost to travel, stay in a hotel and then return to Thailand? I'm not saying that cost is not worth it. It would be a great excuse to go to Malaysia but you might use up your expected savings on your travel expenses.

I love the specs of the Surface Pro 3. If I had the money I would buy one too. I also understand how you feel about waiting for the Surface Pro 4. When i was looking for a tablet I had sights set on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I had to wait for months before it came to Thailand. I'm definitely happy with my choice but would love to be able to by a Surface Pro 3 or 4.

[kkerry]

Malaysian price is same as the price in Australia ($1728). So long as you can get an international warranty and not have to ship it back to Malaysia if anything goes wrong then buy it in Malaysia. Make sure it's in used condition e.g. with your personal files on it and I can't see it being a problem with customs in Thailand. I doubt Thai customs would even ask about it unless there was something else to bring you to their attention.

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the internet and computer forum.

[bendejo]

The Surface Pro 4 is about to be released.

True, but market estimates are suggesting Pro 4 will be targeting an August 2015 US launch (No actual launch dates have been confirmed by Microsoft) - SE Asia was around 3 months latter for pro 3 last launch - Hence (nearly) 12 months wait time - And this is waiting for a product that might not be a step change - other than its form factor (Surface mini and 15 inch version).

I did think about the possibilities of Pro 4, but the question is not when to buy, but rather more about where i.e Malaysia would still be the same question I posed - Why not buy in Malaysia rather than Thailand whichever version of the surface being bought?

Don't forget Windows 10 is due out next year. I don't know if the date has been announced, but maybe your message hints at it. My guess is the Pro 4 release would coincide.

If you're going to buy in Malaysia do it in a larger city. I wouldn't expect much in a remote place like Langkawi. Penang has a few IT malls, direct ferry link from Langkawi (or at least was, last I looked).

When I lived in Malaysia I would buy accessories for my peculiar phone (now antiquated) from Hong Kong. Never had to deal with customs, duty etc. Nearly everyone travels with a laptop these days, but if customs notices you have several they will definitely be curious.

That thing about having it delivered to your hotel before you get there: You may get to the hotel and be told there is no package, never arrived. You contact the vendor, he says it was shipped and has the delivery proof and you will be charged. Good luck with that.

[spambot]

The Surface Pro 4 is about to be released.

True, but market estimates are suggesting Pro 4 will be targeting an August 2015 US launch (No actual launch dates have been confirmed by Microsoft) - SE Asia was around 3 months latter for pro 3 last launch - Hence (nearly) 12 months wait time - And this is waiting for a product that might not be a step change - other than its form factor (Surface mini and 15 inch version).

I did think about the possibilities of Pro 4, but the question is not when to buy, but rather more about where i.e Malaysia would still be the same question I posed - Why not buy in Malaysia rather than Thailand whichever version of the surface being bought?

Don't forget Windows 10 is due out next year. I don't know if the date has been announced, but maybe your message hints at it. My guess is the Pro 4 release would coincide.

If you're going to buy in Malaysia do it in a larger city. I wouldn't expect much in a remote place like Langkawi. Penang has a few IT malls, direct ferry link from Langkawi (or at least was, last I looked).

When I lived in Malaysia I would buy accessories for my peculiar phone (now antiquated) from Hong Kong. Never had to deal with customs, duty etc. Nearly everyone travels with a laptop these days, but if customs notices you have several they will definitely be curious.

That thing about having it delivered to your hotel before you get there: You may get to the hotel and be told there is no package, never arrived. You contact the vendor, he says it was shipped and has the delivery proof and you will be charged. Good luck with that.

Some good points made in your post:

There is a specific Microsoft authorised dealer on Langkawi I am going to buy from - And pricing seems less negotiable on the surface products and hence going to Penang might not save a lot (I have made contact with a dealer however there just in case).

Its a pain ditching the packaging since its good to keep the manuals and other bits and pieces in and remembering where they are and even increases the resale value with original box - so not sure if I might chance keeping the packaging.

Windows 10 is a good point - However I always try and stay one version behind - since they software vendors are always running late on their support and usually you have to upgrade your existing software from them to be fully compatible - I am running Adobe creative suite and various other video and image animation design applications and some are still not fully compatible with current windows, hence the wait on Win 10 is not high priority.

[richard10365]

The Surface Pro 4 is about to be released.

True, but market estimates are suggesting Pro 4 will be targeting an August 2015 US launch (No actual launch dates have been confirmed by Microsoft) - SE Asia was around 3 months latter for pro 3 last launch - Hence (nearly) 12 months wait time - And this is waiting for a product that might not be a step change - other than its form factor (Surface mini and 15 inch version).

I did think about the possibilities of Pro 4, but the question is not when to buy, but rather more about where i.e Malaysia would still be the same question I posed - Why not buy in Malaysia rather than Thailand whichever version of the surface being bought?

Don't forget Windows 10 is due out next year. I don't know if the date has been announced, but maybe your message hints at it. My guess is the Pro 4 release would coincide.

If you're going to buy in Malaysia do it in a larger city. I wouldn't expect much in a remote place like Langkawi. Penang has a few IT malls, direct ferry link from Langkawi (or at least was, last I looked).

When I lived in Malaysia I would buy accessories for my peculiar phone (now antiquated) from Hong Kong. Never had to deal with customs, duty etc. Nearly everyone travels with a laptop these days, but if customs notices you have several they will definitely be curious.

That thing about having it delivered to your hotel before you get there: You may get to the hotel and be told there is no package, never arrived. You contact the vendor, he says it was shipped and has the delivery proof and you will be charged. Good luck with that.

Some good points made in your post:

There is a specific Microsoft authorised dealer on Langkawi I am going to buy from - And pricing seems less negotiable on the surface products and hence going to Penang might not save a lot (I have made contact with a dealer however there just in case).

Its a pain ditching the packaging since its good to keep the manuals and other bits and pieces in and remembering where they are and even increases the resale value with original box - so not sure if I might chance keeping the packaging.

Windows 10 is a good point - However I always try and stay one version behind - since they software vendors are always running late on their support and usually you have to upgrade your existing software from them to be fully compatible - I am running Adobe creative suite and various other video and image animation design applications and some are still not fully compatible with current windows, hence the wait on Win 10 is not high priority.

I'm running Windows 10 evaluation version already. It's awesome. The best of Windows 7 and Windows 8! It's an Apple killer!!!

[Thaijack2014]

I think if you can save 7,000 baht on a Surface Pro from Malaysia then do it. But how much does it cost to travel, stay in a hotel and then return to Thailand? I'm not saying that cost is not worth it. It would be a great excuse to go to Malaysia but you might use up your expected savings on your travel expenses.

I love the specs of the Surface Pro 3. If I had the money I would buy one too. I also understand how you feel about waiting for the Surface Pro 4. When i was looking for a tablet I had sights set on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I had to wait for months before it came to Thailand. I'm definitely happy with my choice but would love to be able to by a Surface Pro 3 or 4.

He is going anyway... so he's saving money! It would not be saving money if he would go to Malaysia just for the computer. I did this two years ago when I had to be in Butterworth for a Thai visum. Buying my Canonprinter there saved me about 8000 Baht...

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an outstanding tablet. If I was looking for an Android tablet, this would be my number one choice as well. But the past weeks I'm doing a research on the internet for Windows tablets and there are some Chinese products which cost half as much and can run Android and Windows 8.1! My favourite so far: The Teclast X98 air ii, runs both systems, costs around 7000 Baht! Look for it on Youtube, you will be amazed. Of course, Surface 3 is a high quality product... but for what I want to do with my tablet, this one will do...

[spambot]

I think if you can save 7,000 baht on a Surface Pro from Malaysia then do it. But how much does it cost to travel, stay in a hotel and then return to Thailand? I'm not saying that cost is not worth it. It would be a great excuse to go to Malaysia but you might use up your expected savings on your travel expenses.

I love the specs of the Surface Pro 3. If I had the money I would buy one too. I also understand how you feel about waiting for the Surface Pro 4. When i was looking for a tablet I had sights set on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I had to wait for months before it came to Thailand. I'm definitely happy with my choice but would love to be able to by a Surface Pro 3 or 4.

He is going anyway... so he's saving money! It would not be saving money if he would go to Malaysia just for the computer. I did this two years ago when I had to be in Butterworth for a Thai visum. Buying my Canonprinter there saved me about 8000 Baht...

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an outstanding tablet. If I was looking for an Android tablet, this would be my number one choice as well. But the past weeks I'm doing a research on the internet for Windows tablets and there are some Chinese products which cost half as much and can run Android and Windows 8.1! My favourite so far: The Teclast X98 air ii, runs both systems, costs around 7000 Baht! Look for it on Youtube, you will be amazed. Of course, Surface 3 is a high quality product... but for what I want to do with my tablet, this one will do...

Yikes - Great post

The Teclast X98 air ii has been completely off my radar - It looks really good for the price - Slight niggle since I edit image and video I couldn't see any pen stylus options, but at this low cost would be worth the compromise of using an external wacom tablet input - Fantastic screen spec (same spec as iPad) - The 3G from reviewers seem to have refresh rate issues and camera (right way up) - also needs a separate new win 8 licence and so the ii (not the 3G) seems like the best choice (as you recommended).

Bottom line: At this price I can see myself buying this now and using it as an easy to carry device for local bus journeys reading PDF's and viewing video how to's i.e essentially it can be used as a lightweight smaller form factor media device, rather than a device for larger projects - I like it.

Questions:

1. Where in Thailand (or even better) Bangkok can this be bought - Or is this only via Alibaba Express?

2. The air ii - comes installed with Windows 8.1 - can this be right? (If the price is 7K - I am assuming it will be a Win 8.1 - non registered)

Thanks for a great Post!

[Disparate Dan]

I think if you can save 7,000 baht on a Surface Pro from Malaysia then do it. But how much does it cost to travel, stay in a hotel and then return to Thailand? I'm not saying that cost is not worth it. It would be a great excuse to go to Malaysia but you might use up your expected savings on your travel expenses.

I love the specs of the Surface Pro 3. If I had the money I would buy one too. I also understand how you feel about waiting for the Surface Pro 4. When i was looking for a tablet I had sights set on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I had to wait for months before it came to Thailand. I'm definitely happy with my choice but would love to be able to by a Surface Pro 3 or 4.

He is going anyway... so he's saving money! It would not be saving money if he would go to Malaysia just for the computer. I did this two years ago when I had to be in Butterworth for a Thai visum. Buying my Canonprinter there saved me about 8000 Baht...

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an outstanding tablet. If I was looking for an Android tablet, this would be my number one choice as well. But the past weeks I'm doing a research on the internet for Windows tablets and there are some Chinese products which cost half as much and can run Android and Windows 8.1! My favourite so far: The Teclast X98 air ii, runs both systems, costs around 7000 Baht! Look for it on Youtube, you will be amazed. Of course, Surface 3 is a high quality product... but for what I want to do with my tablet, this one will do...

Re the Teclast - it sounds just too good to be true! But I could not tell from the youtubes whether it can run both Android AND Windows (not at the same time, of course). Can it run both systems? If so, it's just what I need!

Re buying in Malaysia, I have often bought hardware in KL at the Low Fat place (or whatever) at Bukit Bintang. Never had problems. Advantages for farang are 1. no Thai keyboards and 2. decent English spoken. International warranties, lower prices (Singapore used to be good but the exchange rate has priced it out of competition). Tip: just in case of Thai customs, post the paperwork and any manual back to your Thai address. However, in all my time here, I have never, ever been stopped or questioned at Don Mueang or Swampi.

[ETatBKK]

I am using a Surface Pro 3 i7 256GB that bought from Hong Kong last September. two reasons - i) don't wait for IT City long booking queue if it is available on shelf somewhere; ii) it is cheaper ( forget actual number ). very happy with the Surface Pro3 performance so far, EXCEPT :

there are many manufacturing defects with the Surface Pro3. luckily mine is not over-heated, but it starts to BLEND into a curved screen, about 3mm+ along its length. warranty is NOT valid here in Microsoft Thailand.

not an issue entering Thailand with only one Surface Pro3, put some data in it and it considered as personal use. not travel with another laptop. Surface Pro3 packaging is not foldable.

[spambot]

I am using a Surface Pro 3 i7 256GB that bought from Hong Kong last September. two reasons - i) don't wait for IT City long booking queue if it is available on shelf somewhere; ii) it is cheaper ( forget actual number ). very happy with the Surface Pro3 performance so far, EXCEPT :

there are many manufacturing defects with the Surface Pro3. luckily mine is not over-heated, but it starts to BLEND into a curved screen, about 3mm+ along its length. warranty is NOT valid here in Microsoft Thailand.

not an issue entering Thailand with only one Surface Pro3, put some data in it and it considered as personal use. not travel with another laptop. Surface Pro3 packaging is not foldable.

Good Call - Useful real information - The heat I have heard from others can be a bit worrying - seems to happen on the processing you would expect with video HD playback and rendering etc - The info about the edge of screen is new info to me - Others have mentioned the pen input become unresponsive in that area - So i can image the edge issue could be frustrating for apps with edge close side panel selections.

Good feedback on the foldability of the packaging - I was contemplating this as a possibility (now not - because of your insight). Worth considering since I will be entering back to Thailand by ferry and other peoples experience seem to indicate a more relaxed attitude than what occurs at airport controls - I will asses on way out (using ferry) the chances of getting the packaging back without problems, but on the whole feel I need to dispose of the box to be entirely safe.

[IMHO]

It's an Apple killer!!!

Does that make it a disease or an insect?

[WhizBang]

I recently bought the Surface Pro 3, i7 model, fully loaded. Yes, pricy, but well worth it. LOVE the stylus. The stylus is what the android tablets are seriously lacking.

I think the Surface Pro 3 is a capable laptop replacement. It is that good and that powerful. I did not get the keyboard cover. Instead I bought a Rapoo E2700 RF keyboard with touchpad.

Give serious thought to implementing Full Disk Encryption though. And be aware that the Surface Pro 3 uses UEFI (not BIOS), and GPT partitions. The days of BIOS and DOS are gone.

[WhizBang]

Questions:

1. Where in Thailand (or even better) Bangkok can this be bought - Or is this only via Alibaba Express?

2. The air ii - comes installed with Windows 8.1 - can this be right? (If the price is 7K - I am assuming it will be a Win 8.1 - non registered)

Thanks for a great Post!

Edit: Sorry, I see you were not refering to the Surface Pro. But my comments still stand.

You can buy the Surface Pro 3 in Fortune, that's where I bought mine. I would guess also in Pantip.

I looked at the 'dual' type laptops with detachable screens that became tablets. A common theme was windows on the laptop, but only android on the tablet (screen).

Personally, one of the best features of the Surface Pro 3 is that I have a fully functioning version of Windows on my tablet. That means all of the windows software, that I use on my laptop or desktop, will run on the Surface Pro.

I am sooooooo happy to see the end of android. Android may be good (even great) on phones, but is so useless on a tablet, especially if you want to actually use it for anything beyond games or internet.

Edited January 3, 2015 by WhizBang

[ETatBKK]

I am using a Surface Pro 3 i7 256GB that bought from Hong Kong last September. two reasons - i) don't wait for IT City long booking queue if it is available on shelf somewhere; ii) it is cheaper ( forget actual number ). very happy with the Surface Pro3 performance so far, EXCEPT :

there are many manufacturing defects with the Surface Pro3. luckily mine is not over-heated, but it starts to BLEND into a curved screen, about 3mm+ along its length. warranty is NOT valid here in Microsoft Thailand.

not an issue entering Thailand with only one Surface Pro3, put some data in it and it considered as personal use. not travel with another laptop. Surface Pro3 packaging is not foldable.

Good Call - Useful real information - The heat I have heard from others can be a bit worrying - seems to happen on the processing you would expect with video HD playback and rendering etc - The info about the edge of screen is new info to me - Others have mentioned the pen input become unresponsive in that area - So i can image the edge issue could be frustrating for apps with edge close side panel selections.

Good feedback on the foldability of the packaging - I was contemplating this as a possibility (now not - because of your insight). Worth considering since I will be entering back to Thailand by ferry and other peoples experience seem to indicate a more relaxed attitude than what occurs at airport controls - I will asses on way out (using ferry) the chances of getting the packaging back without problems, but on the whole feel I need to dispose of the box to be entirely safe.

be more precise, the overheat is NOT related to any type of processing as we though earlier. it is simply the ultra thin casing between the CPU and the housing material. it is also related to specific production batches, that already been widely published by other Surface users.

my is slightly BENT ( sorry for previous typo ) along the left to right lengthwise, like the curved LED TV screen. not sure what went wrong and what will be hurt.

to be frank, if Surface is available off the shelf in Fortune or Pantip, I would go straight and buy one there. for such high spec electronic, there is not way for any repair and bench fix ( Surface is not designed for serviceability ); warranty is the only protection.

[phazey]

I think if you can save 7,000 baht on a Surface Pro from Malaysia then do it. But how much does it cost to travel, stay in a hotel and then return to Thailand? I'm not saying that cost is not worth it. It would be a great excuse to go to Malaysia but you might use up your expected savings on your travel expenses.

I love the specs of the Surface Pro 3. If I had the money I would buy one too. I also understand how you feel about waiting for the Surface Pro 4. When i was looking for a tablet I had sights set on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I had to wait for months before it came to Thailand. I'm definitely happy with my choice but would love to be able to by a Surface Pro 3 or 4.

He is going anyway... so he's saving money! It would not be saving money if he would go to Malaysia just for the computer. I did this two years ago when I had to be in Butterworth for a Thai visum. Buying my Canonprinter there saved me about 8000 Baht...

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an outstanding tablet. If I was looking for an Android tablet, this would be my number one choice as well. But the past weeks I'm doing a research on the internet for Windows tablets and there are some Chinese products which cost half as much and can run Android and Windows 8.1! My favourite so far: The Teclast X98 air ii, runs both systems, costs around 7000 Baht! Look for it on Youtube, you will be amazed. Of course, Surface 3 is a high quality product... but for what I want to do with my tablet, this one will do...

Re the Teclast - it sounds just too good to be true! But I could not tell from the youtubes whether it can run both Android AND Windows (not at the same time, of course). Can it run both systems? If so, it's just what I need!

Re buying in Malaysia, I have often bought hardware in KL at the Low Fat place (or whatever) at Bukit Bintang. Never had problems. Advantages for farang are 1. no Thai keyboards and 2. decent English spoken. International warranties, lower prices (Singapore used to be good but the exchange rate has priced it out of competition). Tip: just in case of Thai customs, post the paperwork and any manual back to your Thai address. However, in all my time here, I have never, ever been stopped or questioned at Don Mueang or Swampi.

Thanks for the Teclast heads up - I'm buying one.

Main reason is that it CAN dual boot Android and Windows 8.1, which means at least, I can attempt to also Hackintosh it

[bendejo]

...

I am sooooooo happy to see the end of android. Android may be good (even great) on phones, but is so useless on a tablet, especially if you want to actually use it for anything beyond games or internet.

I was getting set to develop Android apps a few years ago. There are some vulnerabilities in Android that I'm surprised haven't been exploited to the point of making the news yet (or has someone just been good at preventing the incidents from being broadcast?). I'm not just talking about an intruder hacking into a gadget via wifi or bt, it goes deeper than that.

Additionally there are a lot of app developers who don't have much of an understanding of the 'nuts & bolts' of computers and software, so there is a heavy dependency on frameworks, which are pre-written software components. These are much easier to use than having to learn the whole boring, arcane developer kit. The thing of it is you have no way of knowing what else that framework is doing, but it seems no one cares. I was listening to a podcast where an app developer was being interviewed. The app being discussed didn't require any outside data, so had no need to use network or phone. The interviewer said he noticed the app opens a net connection and transmits something, what's that about? "Oh, that's just part of the framework I used" was the response. And the interviewer let him get away with that answer. What the ... ?

[Thaijack2014]

I think if you can save 7,000 baht on a Surface Pro from Malaysia then do it. But how much does it cost to travel, stay in a hotel and then return to Thailand? I'm not saying that cost is not worth it. It would be a great excuse to go to Malaysia but you might use up your expected savings on your travel expenses.

I love the specs of the Surface Pro 3. If I had the money I would buy one too. I also understand how you feel about waiting for the Surface Pro 4. When i was looking for a tablet I had sights set on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I had to wait for months before it came to Thailand. I'm definitely happy with my choice but would love to be able to by a Surface Pro 3 or 4.

He is going anyway... so he's saving money! It would not be saving money if he would go to Malaysia just for the computer. I did this two years ago when I had to be in Butterworth for a Thai visum. Buying my Canonprinter there saved me about 8000 Baht...

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an outstanding tablet. If I was looking for an Android tablet, this would be my number one choice as well. But the past weeks I'm doing a research on the internet for Windows tablets and there are some Chinese products which cost half as much and can run Android and Windows 8.1! My favourite so far: The Teclast X98 air ii, runs both systems, costs around 7000 Baht! Look for it on Youtube, you will be amazed. Of course, Surface 3 is a high quality product... but for what I want to do with my tablet, this one will do...

Re the Teclast - it sounds just too good to be true! But I could not tell from the youtubes whether it can run both Android AND Windows (not at the same time, of course). Can it run both systems? If so, it's just what I need!

Re buying in Malaysia, I have often bought hardware in KL at the Low Fat place (or whatever) at Bukit Bintang. Never had problems. Advantages for farang are 1. no Thai keyboards and 2. decent English spoken. International warranties, lower prices (Singapore used to be good but the exchange rate has priced it out of competition). Tip: just in case of Thai customs, post the paperwork and any manual back to your Thai address. However, in all my time here, I have never, ever been stopped or questioned at Don Mueang or Swampi.

As far as I understand is that the Teclast due to its intel processor. So even if you buy the Android version only, you will be able to install windows on it. And also the other way around. But there are some versions with both systems installed and it seems that it has a LEGAL version of Windows 8.1 on it. If you buy a licensed version of Windows 8.1 it will cost you 3000-4000 baht. So for a little bit more a very nice tablet.

Check this out: http://www.teclast.com/en/zt/X98Air/ and http://www.aliexpress.com/item/9-7-Teclast-X98-3G-Intel-Bay-Trail-T-Quad-Core-Tablet-PC-1-83GHz-Retina/1862203196.html

The one that Lazada offers is not very good. It has only 1GB of RAM and 16GB storage... not so much with Windows 8.1. I think at least 2GB RAM with 64GB of storage is a minimum..

[thedemon]

I am using a Surface Pro 3 i7 256GB that bought from Hong Kong last September. two reasons - i) don't wait for IT City long booking queue if it is available on shelf somewhere; ii) it is cheaper ( forget actual number ). very happy with the Surface Pro3 performance so far, EXCEPT :

there are many manufacturing defects with the Surface Pro3. luckily mine is not over-heated, but it starts to BLEND into a curved screen, about 3mm+ along its length. warranty is NOT valid here in Microsoft Thailand.

not an issue entering Thailand with only one Surface Pro3, put some data in it and it considered as personal use. not travel with another laptop. Surface Pro3 packaging is not foldable.

All Surface products are covered by a warranty valid in Thailand. It's not handled by Microsoft Thailand though rather it's through a third party logistics company that will arrange collection of your faulty Pro 3 by a courier and deliver you a replacement device in 7-10 days later. You will not get your original device back so data transfer is your responsibility. I think the actual exchange centre for Thailand is in Singapore but in any case courier/customs charges are covered by MS if a valid warranty claim or included in the fixed price (approx THB10K) if caused by accidental damage.

To make a claim go to: https://myservice.surface.com/en-US/pages/welcome.aspx

Sign in with a Microsoft account, enter name and address and the serial number of your device (located underneath the kickstand). That device is then registered to you and it will tell you the model of your device and the validity period of the warranty. From there you can make a service request to get the replacement process started.

I believe that it is practically impossible to remove the digitizer screen assembly from a Pro 3 and replace it intact without specialized machines (not just a heat gun) and there is no other way to open the device so it means that any problem has to be dealt with using the above process.

I have recently had an i7/512 model replaced. It went very smoothly and it's great that you don't even need to leave the house.

[ETatBKK]

All Surface products are covered by a warranty valid in Thailand. It's not handled by Microsoft Thailand though rather it's through a third party logistics company that will arrange collection of your faulty Pro 3 by a courier and deliver you a replacement device in 7-10 days later. You will not get your original device back so data transfer is your responsibility. I think the actual exchange centre for Thailand is in Singapore but in any case courier/customs charges are covered by MS if a valid warranty claim or included in the fixed price (approx THB10K) if caused by accidental damage.

To make a claim go to: https://myservice.surface.com/en-US/pages/welcome.aspx

Sign in with a Microsoft account, enter name and address and the serial number of your device (located underneath the kickstand). That device is then registered to you and it will tell you the model of your device and the validity period of the warranty. From there you can make a service request to get the replacement process started.

I believe that it is practically impossible to remove the digitizer screen assembly from a Pro 3 and replace it intact without specialized machines (not just a heat gun) and there is no other way to open the device so it means that any problem has to be dealt with using the above process.

I have recently had an i7/512 model replaced. It went very smoothly and it's great that you don't even need to leave the house.

great news, thanks the demon !

your replaced i7 512, is it a new unit or a re-worked unit ? mine is already 4 months into the warranty. if it is a re-worked unit, then I wait for the last month.

[thedemon]

All Surface products are covered by a warranty valid in Thailand. It's not handled by Microsoft Thailand though rather it's through a third party logistics company that will arrange collection of your faulty Pro 3 by a courier and deliver you a replacement device in 7-10 days later. You will not get your original device back so data transfer is your responsibility. I think the actual exchange centre for Thailand is in Singapore but in any case courier/customs charges are covered by MS if a valid warranty claim or included in the fixed price (approx THB10K) if caused by accidental damage.

To make a claim go to: https://myservice.surface.com/en-US/pages/welcome.aspx

Sign in with a Microsoft account, enter name and address and the serial number of your device (located underneath the kickstand). That device is then registered to you and it will tell you the model of your device and the validity period of the warranty. From there you can make a service request to get the replacement process started.

I believe that it is practically impossible to remove the digitizer screen assembly from a Pro 3 and replace it intact without specialized machines (not just a heat gun) and there is no other way to open the device so it means that any problem has to be dealt with using the above process.

I have recently had an i7/512 model replaced. It went very smoothly and it's great that you don't even need to leave the house.

great news, thanks the demon !

your replaced i7 512, is it a new unit or a re-worked unit ? mine is already 4 months into the warranty. if it is a re-worked unit, then I wait for the last month.

That's a good question, that I wondered myself, but don't have a clear answer to. The device I received back is absolutely unmarked - like brand new. The packaging was different to a brand new unit though.

I have read on some US based forums that others have received back a unit that was clearly refurbished. But no serious complaints. I would guess that your chance of getting a brand new unit is quite high but MS is not going to advertise that fact. If you can live with your present defect, then waiting for the last month is a good plan, I would think.

If you want the contact details of the people that handle claims from Thailand, PM me. I probably shouldn't post them here.