Review: Urban Armor Gear for the Surface Pro 3

When I think of heavy duty protection for smartphones and tablets, I conjure up the image of a bulky, rubberized monstrosity that resembles more of a fat suit than a case. Sure, it will protect your device from nearly any threat, but it also makes it look like a swollen tick with bad fashion sense.
Urban Armor Gear must have had a similar image in mind when designing their tough case for the Surface Pro 3 because it avoids those very pitfalls. Rather than being a tough and ugly movie monster, the Urban Armor Gear for the Surface Pro 3 is the rugged, handsome action star.
The UAG case fits snuggly around the corners of the Surface, providing extra thick padding where it counts. It's so snug, in fact, that I found it rather difficult to put on without feeling like I might hurt my Surface from pushing on it so hard.
But once it was on, I was very pleased with the fit. The case fully protects the Surface's back, corners, and around the front of the bezel. Even the buttons get wrapped with protective rubber, which is raised up to make them easy to push. There are cutouts for all of the ports, as well as for the heat vents.
The skin of the cover, aptly referred to as "Frogskin Technology," is resistant to liquids. It is also very comfortable to hold, even with wet hands.
A huge plus for the Urban Armor Gear case is that it allows full use of the Type Cover including the magnetic tilted keyboard position. The keyboard closes flush to the screen and can be held in place by an elastic that is attached to the case. According to the manufacturer, the case meets military drop standards (MIL-STD 810G 516.6) when coupled with the Type Cover.
Unlike many other highly-protective covers, there aren't many trade-offs between protection and portability. The Urban Armor Gear case is lightweight and doesn't add too much to the overall size of the Surface Pro 3.
The only stark difference between this case and others is that the UAG cover does not allow you to use the Surface's kickstand. Instead, it has a built-in stand that clicks into five different positions. It does an admirable job of filling in, letting you work at various angles, but lacks the smooth movement of the Surface kickstand. It is also T-shaped and does not cover the entire length of the tablet, like the Surface stand does, which makes it more of a challenge to get fully comfortable on your lap.
Urban Armor Gear did an excellent job with their Surface Pro 3 case. It shields your tablet from bumps and to some extent the elements, without making it look like it's in a suit of armor. On the contrary, it feels more like a superhero outfit.
For that reason, you may not feel comfortable bringing into the boardroom with you. Then again, if you work in that type of environment, you probably don't need that much protection anyway. If you use your Surface in more casual settings, the Urban Armor Gear case will fit in just fine.
There are two color schemes to choose from, Rogue (red and black) and Scout (black on black).
Either will run you $69.90 from Urban Armor Gear's site (opens in new tab) with free worldwide shipping.
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I approve the choice of wallpaper ;)
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Remember, remember, the 5th of November...
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Remember, remember, the 5th of November.
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The gunpowder treason and plot.
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I agree with the wallpaper! Now what they need to do is make an identical case that allows full use of the kick stand!
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Resign that to an Ultronesk design and I will BUY BUY BUY
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This looks like an excellent case, we have quite alot of surfaces making their way into production areas now so I think we'll take a look at these, the price seems very reasonable as well. We were using the Incipio hard cases with the hand grip for the SP2's previously.
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It's a great case. Probably my favorite that I have tried so far.
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Ugly
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I think you're beautiful!
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Can you dock it with the case on?
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No. I have yet to find a case that allows for that. Maybe some of the skins and stick-on cases can.
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When you find one, we all will want to know! :)
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Cool
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Would be cool if it had a nice, secure place to keep your stylus.
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But it's expensive... (the tablet, not the case)
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Definitely read that as"Foreskin Technology"
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Haha, this just made my night!
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I have the exact setup here, red/black with the red keyboard. I'm still using the case, but I was a little disappointed. The case peels up my screen protector and feels like it doubles the weight of the device.
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Peeled my screen protector also :( how did you fix the issue?
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Oops, those pics show it interferes with using the screen by protruding/ covering some of the screen. Is there a case that both sits flush and protects the type cover by attaching to it? The brand I use doesn't snap close with the type over attached. I almost want to cut the case's front cover and use the type cover instead.
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I've been using it for about a month now. It was a good investment.
• While the stand is not as beautifully designed as the Surface', the stand works well for normal horizontal usage, and also useable as a vertical stand
• The type cover fits the cover well. A very smooth fit without any gaps.
• The cover does not interfere with any part of the screen's display.
• The Surface with the cover on does not fit the dock. I hope someone might create a mini docking station with multi USB, power, Ethernet,audio, and display port... • The Rogue matches the the red type cover well -
God, I wish they offered a Surface 2 version.... Anyone know of a protective case (not sleeve or leather flap) that works with the Surface 2 and it's keyboard?
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May not be what you're looking for, but I use the ESR Intelligent Series Case for my SP2 + keyboard. I am very pleased with the product.
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Did you go to the site. Thy have been offereing a Surface 2 version for a good while.
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I have this case on mine. Really like the red with the keyboard, both mine are black. I wish MS had done an orange keyboard or UAG with an orange back plate or both for the win. It does add a little extra weight but seeing a dent on my Surface after only a week of having it in my bag with a glasses case, I figured the case was worth the investment. A lot of folks are having issues in their forums with their iPhone 6 cases but I got my case without much incident.
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Does your surface overheat with the case on?
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Looks good!
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Only suitable if you don't use the Docking Station...
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I just got mine today, wifey doesn't like it, thinks it takes away the beauty of the tablet. It also adds quiet a heft. Have to be careful taking it off and or putting it back on. My screen protector hasn't arrived yet, so not sure if it will interfer with it. But the case does seem solid, not going to test a drop LOL.
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Is it easy to remove the case then?