On Tuesday, Microsoft introduced a new and cheaper version of the Surface tablets called the Surface 3, which can be now pre-ordered in as many as 26 countries and will start shipping from May 5.

VentureBeat reports that the Surface 3 will be the lightest as well as thinnest tablet produced by the Redmond-based tech titan so far. It will be sold at a starting price of $499. While the Surface 2 runs on Windows RT, the latest version will run a complete version of Windows 8.1.

By paying an additional $100, consumers can get the Surface 3 with 4G LTE. Both the models of Surface 3 will come with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. In addition, users will also be able to upgrade their $499 Surface 3 or 4G LTE models to 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for an addition $100 for each.

The new Surface 3 will be powered by a quad-core Intel Atom x7 processor, which Microsoft claims is highest-performing Atom processor offered by Intel currently. Unlike the Surface Pro 3, the latest device will also offer a fanless design.

The screen of the Surface 3 is displays a 3:2 aspect ratio, rendering a 1920x1280 resolution.

The stereo speakers of the Surface 3 can deliver Dolby Audio-enhanced sound, while the device also comes with a built-in microphone.

As for the cameras of the device, the Surface 3 will come with two 1080p HD cameras - one front-facing and another on the rear side. The rear-facing camera will be 8-megapixel, while the front-facing shooter will be 3.5-megapixel.

All the models of Surface 3 will offer Wi-Fi Internet, in addition to Bluetooth 4.0.

The other specifications of the Surface 3 offer a full-size USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort and a microSD card reader. The Surface 3 will also come with a Micro USB charging port allowing the device to be recharged by nearly all smartphone chargers. In addition, the Surface 3 will be consistent with the Surface Pro's adapters.

While the Surface 3 will ship with Windows 8.1, users can update it to Windows 10 for free when the latter is released. According to Microsoft, the new tablet will come with a one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal, including 1TB of OneDrive storage.

Different from the costlier Surface Pro 3, the Surface 3 is meant for the average consumer, instead of a business worker.