Your older Surface covers will work on the Pro 3, but it's not pretty

Microsoft has made the wise decision to make all of the previous generation Surface keyboard covers backwards and forwards compatible. Surely, this was the right move as those who have already invested in the platform will be able to bring their existing add-ons with them - but we must admit, it's not a pretty look.

Here's the basics of it: the new Pro 3 is much larger than existing devices and when you put an older cover on the new screen, it doesn't protect the entire surface. That's not a big surprise and as you can see in the images of this post, it leaves a wide area exposed when folded up.

On the other side of the equation, the Type Cover 3 does work on older Surface models, and gives you more space to type - but when folded up, there is quite a bit of overhang that expands the total footprint of the device.

Type Cover 3 on a Surface Pro 2

None of this information is ground-breaking but after our Q&A on Twitter last night, we got a couple requests to see what the old Type Covers look like on the new device, so here you go.

We will say though that if you do get a Pro 3, getting the updated Type Cover is worth the expense for the trackpad alone which has been overhauled significantly. Sure, it may only be a little bit wider but the clicking mechanism has been improved as well which allows you to make mouse-clicks with considerably more confidence that they'll work as intended.