Early this month, Microsoft Surface 3, a thinner, smaller, and less expensive version of its successful Surface Pro 3 PC-tablet, had hit U.S. stores and the company's online portal, at a starting price of $499. The Redmond software giant now seems to be expanding the Surface 3 tablet lineup with new models, as a new mid-range configuration has been spotted in Germany that could reportedly make its way across Europe very soon.

In April, Microsoft had unveiled the Surface 3, which would succeed the discontinued Surface 2 and fix the software problem with the earlier versions by running the full version of Microsoft's latest operating system. Microsoft had launched the Surface 2 alongside the Surface Pro 2 to give consumers a choice between Windows RT and Windows 8.1. But since Windows RT could not run traditional Windows apps, the company's earlier tablets offered limited utility and had to be officially discontinued due to poor sales.

Microsoft's new Surface 3 tablet is powered by Intel's new x86-based quad-core Atom X7 processor and runs the full-fledged Windows 8.1, with a free upgrade to Windows 10 on the cards when Microsoft releases the new operating system. The new Surface 3 is .34" thick and weighs 1.37 pounds, and features a 10.8" screen with 1920-by-1280 resolution. The tablet has a USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a microSD card reader, with a 3.5 MP front camera and 8 MP rear camera, both of which can record 1080p video. The Surface 3 comes in two variants: 2GB of RAM with 64 GB, and 4GB of RAM with 128 GB, priced at $499 and $599, respectively.

However, Microsoft now seems to be offering a mid-range model of the Surface 3 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which has been spotted in Germany and sells for about $735, halfway between the prices for the entry-level and high-end models. The mid-range Surface 3 tablet has the same specifications as the other two models, with the only difference being in the storage and memory. Microsoft has not confirmed if the mid-range Surface 3 will be available in the United States, though the tablet is likely to come to North America if it goes on sale in Europe.