Just can’t
get enough
Microsoft claims
11.5hrs of battery life;
we got a little over 10hrs
with just writing, and
more like 8hrs with
mixed use.TESTED MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP 3 (13.5IN)Never mind that it’s a bit boring – this is a
PC, not a sex robot. And Microsoft’s latest
laptop excels in all the important areas...
QThe Surface Laptop 3 is what a
MacBook Pro would be like if Apple
hadn’t spent the last five years
adding bits and taking other bits
away. It’s a plain old laptop with an
ace keyboard, useful connectivity
and absolutely zero fluff.QThere are loads of other sensible
Windows laptops around, but none
of them can match the loveliness of
this one. It doesn’t have a flip-over
hinge or a panoramic screen, but it’s
slim and light and it feels fantastic.QThe sharp and punchy 13.5in
screen has a rather square 3:2
aspect ratio. It’s not so good for
movies, but Microsoft would argue
it’s better for productivity apps.
Microsoft optimising for the boring
stuff? Who’d have thought it?QThe meaty, slightly springy feel
of the keys is brilliant, and makes
most Windows rivals feel a bit
dead. You also get a three-intensity
backlight and a large trackpad.QOur review laptop has the Core i7
CPU with 16GB of RAM. Don’t edit
video, make music or do deep edits
on 100MB images? The version
with an i5 and 8GB RAM will do the
trick for a lot less.QIntel’s higher-end integrated
GPUs get you close to the
performance of an entry-level
graphics card – and this laptop
is very quiet under pressure. After
half an hour of Skyrim, it still gives
out just a quiet whirr.The Surface Laptop 3 seems painfully plain on paper. There’s no second screen, no
graphics card, no hybrid hinge, no fingerprint scanner. But Microsoft has put so much
attention to detail into every part that matters that this ends up being one of the best
Windows laptops at any price. The build is superb, the keyboard is fantastic, the screen
is good and those unusual speakers are up there with the best of their type.Microsoft has
nailed all the
specs it chose
to focus on
Andrew WilliamsSquare is the love
STUFF SAYS Forget frills and gimmicks: this is everything a laptop should be +++++
Display 13.5in 2256x1504 multi-
touch CPU Quad-core 10th-gen
Intel Core i5/i7 RAM 8GB/16GB
Storage 128/256/512GB/1TB SSD
Connectivity USB 3, USB-C, 3.5mm
audio, Surface Connect Dimensions
308x223x14.5mm, 1.3kgQ Boom boom wow
The ‘omnidirectional’ speakers
sit under the keyboard; they have
some of the best spatial imaging
and tonal character we’ve heard
in a Windows laptop, with natural
audio that seems to expand well
beyond the laptop’s dimensions.Q Don’t stop the porty
The Surface Laptop 3 doesn’t
just have USB-C ports. There’s
also a full-size USB 3.1 and a
headphone output – and the
power connector is separate,
so the USB-C is still available
while the laptop is plugged in.from £899 / stuff.tv/SurfaceLap3Tech specs