Computer Shopper - UK (2020-03)

ISSUE385|COMPUTER SHOPPER|MARCH2020 19

MICROSOFT’SHARDWAREDIVISIONhas
done some fine work over the past fewyears,
and the Surface Laptop is arguably the best
thing it has produced so far. It has its flaws,
but when the MacBook Air (Shopper373)
was lefttostagnatefor years without an
update, the Surface Laptop (Shopper356)
and Surface Laptop 2(Shopper372) valiantly
filled the hole forareasonable price.
Now that Apple has reintroduced its
popular ultraportable,however,doesthe
latest iteration of the Surface Laptop still
hold the same appeal?

TENTIMES

The Surface Laptop 3looks alot likkkettthhhe
previous generation, especially inttthe 13.5in
model’s case (for the first time,there’salso a
larger 15in model, too).Both versiooons have
some notable new features. Foronnne, to go
along with the introduction of Inteeel’s latest
10th-gen CPUs in the 13.5in model,Microsoft
has at long last added aUSB Type-C
connector,replacing the single-purpose
Mini DisplayPort output.
It also now has an SSD that’suuupgradable
(albeit only by engineers) rather thhhan being
soldered directly to the motherboaaard, and a
new dual far-field microphone arraaaydesigned
forclearer videoconferencing.
Addthose changes to what waaasalreadya
rather excellent laptop,with atall 333 :2 display
and aquality keyboard and touchpppad,and you
have yourself avery viable rival to the
MacBook Air.Onthat note, it getsssoff to a
good start on price: while the MacccBook
Air starts at £1,099,the entry-level
Surface Laptop 3isjust £999.

That moneygets you a1.2GHz Intel Core

i5-1035G7 processor,backed by 8GBofRAM

and 128GB of storage,and as you move up

through the specifications, the savings

compared to Apple only increase.We

specifically tested the Core i7-1065G

model with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of

storage,aconfiguration that costs £1,549.

The equivalent MacBook Air,meanwhile,is

£400 more expensive.

There’s agood spread of configurations

available,too,soyou’re bound to be able to

find something that suits your needs.

SHELL GAME

TTThhhesiiize andddshhhapeofffttthhheSSSurfffaceLLLaptttop 333

are,tothe millimetre,identical to those of

the Surface Laptop 2. That’s fine,because

it’s athoroughly likeable design.

Just like the MacBook Air,it’s wedge

shaped, tapering from afairly thick 14.5mm

at the rear to athinner 10mm at the front

edge.Itlooks angular, with less gently

rounded corners and edges that are cut

awayonthe leftand right edges, and it’s

also alittle heavier,wider and deeper than

the Air.At1.3kg, however,thisisnot a

laptop you’re going to worry about

carrying around with you.

The Surface Laptop 3also comes in

fivedifferent colours and two different

finishes. We looked at the new

Sandstone colour,but you can also

order most models in Platinum,

Cobalt Blue or Black. Notethat the

Black and Sandstone models don’t have the

hydrophobic Alcantara fabric on the wristrest,

forthose who preferawipe-clean finish.

Then, there’s that upgradable SSD.Be

warned, however: Microsoftsaysthisisn’t a

user-upgradable machine,and that only

qualified professionals should be prising off

the rubber feet and unscrewing the bottom

platetoget at the storage slot. That’s a

shame when the new Surface Pro X2-in-

has asmall hatch that can be flipped off for

super-simple access to the SSD.

It’s also ashame that Microsoftdidn’t add

more than asingleType-C port. Still, it’s good

that there’s still afull-sized USB Type-Aport

nexttttttoiiittt,soyoucan easily connect older

peripheralswwwithout having to mess around

with adaptorrrsand dongles.

TOUCH OF BRILLIANCE

As with previous Surface

Laptops, the keyboard is

excellent. There’s nothing fancy

about it –nolow-profile butterfly

swwwitch keys here –just awell-

spaaaced, Scrabble-tile layout with

keys that have plenty of travel and

softyet firm feedback. It’s ajoy to

type onnn:you’ll be up to speed in no time,

and threeeelevels of backlighting ensure

you’ll beaaable to type in darkened meeting

rooms andddlecture theatres.

Likewise,the touchpad is superb.It’s a

diving board-style design that’s hinged at

the topanddddoesn’t have separatebuttons,

but it’s eliabbble and works perfectly.

esssn’tfeel hollow,squishy or

tdoesonsomany rival machines;

The SurfaceLaptop 3islight,

slim and good looking, with

performanceacross the

boardthat’s amatch for

the bestinthe business