Here's everything you need to know about the third version of Microsoft's Surface laptop, available in both 13.5-inch and 15-inch models.
Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 is a thin, lightweight, midrange Windows PC designed to compete with rival devices such as the Apple MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Announced at Microsoft's Surface event on October 2, 2019, the Surface Laptop 3 also aims to outshine its two predecessors with beefier specs and more versatile features as well as a choice of a 13.5-inch or 15-inch screen.
This guide will describe the details of the new Surface Laptop 3, and it will be updated on a regular basis as new information becomes available.
SEE: All of TechRepublic's cheat sheets and smart person's guides
What is the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3?
The Surface Laptop 3 is the third generation of Microsoft's midrange Apple MacBook challenger, following the original Surface Laptop in 2017 and the Surface Laptop 2 in 2018. The Surface Laptop 3 comes in two flavors: A 13.5-inch model with a price tag that starts at $999 and a 15-inch model starting at $1,199. Both models are currently available at Microsoft retail stores and via Microsoft's website. The new laptops are also available at Amazon and other third-party vendors.
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What are the new features in the Surface Laptop 3?
The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3 is powered by a quad-core 10th-generation Intel Ice Lake processor, which Microsoft says is twice as powerful as the chip in the Surface Laptop 2 and three times more powerful than the chip that drives the MacBook Air. The 15-inch model boasts an Advanced Micro Devices Ryzen 7 Microsoft Surface Edition processor, which Microsoft calls "the fastest processor for any laptop in its class today." The graphics on the 15-inch unit are powered by an AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 processor.
Advanced Micro Devices Ryzen 7 Microsoft Surface Edition processor
Image: Sarah Tew/CNET
The new Precision Trackpad is 20% larger than the one on the Surface Laptop 2. The keyboard has a reduced key travel distance of 1.3mm vs. 1.5mm in the Surface Laptop 2. Microsoft says that the keys were designed for a relatively silent typing experience.
There's no need to push a power button and then wait for the laptop to boot up--with the new Instant On capability, opening the lid immediately turns on the Surface Laptop 3. The new machine adds a USB-C port, which the Surface Laptop 2 does not have, so you can connect to all the latest USB peripherals and accessories; a USB-A port is also available to connect to older devices. A fast charging connection promises to charge the computer to 80% in less than an hour.
SEE: Mobile device security: Tips for IT pros (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
The Surface Laptop 3 is designed with a machine aluminum finish. For the interior, you can choose between a metal palm rest and an Alcantara material palm rest. The laptop's modular design should make it easy to replace the removable hard drive. To swap out the drive or another component or have the laptop serviced for repairs, the keyboard deck come off easily with the right tool. That's a distinct contrast with Apple's MacBook laptops, which can be difficult to take apart to replace or repair internal components. In the interest of design, the Surface Laptop 3 has no speaker holes or rubber bumpers around the screen.
The Pixel Sense Display comes with a touch screen. Omnisonic speakers deliver the sound, and Studio mics serve as the microphones. Weighing in at 3.4 pounds, the Surface Laptop 3 is a half a pound lighter than its predecessor.
Microsoft promises all-day battery life on a single charge, which is the same claims it made for the original Surface Laptop and the Surface Laptop 2.
The Surface Laptop 3 is available for consumers and for businesses. The core design and physical characteristics are the same for the consumer and business models; however, certain components either differ or are optional on one versus the other. For example, the 15-inch consumer model comes with the AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 graphics chip, but the 15-inch business model uses the quad-core 10th-generation Intel Ice Lake processor and an Intel Iris Plus Graphics processor. Windows 10 Pro comes standard on the business model, but costs $99 extra with the consumer edition. Please refer to the information below to see the differences between the consumer and business models.
Additional resources
What are the specs for the Surface Laptop 3 for consumers?
Display
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch
- Screen: 13.5-inch PixelSense Display
- Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI)
- Aspect ratio: 3:2
- Surface Pen enabled
- Touch: 10 point multi-touch
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch
- Screen: 15-inch PixelSense Display
- Resolution: 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI)
- Aspect ratio: 3:2
- Surface Pen enabled
- Touch: 10 point multi-touch
Memory
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch: 8 GB or 16 GB LPDDR4x RAM
- Surface Laptop 3 15-inch: 8 GB or 16 GB DDR4 RAM
Processor
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch
- Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G7 Processor
- Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 Processor
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch
- AMD Ryzen 5 3580U Mobile Processor with Radeon Vega 9 Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition
- AMD Ryzen 7 3780U Mobile Processor with Radeon RX Vega 11 Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition
Storage
- Technician removable solid-state drive (SSD)6 options: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
Battery life
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5": Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage
- Surface Laptop 3 15": Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage
Graphics
Surface Laptop 3 13.5"
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Surface Laptop 3 15"
- AMD Radeon Vega 9 Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition
Connections
- 1 x USB-C
- 1 x USB-A
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- 1 x Surface Connect port
- Compatible with Surface Dial off-screen interaction
Cameras, video, and audio
- Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
- 720p HD f2.0 camera (front-facing)
- Dual far-field Studio Mics
- Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
Wireless
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch
- Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch
- Wi-Fi 5: 802.11ac compatible
- Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
Security
- Firmware TPM
- Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
Exterior
- Casing: Aluminum
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch Colors:
- Sandstone with metal palm rest
- Matte Black with metal palm rest
- Platinum with Alcantara material palm rest
- Cobalt Blue with Alcantara material palm rest
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch Colors:
- Platinum with metal palm rest
- Matte Black with metal palm rest
Software
- Windows 10 Home
- Windows 10 Pro ($99 extra)
- Microsoft Office 365 30-day trial
Sensors
- Ambient light sensor
What's in the Surface Laptop 3's box?
- Surface Laptop 3
- Power Supply
- Quick Start Guide
- Safety and warranty documents
Weight
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch
- Sandstone and Matte Black: 2.84 lb (1,288 g)
- Cobalt Blue and Platinum: 2.79 lb (1,265 g)
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch
- Platinum and Matte Black: 3.40 lb (1,542 g)
Warranty
- 1-year limited hardware warranty
- Support from Microsoft Store
- 30-day return policy
- 90 days of free technical phone support
- 12 months in-store support and technical assistance
- 1 free training session to transfer data and optimize performance
What are the specs for the Surface Laptop 3 for business users?
Display
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch
- Screen: 13.5-inch PixelSense Display
- Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI)
- Aspect ratio: 3:2
- Surface Pen enabled
- Touch: 10 point multi-touch
Surface Laptop 3 15-Inch
- Screen: 15-inch PixelSense Display
- Resolution: 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI)
- Aspect ratio: 3:2
- Surface Pen enabled
- Touch: 10 point multi-touch
Memory
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch: 8 GB or 16 GB LPDDR4x RAM
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch: 8 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB LPDDR4x RAM
Processor
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch: Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G7 Processor
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch: Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 Processor
Storage
- Technician removable solid-state drive (SSD) options: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1TB
Battery life
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5": Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage
- Surface Laptop 3 15": Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage
Graphics
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Connections
- 1 x USB-C
- 1 x USB-A
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- 1 x Surface Connect port
- Compatible with Surface Dial off-screen interaction
Cameras, video, and audio
- Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
- 720p HD f2.0 camera (front-facing)
- Dual far-field Studio Mics
- Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
Wireless
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch: Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible
- Surface Laptop 3 15-inch: Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible
- Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
Security
- TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
- Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
Exterior
- Casing: Aluminum
- Power and Volume buttons on keyboard
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch colors
- Sandstone with metal palm rest
- Matte Black with metal palm rest
- Cobalt Blue with Alcantara material palm rest
- Platinum with Alcantara material palm rest
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch colors
- Matte Black with metal palm rest
- Platinum with metal palm rest
Software
- Windows 10 Pro
- 1 month trial for new Microsoft Office 365 customers
Sensors
- Ambient light sensor
What's in the Surface Laptop 3's box?
- Surface Laptop 3
- Power Supply
- Quick Start Guide
- Safety and warranty documents
Weight
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5" in Matte Black and Sandstone: 2.84 lb (1,288 g)
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5" in Platinum and Cobalt Blue: 2.79 lb (1,265 g)
- Surface Laptop 3 15" in Platinum and Matte Black: 3.4 lb (1,542 g)
Warranty
- 1-year limited hardware warranty
How do the Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch, 15-inch, and the Surface 2 compare?
|
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch |
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch |
Surface Laptop 2 |
|
|
Processor options |
Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G7 Processor |
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U Mobile Processor with Radeon Vega 9 Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition |
Intel Core 8th Gen i5 or i7 |
|
Hard drive options |
128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
|
Memory options |
8 GB or 16 GB LPDDR4x RAM |
8 GB or 16 GB DDR4 RAM |
8 GB or 16 GB RAM |
|
Display |
13.5-inch PixelSense screen, 2256 x 1504 pixels |
15-inch PixelSense screen, 2496 x 1664 pixels |
13.5-inch PixelSense screen, 2256 x 1504 pixels |
|
Graphics |
Intel Iris Plus Graphics |
AMD Radeon Vega 9 Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition |
Intel UHD Graphics 620 (i5) |
|
Connections |
1 x USB-C |
1 x USB-C |
1 x full-size USB 3.0 |
|
Dimensions |
12.1" x 8.8" x .57" |
13.4" x 9.6" x .57" |
12.13" x 8.79" x .57" |
|
Battery life |
Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage |
Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage |
Up to 14.5 hours of local video playback |
|
Starting price |
$999 |
$1,199 |
$899 |
What are the Surface Laptop 3's main competitors?
The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3 competes with Apple's MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, while the 15-inch model competes with the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The Macbook Air starts at $1,099, and the MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 for the 13-inch model and $2,399 for the 15-inch model.
Below are the specs for the Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch and 15-inch and the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro:
|
Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch |
Surface Laptop 3 15-inch |
MacBook Air |
MacBook Pro |
|
|
Processor options |
Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G7 Processor |
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U Mobile Processor with Radeon Vega 9 Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition |
1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 |
13-inch: |
|
Hard drive options |
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
13-inch: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
|
Memory options |
8GB or 16GB LPDDR4x RAM |
8GB or 16GB DDR4 RAM |
8GB or 16GB LPDDR3 RAM |
13-inch: 8GB or 16GB |
|
Display |
13.5-inch PixelSense screen, 2256 x 1504 pixels |
15-inch PixelSense screen, 2496 x 1664 pixels |
13.3-inch LED-backlit display with IPS, 2560 x 1600 pixels |
13.3-inch LED-backlit display with IPS, 2560 x 1600 pixels |
|
Graphics |
Intel Iris Plus Graphics |
AMD Radeon Vega 9 Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition |
Intel UHD Graphics 617 with support for Thunderbolt 3–enabled GPU |
13-inch: Intel Iris Plus Intel UHD Graphics 630, configurable to Radeon Pro Vega 16 with 4GB of HBM2 memory or Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4GB of HBM2 memory |
|
Connection |
1 x USB-C |
1 x USB-C |
Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports with support for: Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 |
Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports with support for: Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, USB 3.1 Gen 2 |
|
Dimensions |
12.1" x 8.8" x .57" |
13.4" x 9.6" x .57" |
11.97" x 8.36" x .61" |
13-inch: 11.97" x 8.36" x 0.59" |
How can I get the Surface Laptop 3, and how much does it cost?
The Surface Laptop 3 (13.5") and the Surface Laptop 3 (15") are available in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and other regions around the world.
Prices start at $999 for the 13.5-inch model and $1,199 for the 15-inch model.
Additional resources
Editor's note: This article was first published on Oct. 2, 2019. The article was most recently updated on Oct. 22, 2019.
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Image: Sarah Tew/CNET
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