This is my review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, comparing both: the AMD and Intel 15' models. So, this blog is about the two new Surface laptops released in 2019. There's one 13.5' model and a 15' model. Most of this blog will be about the 15' one as it catches my interest and has a lot to discuss. There are a lot of rumours about this model.
The 15' device starts at 1200$ and the configurations that Microsoft is advertising are equipped with the AMD chips. They're well-performing custom chips with good CPU and GPU, but the thing that casts a shadow on this laptop is that Microsoft also sells the same laptop with an Intel CPU and those are better. The weird thing is that Microsoft doesn’t even sell the better(Intel) version to normal customers. You have to be a member of their enterprise program or a business customer with Microsoft to gain access to it. The difference being only 100$, people will want the Intel device. Further, with the AMD version, you get about an hour less of battery life. It could be significant depending on what you do. You also get slightly worse performance across the board. If you are not a student and no sales are going on, I would highly recommend the Intel version over the AMD.How are they overall? They are good. The design and build quality have always been good. They don't copy anyone, They have a distinct surface design aesthetic. They have also added USB C, this year. It's a lightweight machine, particularly the 15'. The reason why it is so light is that it has the same battery in the 15' device as it has in the 13' one. So, the bigger screen doesn’t give you a bigger battery which is unfortunate.
When you lift the lid, you get your classic Microsoft screen. These are good screens. They are bright with a decent refresh rate. The keyboard and the trackpad are also really good. The surface laptops have always had great input devices and it's the same this year. I think the keyboard will be enjoyed by most of the people. It has a nice layout. The trackpad is also excellent it is literally the best trackpad on a Windows laptop. The click mechanism on this trackpad is what makes it special.One more good thing is that this laptop now has a good sense of serviceability, so you can open the laptop very easily, but there's not much for upgradeability. Now let's talk about the performance real quick. These are good for light to average use. No matter, how Microsoft advertises them these are not good for gaming and video editing, even with the increased GPUs. You should realize that Surface laptops were made focusing on portability and not performance.
So, I like these laptops overall. I like what Microsoft has done with those small tweaks and upgrades, like Higher GPUs, USB C, keyboard and trackpad, faster charging and so on. Just keep in mind that if you want the 15' device then my recommendation is the Intel one. If you liked my blog tell me in the comments below or email me - email
Thanks for reading!
-Aayush
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