Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (13-inch) FULL REVIEW - Almost Perfect! | The Tech Chap 

Hey Chaps! With SO many great laptops to choose from... which are you tempted to buy next? (Dell XPS, Macbook Pro 16, Surface Laptop?) 🤔

He looks like he's about to cheat his way into a law firm without a liscence.

One reason I keep coming back is that you actually review the webcam, which everyone else ignores. This is the one thing that laptop manufacturers have not really upgraded since the mid 2000s. But good to see that Surface pays attention to this little detail.

I’ve purchase surface laptop 3, 8gb of ram and 256gb of storage, and this is my thought. - The software: nothing special, but having been used it for 3 weeks, I noticed some lag, which is surprising, ‘cause I didn’t expect surface product has this kind of problem. - The built quality: very sturdy and beautiful. I did accidently hit the edge of the laptop with a table lamp and no damage at all. - Battery: I did get 5-6 hours solely watching RU-vid. There was something strange. The time expected to fully charged wasn’t right for me. It took longer than that. I use 220V current (standard voltage in my place) to charge. - Fan: hard to hear - Heat: the laptop was quite warm, not hot during watching RU-vid. - The Alcantara cover: I would say it felt like wax, not silk or velvet as I expected. - Speaker: loud and clear. I don’t know the standard when comparing, but I did satisfied. - One thing to know: the keyboard and surface mouse stuck oil from my finger tips(never knew my hands have oil). I never have this problem with Asus (my dad’s laptop). - Since the laptop had some lag and stuck oil, I returned it. I’ve done some research and I think surface laptop is a bit pricy, 1300 just for 8gb ram and 256gb of storage. I’m about to buy a new laptop which is cheaper, to pocket some money. Which laptop do you think it’s good for college? Many thanks. (sorry for my English, I tried). (I live in Vietnam, but bought laptop in US)

finally someone does the 13 inch review well

crazy how much it costs to increase storage

Recently, I have purchased the SL3 8gb, i5, 256, and I really love it. The laptop is light and thin, perfect for classes. The instant-on is a good plus, and it feels premium. My only complaint is the battery life, but it doesn't really affect the experience, as after a 6-7 hour class with mixed usage, it ends up with around 40-60%. Would highly recommend it.

I have that exact combination and I couldn’t be happier. It’s amazing!!

Mate, I’m going to grad school soon and wanted an upgrade on my old computer, I was looking up this one and I think this review really helped, cheers

Great to see someone reviewing the 13" as most people seem to be concentrating on the 15". I've got the i7 with 16GB Ram / 256GB Storage and I have to say I love it!

Thanks for the review. Just subscribed. I just ordered the i7, 16GB, 256GB version. The black Friday discount allowed me to up the specs. After 15 years using only macs and ipads I expect quite a few challenges learning the system.

Microsoft is making the Macbook looks like a good value for the money. That says something.

128GB storage base lol. Windows alone takes 20GB, then factor in the actual usable space on the drive and we're probably looking at 90GB~ actual.

Excellent image and color quality here, nice work, Tom !

I have a first gen Surface Book and it still works flawlessly. It's a great machine. So my daughter needed to upgrade her computer and I bought her a Surface Laptop 3. No complaints.

I have been using the Surface Laptop 3 for almost a week now as my primary work device, and so far the experience has not disappointed. I have tried other PC laptops like the RazerBlade stealth,, and for me the experience of using the device has been far superior. I enjoy typing on the Surface Laptop 3, touch screen capabilities, and multi tasking. For me, work is primarily completed using Chrome, and Microsoft Apps, so my workflow is not taxing at all. Who i would recommend this device for, would be someone who is not going to use this as a gaming rig, someone who is not going to need to perform any 3D rendering or creating. This is great for students, tele commuters , and just someone who needs access to a computer. Lately, you can find extremely great sale on these devices, and in my opinion they are more practical than a MBP or MBA.

I have had one since launch and it is easily my favourite laptop ever. Not to mention the best design for a Windows laptop imo.

I love your reviews. Keep up the good work. I have the Surface Laptop 3 version with Intel and I7. Its been great.

I don't know which is more beautiful :the product or the reviewer .Just gorgeous !

I really really love your content over any other tech channel on RU-vid because your videos has Better Quality Good Microphone To the Point Keep up the good work may God bless you 🙏

Such a stunning laptop in person. I don't even need a new computer but I saw it in person and the only reason I didn't go home with it was because they were out of stock on the model I wanted

Finally! I've been waiting for this review from you. Great content boss. Keep up the good work 👍

I bought the most basic model 13.5 “ intel i5 128gb 8gb ram two months ago. Sure, storage is somewhat small, but it is the best purchase I made and I love how it has a great battery, great screen with high resolution, ability to be powered by both USB-C and surface connector. I am not a gamer or I don’t use it to edit video/audio/photo so I can’t comment on that. It is ultra light and it has very premium build with a great hinge mechanism. Also it comes with windows hello which works very well. The one issue I have is weak bluetooth connectivity, I am not sure this is a known issue, I exchanged the first one because BT was not working at all. The second one works but it gets spotty in a crowded area such as a coffee shop. Lastly, I got this at $699 from bestbuy(regular discount + student discount), so I can’t complain about the price lol.

What I liked about the Laptop 3, was the build quality. The typing experience on the device was excellent, the responsiveness of switching between open apps was slightly quicker than that of the Surface Pro 6. However, when it comes to the instant-on, for me instant on; was just a feature that offered a quicker way for the screen to pop on, but when it came to instant on and being able to start your work right away there would be a slight lag especially when it came to data entering. In comparison to the instant-on feature on the MBA M1 2020, the moment you log in with your fingerprint the device is ready for you to start your work. Also in comparing the build quality, both devices are built really well but when it comes to the screen there is absolutely no screen flickering when it comes to MBA as compared to some Surface Laptop 3 models. Now to correct the screen flickering on the SFL 3; you will need to make sure the Intel GPU app is installed on your device and currently active. In conclusion, however, the experience using both devices. The moment you use macOS and you switch to using Windows, you do notice a performance difference in responsiveness in animations, switching between apps, and the screen panels, there is more clarity and sharpness on the MBA in comparison to the SFL 3.

For surface laptop 4: - usb-c with thunderbolt - better battery - dedicated graphics card for bigger option maybe - little bit lower prices please :)

I have been using the Matte black SF3 for the past two weeks, and for a PC, I really like it. I use an MBA M1 as my personal device, and between the two I use the SF3 because I use it for work. Before buying the SF3, I was using the SP3 but was not finding the tablet and the fact it had a smaller screen as a true work device for me. I am on the go a lot, and not always able to use an external monitor, so having the bigger 13-inch screen more useful. As I mentioned, I did have the SP7 and switched to the SL3. What made me switch, as I did not like the tablet design of the SP7, I like the bigger screen on the SL3, I also prefer the clamshell laptop design, and lastly, BestBuy was having a sale and the SL3 was the same price as the SP7 and its Matte Black. I use the SL3 much like a Chromebook. I had used a Chromebook before, but because it did not have a dedicated App store or full-featured Microsoft Apps I went back to the PC. Chrome on a PC or any desktop is awesome because of the extensions, the ability to make web apps out of virtually any website, and I am able to complete most of my work through the browser, which allows me to not load up the laptop and make the fans kick on. However, the fans, as you had mentioned, are not loud and annoying. Like you also pointed out, this is not a gaming device but you can get away with some gaming. How I get around that is using the Xbox App and stream my games from my connected Xbox at home. Who I would recommend this device for, is someone who is always on the go, because this is an Ultrabook. I would also recommend this device to students of the course and business professionals like myself. The device is great for multitasking and the build quality rivals the Macbook LIne from Apple.

There are two very distinct areas where laptops lagging behind the smartphones: cameras (which are unexcusably shabby) and charging times. At least there are some machines introduced with OLED screens which I'll hope to see more machines in the future.

It’s now $800 at Best Buy. Is it worth it now? And that’s with 8gb & 128 Gb SSD

My aunt bought it in France. Price of 1400€ for the 256go SSD is a bit pricey , but everything is amazing with this laptop . The sound quality is amazing , the design feels incredible , its fast as hell ...

I’m pretty sure you’d have to stick to i5 256GB and up options if you want the metal finish. The 999 only comes in Grey Alcantara

Question for you: I've been wanted the Surface Laptop 3 for awhile and am currently using a MacBook Pro (2017 model). I heard the Surface Laptop 4 may be announced in October and want to wait, but Amazon has the Ryzen 5/8gb/256gb Surface Laptop 3 on sale today for $1050. Would you wait until Oct or go ahead and buy the 3? I don't mind paying more if the difference in performance will be significant, but don't know enough about them to decide!

Tom the Drop Chap Seriously though, this looks like decent photo laptop.

Where does that funky desktop background come from?

If it had smaller bezels and thunderbolt 3, it would be the perfect laptop

That wallpaper! 🙌 Any chance you could drop a link to it?

One of the most beautiful parts of Surface Laptop is the bottom side which has no screws and seam at all. Just a flat clean surface looks simple and gorgeous. All the other laptops are not as simple as this one including the MacBook Pro. This is a great design detail worth mentioning I think.

THANK YOU! For demo-ing the webcam and mic quality. Few reviewers cover this aspect of laptops regularly.

Hope Microsoft adds TB3 to the Surface Laptop 4. I was on a Surface event and fell in love in this machine after using it. But I refuse to buy a laptop at this price point without TB3 in 2020!

Hi Tom, something I would appreciate it in your next laptop review if you could show the size of the charging brick if it happens to be a non standard usb-c charger. Every gram and inch counts for us road warriors! Thanks

I absolutely love the Surface 3...except for one missing option that would make it perfect...I wish it was a convertible switching from tablet to laptop by bending the screen all the way back. If Microsoft could pull that off with the next generation of this laptop, they would be sitting on top of a gold mine!💰💰💰

I have the Yoga C940 love it the sound bar is awesome overall it it awesome

The reason why I went with the surface Laptop 2 was the keyboard. The display ratio and keyboard make this an amazing laptop for typing, spreadsheets and work stuff. I've not edited a photo to any serious degree in years but I type type type all day long. For this reason it's the best Laptop.

Instantly fell in love with the look but so sad that it has so little storage! I'm looking for a good laptop for video editing but I can't get this one off my mind. Would it be worth it to just buy the extra storage or is there another laptop thats good for video editing?

6:24 "Slightly annoyingly though, there's no way to store the pen within the machine" Gosh, you need to think before randomly commenting on missing features. A *non-convertible laptop* _with_ a pen holder... that would be a first wouldn't it? Every other reviewer notices that you can hardly actually write or draw properly on this screen; the pen support is just there as a bonus side-effect almost. It's like when you complained about no HDR on a screen with only 500 nits brightness...

I'm deeply considering this as I've just started an IT degree and require a few programs for Python etc, and my current Asus is great, but a little heavy. And I will never go back to another Apple device.

Immediately subscribed! Keep up the good work I really like your content

I was a mac book pro user but now I got my new surface pro 3 .I was so hesitated to switch from Mac OS to windows but now I feel it was a good move. I just thought logically . Mac book pro is too costly than Surf 3 with i5 and 8 G ram + 128 storage. I got 16g ram + 256 storage with i7 + touch screen and less price. I just loved the new screen ratio . Body feels so premium and light.

all reviews should look like this :) It allowed to see everything I wanted. Thanks guys

Where did you get your wallpaper from? It really looks nice!

Would you also recommend the surface book 2 or 3 ? I do not know what to choose! Could you do a review of surface book 2 vs 3 ???

You can also use the usb-c to charge the laptop.

I'm a proud owner of the SP6 (personal) and I'm seriously thinking about getting this for work too!

If that laptop had thunderbolt 3 I would buy it in an instant as a do it all pc. Absolutely love the screen aspect ratio on surface products and the keyboards and touchpads are always top notch. Given you can spec it with 4 cores 8 threads and 16gb of ram if you were able to add in an external gpu with cuda would seal the deal.

Is this thing durable? That’s my main question. Will it last 4 years?

Mines coming tomorrow, can’t wait 😊

I am so psyched for this laptop. Thank you for the review Tom!

I subbed my dude.. Keep it up

Is this laptop good enough for photo editing? like PS LR and so on, i think 16GB should be more than enough

Less music, more content! Love it ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥🙏🙏🙏🙏 Subbed and notifications ON :)

where can I get that desktop background?

I looked at this when it came out - no Thunderbolt is unforgivable, the screen is also mega reflective (needs a anti-glare filter, and the price...the top spec I was looking at was about £600 more than competing models. Nice laptop but just wasn’t worth it.

Would you say it’s good for photography storage as well as editing and all?

Too many mention of the Mac book in a surface laptop review. I thought I was watching a comparison video or a proper Mac book pro review. Tired of some of you reviewers making Mac book seem like the god of techs.

I really like the look of this laptop 🙂

now microsoft is lagging in screen as compare to dell, Dell is offering HDR 400 displays and with less bezel. Also I think this is most reflective screen in any laptop.

Asus, Dell and Lenovo are the best options when it comes to windows Ultrabooks. Hope microsoft gets it right with the surface 4, especially in terms of display and price

Dam because of the beautiful lightning and colors you deserved a like and a subscribe within 2 minutes

dBrand should start offering Alcantara skins!

If they remove touch screen (why put it in the first place?) And reduce £200-300 it will crash Apple's market the way OnePlus did

Can’t even find a laptop to buy for £1000 😂 I’ve been searching for some time . I swear I’ve commented for a laptop recommendations on all laptops Thinking of getting the *surface book 2*

it's probably because the 15-inch ones have AMD chip so Microsoft just cut the thunderbolt 3 on all models

I think you were too harsh, that’s a great laptop by any standards

Wow that's an expensive 13" 🙀

Great video Tom

For next version I would like slim bezel, anti reflective display and improve battery life. Which I think is pretty much dell xps 13 2-1

Crazy expensive. It came recently in my country and cost $2000+

The price for RAM and SSD upgrades is ridiculous. I have no problem to pay 3-4k for a good notebook, but when I am asked to pay 300 Euro for a 128GB SSD upgrade or 200 Euro for 8GB RAM upgrade I have to say "No, thanks." -- Especially after having bought one of the fastest 2TB SSD for about 270 Euro a couple of weeks ago.

Love your content dude. Keep up the great work!

I've been using mac for the past ten years and I'm kind of tired of the way the UI has looked the same forever. |I also like the way Microsoft Office looks on Windows so I am going to get this going forward. It is time for a change.

What type of laptop would you recommend for editing?

The baseline i7 is not bad value for the quality you get, here in the U.K. it’s a good buy as you get good support, Razer doesn’t have good support in the U.K.

You can upgrade the storage on version 3. They take M2230 ssd's, Around $100 for a 512gb.

It's actually frustrating that I want a i5 with 256gb but the increase is outrage and that's for all surface products except for the headphones and stuff..

Tbh this guy really deserves more one of the bestt reviews love watching him!

Hey, this might be a little too late, but what is the blue board under your laptop called? I don't think it's a mousepad but it looks cool and neat. Thanks.

It would be the best if they decide to remove touchscreen and replace it with improve the screen resolution and reduce the bezel.

Nice wallpaper. 👍 Where can I find it?

Two questions: How is the recording on this laptop? Say I'm in a room with others, does it record well? Is the audio good? Also there's only one USB port? Not two or three?

I went to a Microsoft Business event yesterday and got the 15 inch i7 with a 19% discount making it £100 less than the 13 inch version. It's a great machine at that price (the biggest factor for me being the aspect ratio). Microsoft's pricing is ridiculous, especially for the 15 inch ( not the base pricing, which is reasonable, but the higher storage options) this is especially true for the Ryzen 7 variants: the chip performs worse than the i7 on most measures and yet it is £400 more! Also, one usb-c port is terrible on a premium laptop. Still, I was lucky enough to get mine at a price where it offers good value for money and fits my use case.

that was super helpful, thank you!

sorry to ask an irrelevant question - what game(s) are you playing in the video? looks fun!

wow its bezels are CHUNKY i just want to PINCH THEM awwww socute

Looking to upgrade my surface book to either the SB2 or Surface Laptop 3. Just want to know you mentioned it can handle light 4K editing on SL3, can it handle 1080 smoothly on adobe premiere, davinci or so with just the iris plus? Really want a lighter machine but only if its not too underpowered. Thanks bud!

This outperforms the macbook pro 13 because of the 10th gen processor and it's also better priced you should know that

As is the case with most tech cycles just wait a few months and you will see it for nearly half the price

Is the sound quality good?

Great video and very accurate overall review of the laptop! Keep your good work man! Cheers!

When is the surface book 3 coming out? 😭😭😭 also that matt black 👌 hopefully the book 3 has it 2

Hey dude, I know you can play light titles on this laptop, but would you say I should worry when doing so? Do you think the heat (based on you tests) would affect performance or battery life significantly? Thanks, just bought this and I've never owned a thin-and-light device before lol

Where did you get that background? What a nice rainbow;;:)