My fingers effortlessly jumped from one key to the next thanks to the Surface Laptop 3's bouncy keys, which have surprisingly decent travel. Microsoft hasn't - and I hope it never does. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 keyboard and touchpadĪpple, Dell and others have moved to low-profile key switches in order to cut tenths of an inch off their laptops' chassis. The 13-inch displays on the XPS 13 (382 nits) and MacBook Pro (441 nits) are brighter than the Surface Laptop 3's panel. Reaching 348 nits of brightness, the Surface Laptop 3's display outshined the Spectre x360's screen (287 nits) and again came close to matching the category average (354 nits). The Surface's screen is more colorful than the panels on the XPS 13 (111%, 4K) and Spectre x360 13 (109%, 1080p) but not as vivid as the MacBook Pro's screen (163%). You shouldn't expect a wide range of ports from a 13-inch laptop, but the Surface Laptop 3's selection is especially limited.Īccording to our colorimeter, the Surface Laptop 3's display covers 121% of the sRGB color gamut, making this display about as vivid as the premium laptop average (122%). I just wish Microsoft had trimmed down the Surface Laptop 3's bezels in the same way the company's competitors have done with their flagship notebooks.Īt 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches and 2.9 pounds, the Surface Laptop 3 is larger and heavier than other 13-inch laptops, including the Dell XPS 13 (11.9 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches, 2.7 pounds), the Apple MacBook Pro (12 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches, 3 pounds) and the HP Spectre x360 13 (12.1 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches, 2.7 pounds). The Surface Laptop 3 feels durable, and there's a remarkable precision to the build quality that you notice only when you look closely at the chassis.

The company made it easy to replace the laptop's SSD, although this drive is technically still not user-replaceable.

Microsoft prioritized form with the Surface Laptop 3 but not at the expense of function.

I'm also a fan of Microsoft's stylish mirrored logo. That said, I much prefer the Surface's matching taupe keyboard to the MacBook's ugly black one. The sandstone Surface Laptop 3 looks especially similar to the new gold MacBook Air.

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