In addition to the usual 'it depends' on what you're doing with it, the same can be said based on which part you're using. If you want to watch Netflix on the couch, you're going to have to get creative with pillows to balance the Surface Book 3 upright.īattery life is something of a conundrum with the Surface Book 3. Unlike the Surface Go 2 and other tablets, there's no included cover or kickstand here to help you prop up the screen. It's wonderfully sharp and bright with excellent color rendering in both the sRBG space and 'enhanced' RGB.ĭetach the screen, though, and new problems arise. The 13.5-inch screen is another highlight. The keyboard is one of the best I've used (Microsoft's keyboard design across the Surface line is second to none), and the trackpad is one of the best you'll find outside of the ones on Apple's MacBooks. The Surface Book 3 makes a wonderful laptop. This is precisely the sort of compromise hybrid devices must make. Microsoft says the huge hinge makes it possible to put the battery and processor in the screen without the whole thing flopping over, but the whole laptop is still quite top-heavy. The design is largely unchanged-the same awkward-looking but functional hinge is still present. The differences between the three machines come down to portability versus power, with the Surface Book 3 erring on the side of power.

The Surface Book 3 feels very much like its predecessor, which my colleague David Pierce called 'a serious computer for serious business.' It's Microsoft's enterprise version to the consumer-facing Surface Go 2 and 'prosumer' Surface Pro.

Surface book 3 price