Microsoft has approached the Surface Laptop 3 from the same angle as Apple does with its MacBooks when it comes to ports – design over function. However, if we’re being honest, we wouldn’t have minded a few more ports to play with. Inexplicably, the Surface Laptop 2, released in late 2018, didn’t feature a USB-C port – an absence that Microsoft were rightly criticized for, and one it has corrected with the newest model.

It’s perfectly capable of producing enjoyable audio for your sneaky Netflix sessions, or a spot of Spotify to keep your spirits up while you work. Nobody in their right mind comes to a laptop expecting excellent audio, but the Surface Laptop 3 manages a big bold sound without submitting to distortion. The screen is also fairly bright, which is a boon when working in a well-lit environment, such as outside. It may not be able to compete with Ultra High Definition laptops, such as some of Dell’s XPS models, but without a side-by-side comparison, you’ll have few complaints. The display has a resolution of 2256 x 1504, giving it a lower pixel-per-inch count than the likes of the MacBook Air.

The screen may not be able to compete with Ultra High Definition laptops, but without a side-by-side comparison, you’ll have few complaints It’s worth noting that unlike the smaller model, the 15-inch variant comes with additional GPU power, so is better suited to gaming (to a point) and creative work. RAM wise you’re looking at 8GB, up to 32GB if your wallet can stomach it. This range is available with either the AMD Ryzen 5 3580U or AMD Ryzen 7 3780U. For starters, there’s no Intel processor here, with Microsoft choosing to kit out the larger model with AMD chips instead. The 15-inch model does things slightly differently.

The base model comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, although the series is expandable up to an Intel Core i7 processor, with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3 starts with an Intel Core i5 processor (10th generation, naturally).

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