Surface Book 3 has engine and style to be a creative workhorse

The screen separates from the keyboard at the tap of a button

MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 3 From €1,850

OH, to be someone with a budget to mull the merits of laptop models between €2,000 and €3,000. Theirs is currently a happy hunting ground. In the case of Microsoft’s new Surface Book 3, it’s quite an innovative, flexible one too.

I’ve had a 15-inch version of Surface Book 3 for the best part of a month. It’s no budget buy, at €2,650. But it gives you the kind of latitude that makes it really easy to get things done quickly.

I’m not just talking about the engine – 16GB of Ram and Intel Core i7 processor – which will make lightning out of even the hardest typical work tasks. I mean the way that this laptop is designed.

This is the definition of a creative workhorse, something very close to what we might expect to see if (or when) Apple finally adds a touchscreen version of its larger MacBook Pro models.

While the 3240x2160 resolution display is a treat on the eyes, what really makes it is the singular flexible advantage of being able to remove it. This is useful in a number of ways and comes just in time for our semi-permanent work-from-home future.

First, it increases the options you have on using screens at your desk. By this, I mean using one for a Zoom or Teams call, another for email and maybe another for writing.

But because this is a 15-inch high-resolution display, it’s also really good for whiteboarding. Because the latency and sensitivity on styluses has improved a lot in recent years, this is now a real option for someone who needs to map ideas out or even storyboard something but feels constrained with a smaller touchscreen tablet or two-in-one.

Separating the screen from the keyboard is just the tap of a keyboard button. It then slots back on for resumption with the keyboard.

I’ve become addicted to the premise and am now looking again at the potential benefits (though steep, steep price) of Microsoft’s magnificent Surface Studio 2, with its 28-inch flexible touchscreen.

While the overall design of the Surface Book 3 is very nice, there are some small things that might be considered to go against it. The hinge mechanism between the keyboard and the base of the display leaves quite a gap when folded over. If you’re bringing the laptop anywhere in a bag, it’s a dead cert you’ll get fluff and dust wedged in there.

I’d also say that the size of the touchpad, while adequate, is a little too small for a laptop this size.

And it’s a good thing that I was using the 15-inch version of the Surface Book 3, as Windows laptop fonts are just too small for many over 40 to comfortably look at: we always end up going into settings to increase font sizes, crowding out the rest of the laptop screen.

As stated above, my review model was armed with what you’d expect in a really good productivity laptop: 16GB of Ram (32GB is available) and an Intel Core i7 processor. It was a little light on storage memory for a high-end machine, with 256GB. But that’s where every computer company makes a chunk of their margin, upselling you to 512GB or beyond at a substantial huge mark-up.

It has two regular USB-A ports, one USB-C port – which can also be used for charging it – a memory card slot (thank you, Microsoft), a custom charging port and a 3.5mm headphone port.

The keyboard is very nice to use, with just the right amount of ‘travel’ and clickiness.

And my test model was styled very nicely in a brushed metallic silver finish.

This is a high-quality, highly satisfying upper-end laptop that gives you oodles of extra creativity potential through that detachable touchscreen.