Tablet skills
As with the Surface Book 2, the
Surface Book 3’s tablet skills rely more on Windows 10 than the hardware. While the May update ( see p26) has made a couple of small improvements to the tablet “experience”, there’s still a cavernous distance between using an iPad Pro and a Windows tablet. It’s fine once you’re in your application of choice – and there are benefits to having desktop versions of apps rather than trimmed-down versions tailored for iOS – but navigation and switching between apps remains as big a pain as ever.
Viewed purely as a piece of hardware, however, there’s much to like about a detailed 13.5in screen that weighs 719g. You’ll need to invest an extra £100 in a Surface Pen, but it’s a pairing that generally works extremely well. I slip the word “generally” in there because the Pen relies on tips, and over time these wear down. A replacement pack of three tips costs a reasonable £20 from Microsoft’s store, but it’s one more thing to get annoyed about.
Also note that the tablet section contains a 18Wh battery, and that means you can only expect two hours of use. In our video-rundown test, for instance, the tablet alone lasted for
1hr 30mins whereas it kept going for 9hrs 55mins when connected to the keyboard. What I will say, though, is that battery life degradation hasn’t proved to be an issue with my Surface Book 2: its 18Wh tablet battery now has a 16.5Wh battery capacity, while the main 57.3Wh battery in the base still has a 50Wh capacity.
The other big plus point is that you can charge via USB-C rather than carry around the supplied power supply, which is a hefty unit at 430g.
Buy the Book?
Is the Surface Book 3 revolutionary? Has Microsoft made any notable improvements to things such as repairability, where the Book 2 earned a risible 1/10 rating from iFixit? That’s a big double “no”, with glue holding things together once you prise this machine’s back off. Nor does Microsoft’s single year of warranty impress, especially if you’re ordering for a business.
Then there’s the undeniable truth that the Surface Book format isn’t right for everyone. You can make many arguments for having a “proper” laptop accompanied by an iPad, or even for buying the Surface Pro instead – especially if the device is destined to be attached to a monitor on your desk most of the time.
More reasons not to buy? Compared to a 13in ultraportable, the Surface Book 3 is heavy at 1.64kg.
“Viewed purely as a piece of hardware, however, there’s much to like about a detailed 13.5in screen that weighs 719g”
Some people don’t like the way the screen and keyboard meet when closed, leaving a gap for dust and debris when in your bag, although I’ve never found that an issue in practice.
For some people, and I’d argue that they’re the vast majority, the Surface Book form factor doesn’t make sense. Only you will know if this 2-in-1 design – and unlike other so-called 2-in-1 devices, it truly is two machines in one package – meets your needs in such a way that you’re willing to sacrifice other areas. For me, it does. Which is why my Surface Book 2 is now heading for retirement, along with its annoying “you need to delete some files” messages.
Quad-core 1.3GHz Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor Nvidia GTX 1650/Intel UHD Graphics 630 32GB 3,733MHz LPDDR4x RAM 13.3in PixelSense display, 3,000 x 2,000 resolution 512GB SSD 5-megapixel front-facing camera with 1080p video 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with
1080p video 2x2 MIMO 802.11ax Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5 USB-C 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
SDXC card reader Windows 10 Home 70Wh battery (total) 312 x 232 x 15-23mmm (WDH) 1.64kg 1yr limited warranty