Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (13.5-Inch, 2019)

Classy, ultra-portable design ;Excellent performance;Stunning 3:2 display ;Fantastic keyboard

Middling battery life;Lack of Thunderbolt 3

No fingerprint reader. ; Could use a few more ports.

Outstanding keyboard and trackpad ; Sleek design and sturdy build quality ; Great everyday performance

Below average battery life ; Limited port selection and no Thunderbolt 3 support ; Some odd bugs that make for a less-than-perfect experience

Aside from those pesky bugs and the merely okay battery life, the Laptop 3 13.5 is a very good laptop, and I think most people looking for a premium Windows 10 computer will be very happy with it. It doesn’t have any of the nagware or bloatware so...

All-day battery life ; Excellent performance ; Bright, beautiful screen

Keyboard isn't quite as good as in previous models ; No Thunderbolt I/O tech behind its USB-C ports

Picking apart keyboard subtleties usually boils down to the spacing between the keys (the pitch), and the amount of play in the keys (the key travel). Surface keyboards are generally quite good, and the Surface Laptop 3 keyboard is no exception....

The PixelSense display is still brilliant ; Great-looking design - in a variety of finishes ; USB-C is a welcome addition

No Thunderbolt 3 speeds ; More ports would benefit ; Battery life a little down on previous version ; Slightly reflective screen

A sensible upgrade to the already stellar series, the introduction of a USB-C port, larger trackpad, and more power add plus-points onto its impressive score sheet. However, there's no Thunderbolt 3 speeds from that USB-C port, which is an oddity. And...

well-calibrated display out of the box;can recharge via USB Type-C;good speakers for the size;quiet keyboard keys;sleek metal chassis;Wi-Fi 6 standard;large clickpad;IR camera

non-expandable RAM; uncommon M.2 2230 SSD form factor;black-white and gray-gray response times could be faster;no webcam privacy shutter or fingerprint reader;still no Thunderbolt 3; limited port options;budget NVMe SSD w/ slow write speeds;gaming...

Slick design ; Clean software

Lacks a dedicated GPU ; Limited ports

The Surface Laptop 3 delivers on a familiar pitch for what a good laptop should offer, executed in intense detail and a clean sense of style.

Superb keyboard ; Great speakers ; Excellent build quality

The USB-C isn’t Thunderbolt 3 ; Purist design may seem feature-light

The Surface Laptop 3 is everything a laptop should be, if not everything a lot of modern laptops are today

Latest-gen processors ; USB-C at last ; Premium look and feel

Limited ports ; No Thunderbolt ; Middling battery life

Microsoft’s flagship Surface Laptop 3 gets a welcome power-up and better connectivity options, but the 13-inch prioritises portability over being a real workhorse – for more graphical grunt look at the 15-inch version or Surface Book 2.