Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (13.5-in): The Long-Term Review

Surface Laptop 3 (Amazon Affiliate) ($999): amzn.to/37XS9ua
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This is the unboxing and review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 by Andrew Marc David (AMDtech)
#SurfaceLaptop3 #Surface #Microsoft
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Specs:
Screen Size 13.5 inches
Processor 1.2 GHz Intel Core i5
RAM 256 GB LPDDR4
Hard Drive 256 GB Flash Memory Solid State
Chipset Brand Intel
Card Description Integrated
Graphics Card Ram Size 1 GB
Number of USB 3.0 Ports 2
Other Technical Details
Brand Name Microsoft
Series Surface Laptop
Item model number V4C-00022
Operating System Windows 10 Home
Item Weight 3.4 pounds
Package Dimensions 14.8 x 12.1 x 2.8 inches
Color Matte Black
Processor Brand Intel
Processor Count 4
Flash Memory Size 256.00
Hard Drive Interface Solid State
Hard Drive Rotational Speed 7200
Optical Drive Type No Optical Drive
Power Source Battery Powered

[@rosat8395]

Long term reviews with long term use is so rare, thank you for your service.

[@mhopepdx]

Totally agree!

[@realdongyee]

Honestly, you are one of the most underrated tech review channels out there. I hope your videos get noticed more, and as always, keep up the amazing work :)

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks really appreciate it 👊

[@milesberkhof]

i have been waiting for a long term review to actually pull the plug on it and this video decided it for me, cant wait for it to come!

[@joec136]

Great review! Thank you for showing off the aesthetics! That’s important to some people like me. When I buy something I want it to look modern and nice for my money.

[@jackng9068]

That build in mic is good!

[@highendcheaptech9705]

Great review. That camera on the front is okay and theee sound is great! Liked and shared.

[@jackronald3591]

Great video! The front face camera and sound are excellent, much better than other laptops!

[@SiddharthSubramanian-anicca]

Great review Andrew! Rare to find long term reviews on laptops!.Did you find any issue with the speakers coming from below the keyboard?. There were some reviewers pointing an issue of sound rattling at high volume? Thanks!

[@carolineramsey7126]

Most helpful review of this computer I have seen. Great job!

[@NikhilJoshiIND]

Your review of the HP Spectre 13 made me pick one up! Barring the screen looking a little cramped (I'm used to using 15inch), I have no complaints. However, this is a lovely device as well! Thanks for your reviews, Andrew!

[@FrankieTech]

Great review Andrew! So glad to see this one take off! All the best from Hong Kong!

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks Frankie! Yeah took me by surprise. Need more videos to perform like this 👊

[@allboutcash8456]

😆 The bloopers at the end! Yes! Yes! Yes! Nice way to end the video. 😆

[@salvamando1]

Great review and I loved the bloopers at the end!

[@shaxter]

BEST REVIEW OF A DEVICE I HAVE EVER SEEN! SUBSCRIBED!

[@albertw251]

Great review. I got the i7 version of the laptop. Very fast. I like the portability. I may end up upgrading the SSD storage eventually.

[@lukewarmairballoon6801]

ive had my surface leptop 2 for a while now and it's still working fine but damn i want this too

[@jaydawg3031]

Love your review, you sound soo detailed and honest. You also have a nice voice to listen to. Good job, I'll be getting this laptop today.

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks really appreciate it 👊

[@MickDavies]

Ummed and arghhed on this for ages, decided to hold and give my work 13" non touch MBP another year until they introduce thunderbolt 3 to these. That new Dell xps 13 2020 is ticking a lot of boxes too. See what apple comes out with in the 13/14" category soon too I guess.

[@XecutionStyle]

You sir deserve a medal for these reviews

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks really appreciate it 😄

[@Irondiesel]

Nice review, I wonder why they left out a thunderbolt but I have to admit I only heard of it this week. You have a good voice for reviews too.

[@albertosalinas3000]

I just bought a 256SSD cobalt-blue alcantara version in an open-box deal for 750 including taxes, hopefully will come as new and if not I can return it later. BTW, you are a great reviewer, you just gained a new subscriber. Cheers!

[@ShytFerBraynes]

That is a beautiful laptop. My friend saw it at the mall and fell in love with its keyboard even though she has been a mac person for years now. Mostly cuz we walked to an apple market and she touched their new keyboard. Mac keyboard= ughhh. Windows keyboard =oooohhh. Only problem is the LACK OF TB3!!! windows hates TB3.

[@ShytFerBraynes]

@@Jry088 tb3 isnt only for gaming.

[@eggmannghi1515]

I’ve purchase surface laptop 3, 8gb of ram and 256gb of storage, and this is my thought. - The software: nothing special, but having been used it for 3 weeks, I noticed some lag, which is surprising, ‘cause I didn’t expect surface product has this kind of problem. - The built quality: very sturdy and beautiful. I did accidently hit the edge of the laptop with a table lamp and no damage at all. - Battery: I did get 5-6 hours solely watching KZbin. There was something strange. The time expected to fully charged wasn’t right for me. It took longer than that. I use 220V current (standard voltage in my place) to charge. - Fan: hard to hear. - Heat: the laptop was quite warm, not hot during watching KZbin. - The Alcantara cover: I would say it felt like wax, not silk or velvet as I expected. - Speaker: loud and clear. I don’t know the standard when comparing, but I did satisfied - One thing to know: the keyboard and surface mouse stuck oil from my finger tips (never knew my hands have oil). I never have this problem with Asus (my dad’s laptop). - Since the laptop had some lag and stuck oil, I returned it. I’ve done some research and I think surface laptop is a bit pricy, 1300 just for 8gb ram and 256gb of storage. *I’m about to buy a new laptop which is cheaper, to pocket some money. Which laptop do you think it’s good for college with medium use? Many thanks. (sorry for my English, I tried). (I live in Vietnam, but my sister bought laptop for me in US).

[@dontleaveamessage]

I purchased one on the 8th of this month, the cobalt blue. Love it, although the battery life could be better.

[@t3fLoN77]

ivy Stanage Wanting to switch but love not having to charge my MacBook for days

[@AmericanFry]

Thinking about getting the same one how is the typing and over all feel?

[@dontleaveamessage]

American Fry amazing is an understatement. I’m an avid user, all I do is write papers & WebDev stuff as I’m a college student. It’s very responsive and clicky but it’s not a loud keyboard if that makes any sense. If you get a chance, I’d seriously consider visiting a store and checking one out. Also, portability is awesome, I opted for the 13”, the 3:2 aspect ratio in my option makes this laptops screen just look way larger than it is.

[@arafat_ar13]

I am thinking about buying the 13-inch cobalt blue version as well. Can you please describe how your experience has been with the Alcantara keyboard? I mean the fabric quality and how it is holding up. I too am a programmer and two of my main reasons for buying it are coding in VS Code and watching TV Shows.

[@tri0xin]

@@arafat_ar13 I had the surface Laptop 1st gen with alcantara.. it held up extremely well. I bought the Surface Laptop 3 last month with the same color and alcantara and when I put them side by side the 1st gen still looks about 99 percent as good as the 3rd gen and it's hard to tell which is which by condition... this was after 1.5/2years of daily use. I wasn't even trying to keep it perfect either.

[@gracealone3075]

I just have it 1 month ago but all of a sudden it turns off and the screen flashes every time when I open it..

[@silentblackhole]

What are your thoughts on the 15-inch version? Why did you pick the 13 over the 15? Is the keyboard size the same between the 13 and 15 inch?

[@darkwhite9310]

I have the surface laptop 2 cobalt blue with alcantra. So far so good. Love the screen and the keyboard is very good. The battery is just average depends on your use. Alcantra cover easily catches smells from the environment your are using it in. Also the speaker is very good as well. I can say its worth my money. I bought surface mouse arch but ends up using it occasionally as track pad is better to use, its super smooth and the touch screen is very responsive and sign my documents from it.

[@MarciusMGSouza]

Great video, Andrew! Lookint at the Processor 1.2 GHz Intel Core i5. Is it really fast? When I read the Processor 1,6GHz from "Surface 3" (Processador Intel Atom® x7-Z8700 1.60 GHz cache 2MB), is not it fast? Am I right or wrong? How may you suggest to measure the performance between Surfaces?

[@aspenknight7237]

Outstanding review, Andrew!! Thanks to you, it's now my serious consideration!! 🖖😎

[@albiemills3286]

thank you loads this has differently given me an idea get this model.

[@iifr4n816]

Why are ur subs so underrated :’( u deserve more! Keep up the great work!!

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks really appreciate it

[@iceemperor1109]

Hey, I've got question. I cannot decide between buying the HP Elite-book x360 1030 G3 (700 nits FHD display) with an core i7 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD or the Surface Laptop (gen 1) with an i7 (+ Intel plus graphics 640) 16 GB RAM and 512 GB. They both go for 999 Euros. IO is not that important for me (i don't need USB C Thunderbolt) as I only use USB A of which both only have one. So that's a tie for me. And the 360º hinge is nice but i wouldn't use it at all as i don't use the pen. (I'm a student). Plus, I love the color burgundy and in general the surface laptop design (much more than the one on the hp). The surface Laptop has my favorite keyboard in any Laptop. I'd also like to play small games form time to time (e.g. Minecraft), but i think both are good enough when it comes to something like this, right?

[@eduardoreal1056]

how is the audio? Will it sound great when viewing netflix or youtube?

[@HiroKitty]

I'm looking for a laptop to mostly use for college, watching movies, and pretty mild gaming as I do most gaming on my console anyway. Would this laptop be good food this? I'm also looking for something quite portable too

[@brandonallen5698]

Great review, thank you. Have been looking at the surface laptop 3 for a while and this clinched it. Thank you!

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Glad I could help!

[@arunbr4236]

Surface 3 vs Lenovo c940 uhd- which one do you recommend?

[@sangamadhikari2679]

That mic is something good I didn't expected.

[@Mububban23]

My eldest enters high school next year and needs a laptop, looks like you helped me make my decision. Great review, thankyou!

[@InDstructR]

Just bought it today after a week of research, no regrets.

[@trusttheprocess4775]

@@InDstructR I'm an engineering student, shud I be considering this? It's cuz he said its was creators and maybe that means less power? Idk. What do u think?

[@zuoelu]

@@trusttheprocess4775 Ik i'm not him but if you need stuff that can do heavy computer work (like rendering or running heavy applications) then I would recommend the surface book 3 but if you don't need it for those kinds of things then I would recommend surface laptop 3

[@aleksandardimitrov613]

Very nice and detailed review :). I was wondering if you could tell how much of the storage is occupied by the windows and consequently how many GBs you have free.

[@tkto13]

Hi Andrew, what do you think of the 8GB of RAM. Is it sufficient?

[@ravipeiris4388]

Touchpad is centered just perfectly, thank you ❤️😊 Andrew for another great review. I wish that the system ram wasn't soldered on. Yikes 😬.

[@arki3134]

I ordered an i5/256gb/16gb ram version yesterday. Really excited!

[@jordanpaige7329]

Hey how are you finding it?

[@arki3134]

@@jordanpaige7329 it’s amazing and I love everything about it- keyboard, trackpad, design , screen, the feel, speakers. But I feel like the battery life could have been a little better. Otherwise amazing laptop!

[@kanodiapuneet]

Are you facing any hardware issues. I purchased i7/512 gb/16gb

[@arki3134]

@@kanodiapuneet nope. Everything is going good so far

[@shehs]

@@arki3134how is it now?

[@yesterdaystech86]

Really love this laptop. Have the i7 model from my company in black. Liked it so much I bought the i5,128 gb version on sale for 399 for personal use. I have the asus g14 for gaming but this is much nicer for browsing etc

[@tri0xin]

Great vid! I finally upgraded my Surface Laptop 1st gen.. ended up buying the Surface laptop 3 I5/8gb/128gb model... yeah, base model but it was on Sale at Best Buy for a week in December for $699... felt like a steal and after a month+ it still does! Main reason I stuck with the Surface was the aspect ratio.. and finally the Iris Plus and the usb C. So nice being able to charge it with the normal Pixel 4 charger I have at work.. also the bump up in graphics with the IrisPro is great.. been playing Dragon Quest 11.

[@fergus247]

this review is spectacular btw. i think that HP is making a comeback. What do you think about the HP G7?

[@dominictierney]

Great review. Just bought this and can’t wait for it to arrive. The range top i7 16GB RAM 512SSD matte black. I’ve been Apple fanboy for years with MacBook Pro’s. But have lost all interest in Apple laptops, as nothing exciting coming from them in a long time. And woeful keyboards. So I’ve taken the plunge and gone back to a Windows based laptop. I hope I’ve made the right decision. Only time will tell. I only use my machine for web browsing, music, productivity MS office workflow and social media. Not a gamer and nor heavy graphics user. I’ll still keep my iPhone 11 Pro and iWatch 5 for a while though. Can’t go ‘cold turkey’ all at once. Small steps. Baby steps lol. Thanks again for this great review 👍🏽

[@bbosafredrick3579]

I love the editors choice

[@michelledaly4597]

Hi. I really appreciate this video! The fact you paid for it yourself and took the time to review it - so rare to find a genuine review these days! I am considering this or the surface book 2. What do you think?

[@michelledaly4597]

Or the new xps 13 2020!

[@clint4life64]

Your video definitely made me get this laptop 👍🏾

[@theintel5694]

Can i run quickbooks is the base model?

[@jeppewerring]

Great review! Looking to replace my 2014 MBP 13 inch with this one when I have the money.

[@hannahlazarus151]

Sameee

[@almaakeel1658]

Thank you so much for this video it real helps out!! I was wondering though if it was possible to test out the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 Flip (J1400)(and it would be great if you can also do it with a pen. It wold be so helpful if you actually do that because I really need the info). Thank you again for this video :)

[@GavinGregory]

Awesome review! Planning to get the cobalt blue model

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks really appreciate it 👊

[@mrmartywaring]

Since my niece took over my XPS 13, I need a new laptop & this may be it. I'm not really worried about not having Thunderbolt. I also have a few USB ports so this will work well for me

[@tomk8972]

How’s the durability of the alcantara does anyone know

[@shaq6772]

a lot of people complaining about overheating issues? how is urs doing?

[@elterlim]

has anyone got a different result on their Surface Laptop 3? I tend to get 4-5 hours of usage from using word documents, multiple tabs of chrome and outlook, only 30-40% brightness.

[@sabitasingh7839]

Hey big brother Is this laptop(13.5inch) good for coding and machine learning ?

[@shawkatabdul-hafez4071]

Cool review, thanks

[@AlexGomez-wl8cu]

Hi Andrew ... Surface 3 or Lenovo S540????

[@alexisentonfire]

There seems to be screen cracking issues. They don't cover with warranty

[@100bsl]

Superb camerawork and editing. Pro level

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks really appreciate it 👊

[@zerocal76]

Very good review sir, thank you!

[@poetic.voyage]

I really appreciate long term reviews. Thanks!

[@owenchuarbx]

I'll surely buy this as the replacement for my 2 year old Lenovo Ideapad 720S

[@karaygeoushearts]

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 💻 is one of my top contenders. As a writer, I don’t think anything beats the comfort of Alcantara keyboards of the Platinum & Cobalt models; however, Sandstone looks classy, too. I’m trying to decide if I want to ultrabook, such as this for writing and light editing while I save up for a computer for more intense editing and gaming. I’m also considering getting a mobile workstation, like a Dell XPS 15, Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme, or 16” MacBook Pro once the 10th gen H-series processors are released instead.

[@3lmh56-2]

I'm a hobby writer and searching for a good laptop 2 but haven't found one yet. 😅 Do you have one?

[@joshuajaimes121]

Is the ram and ssd swappable or upgradeable.

[@hadalzone2063]

I subscribed :) Also a question: Wouldn't it be easier to use an external harddrive rather then doing all the work to change the SSD inside or its not the same? Let me know what you think.

[@KingJpxxxx]

I got mine Last week for 777€ you think this one is still worth buying? I was considering buying the Apple Macbook Air with the A1 chip but i have to add an extra 300 euros for it. What do you think

[@normaniglesias8446]

Just bought one at Best Buy it was 299.01 off plus I found a open box excellent $100 less on top of the $299.01 save $400 the laptop so far so good

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Nice!

[@djross95]

Nice review, concise and to the point!

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks David!

[@JD-vq7ln]

Sometimes I play a low spec game called league of legends but it causes it to overheat and the fans to overwork... I don't know how to change that

[@yungbaby1026]

What video is that at 4:38

[@AmericanFry]

Review was beautiful

[@SpiderVideosYT]

Has anyone found a way to deal with the glare?

[@krisdeb]

Great laptop but I'd hate the glossy display, you were right in the video mentioning that...

[@IanNelson]

trying to compare Surface laptop 3 i7 vs Yoga X390 i7?

[@Anmol_singh12]

Sir i am a graphic designer .. should i buy this?? For my graphic work??

[@alexmichael7997]

Great laptop ! Thank you for your review 👍 I want to wait and see the new laptops with AMD Ryzen 4000

[@oltorftheviking]

Ended up buying the 16GB version after this review, and after several months of use, I can say everything in the review is exactly my experience down to the fingerprint magnetism. Excellent review.

[@almaakeel1658]

What's the fingerprint magnetism?

[@BlueToronto]

@@almaakeel1658 2:38

[@AdamParish]

Hey Andrew. Which USB C charger would you recommend for this laptop? Thanks for the video. I got the silver, but the black does look awesome.

[@juiko3499]

it should be any that deliver more than PD 65W. I tried lower W apple charger usb C-C, none worked and even Microsoft employee doesnt know what's wrong 😅

[@redladybug9180]

I’m looking into upgrading my laptop, I currently have a ASUS K53U. I want something that doing to useful for work as well as general use. I’ve wanted a surface 2 in 1 for the tablet side of things and being portable but then I wonder if it going to last which makes me think about a laptop again. I’m a complete noob when it comes to PC’s so what would you advice. Thank You

[@pavith6196]

I'd recommend looking around different laptop brands that offer similar laptops that check your boxes. I would take a look at the think pad x1 series of laptops, but they can be a bit pricey

[@nu_narose1237]

Which one is better? 13.5" or 15"?

[@clarkmaurer]

Surface laptop still has a 45WH battery. I can't believe they haven't fixed that yet. I bought the surface laptop version 1 knowing that battery was small. Love the 3:2 display.

[@Samuelsosap]

Still have the surface laptop 2. No need to upgrade yet, does everything well for me. :) Does look a lot better improvement wise, will probably just end up making a hackintosh when the laptop fails.

[@growwithanshuman]

The best laptop of 2019

[@lkgpuanimho0349]

Can you use Apple Pencil 2 as well?

[@Guest-wb8gx]

I have a quick question. Love your videos by the way. But does the black finish collect lots of fingerprints on the laptop? Not just the display but the metal too?

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks! Yes the metal collects fingerprints as well.

[@Guest-wb8gx]

Oof

[@usafballer79]

Got one from ANTOnline on ebay before Xmas for 850 bucks, and it was the 256GB model! I ultimately went for the Platinum fabric, as I like the feel over cold hard aluminum. Nothing in that price matches what you get for this amount of $$. XPS13's are way more $$ and touchscreen is even higher. And Not a single one of the competitors supports the excellent 3:2 display, which is a game changer. Too much salt here about lacking an obscure feature, like TB3. The average person will never need TB3. You get a great dock, far more usable and affordable that ridiculous overpriced TB3 docks, and if you really want a USB-c dock, those work more than well enough. Plus I can still use a universal USB-C charger on this thing. Also, the game changer feature that no other company has yet, is the always/instant on/resume feature. It's literally my favorite feature about this thing!

[@Manocheher.A]

Hello Andrew, I need your help on my decision. Please reply so I could share and have your advice.

[@normancalixte4199]

Thanks for sharing!

[@obviousreferee3664]

Just got my laptop. I got the blue one which is BEAUTIFUL! The blue is dark and almost looks like a black, however in light, you can see the beautiful blue.

[@kanodiapuneet]

Are you getting the buzzing sound from fan, mouse stuttering other issues. from the MS forums it seems everyone is facing issued

[@12Lionheart]

I just bought another laptop based on AMD's excellent review. Thanks Andrew. I got this on sale for 899 from Best Buy - don't quite have the cash for the newest Surface 4 laptop. I think I got a pretty good deal!!

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Nice 👍

[@marvinschiller7909]

I bought the platinum Alcantara version, that platinum isn't that much of a fingerprint magnet, I like the built quality, battery life and the satisfying keyboard and trackpads for office work. But in Excel it doesn't feel that smoothe as my I5 desktop PC :/

[@matthoffman6962]

The only thing I don’t like is the alcantara I feel like it will get very dirty.

[@InDstructR]

Haha I bought the plat as well just today, was unsure at first but went for it because the material seems to be not too hard to clean with a bit of soap n a wet towel (was also the only colour in stock haha)

[@adhish9203]

This or the 2020 macbook pro?

[@tylerseely]

Bought one of these but ended up returning it and getting a Surface Pro 7 instead. Nothing wrong with the laptop but the stories concerning screens cracking forced me to reconsider. It may have ended up being okay but it's hard to put a price on peace of mind.

[@alextorresphoto]

Do you do any gaming/photo editing/video editing? I was in between the Pro 7 and Laptop 3, kinda reading about the Pro 7 cpu thermal throttling gets me a little heated. Hoping the Laptop 3 doesn't do that as much. Screen cracking is very upsetting. Do you know under what conditions this might happen? I'm googling to find some reports on it. That is also very concerning.

[@ItzamarySalazar]

I sold my surface pro 7 to buy one of these no regrets. The surface pro heated up so much and it was slow after a while.

[@MsBFMVk]

My touch screen stopped working a year later.Trackpad also only works for 10 minutes then a circle pops up on the screen to reactivate the keyboard. Too bad the screen doesn't work for me to activate this. Big problems with the hardware. BIG REGRETS

[@manulitox160]

Great review.

[@user-nx7jv6eh7f]

Спасибо за обзор! :D

[@joseangelo1330]

There's no video card right?

[@Xplozhun85]

Would you recommend this for video editing? I heard it's better for 4K video editing than the 15inch version because of the quad core CPU.

[@andrewmarcdavid]

For 1080p video editing is fine but for 4k I would go with something with a dedicated gpu such as the Surface Book 2, Dell XPS 15 or HP Spectre x360 15-in

[@Xplozhun85]

Thank you! I normally edit with proxies anyhow and don't do too much intensive graphic work, so I think this is a perfect laptop for design, productivity and minimalism!