Despite finally embracing USB-C and a new larger 15in model to choose between, the Surface Laptop 3 still has work to do to become best-in-class

Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 for Business, with Intel's 10th-gen Ice Lake architecture inside, is a solid all-around laptop with higher performance...

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

The Surface Laptop 3 13 may not be a massive upgrade on the Surface Laptop 2, but upgrades such as Intel's 10th Generation Ice Lake processor and a couple of new colour options are enough to keep this ultrabook among the very best

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

Middling battery life; Lack of Thunderbolt 3

The new 15in Surface Laptop 3 retains much of the charm and style of the 13.5in version, while adding some welcome extra desktop space

Slim and light; Big; sharp display; Excellent keyboard and touchpad

Performance isn't first class; Lacks Wi-Fi 6; Limited physical connectivity

Having being hamstrung on desktop, Intel needs a win and is eager to highlight its advantages in the mobile space, where efficiency, Wi-Fi capabilities and battery life are more pressing concerns than sheer core count.

15in 3:2 PixelSense display; Sleek; robust aluminium chassis; Outstanding keyboard and trackpad; Choice of Intel or AMD configurations; Enough GPU power for casual gaming; LPDDR4X and Wi-Fi 6 on Intel model; Silent at low load; quiet when pushed

Middling battery life on AMD model; Lacks support for Thunderbolt; Limited port selection

We expected the Surface Laptop 3 15 to be a MacBook Pro 15 rival, but it can't deliver the compute or graphical performance that Apple's high-end machines can. Then there are laptops like the XPS 15 that offer more power for the same or less money.

Brilliant keyboard and trackpad; lovely display; clean aesthetics.

Expensive; no Thunderbolt 3; middling battery life; the custom AMD chip doesn't offer zen-like performance.

This was meant to be it. After working with AMD on Xbox, Microsoft was going to unleash an AMD-powered laptop that would blow the figurative doors off every laptop held back by having Intel silicon.

Metal appearance is far better than cloth; 3:2 display; Points for giving AMD a run; Nice keyboard

Disappointing battery life; One side vacant of USB ports

With a large 3:2 screen, a comfortable touchpad, light weight for its size, and decent performance (powered by new partner AMD), Microsoft's larger-screen Surface Laptop 3 is an excellent mainstream machine.

Attractive, unassuming design; Thin and light for a 15-inch laptop; Bright, vivid 3:2 display; Comfortable touchpad.

Optional extras (such as the Surface Dock) are pricey; Limited selection of ports; No Wi-Fi 6 support.

As you might have noticed, each of these options forces you to make a compromise. That's where the Surface Laptop 3 finds its niche, because as an ultraportable laptop with a large display, there's nothing else like it.

Slim; lightweight chassis; Attractive metal design; Bright; vivid 15-inch display; Loud; clear speakers

Mediocre battery life; Underwhelming performance; Slow; expensive SSD; Limited ports

The Surface Laptop was a fine device when it launched, and the Surface Laptop 2 improved it quite a bit with the addition of quad-core processors. But both had their success hampered somewhat by some bad design decisions, which Microsoft has thankfully corrected with the Surface Laptop 3 family.