Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15″ Higher-End Touch Laptop
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15″ is a larger version of the popular notebook series. Instead of the 13.5″ screen on its smaller sibling, this models sports a 15-inch display with a slightly greater pixel count of 2496-by-1664 to retain a very sharp picture. Both versions have the productivity-centric 3:2 aspect ratio, IPS wide viewing angles, and support finger touch and active digitizer pen inputs. The Surface Pen is sold separately.
Another big difference is in the internal component department. The Laptop 3 15″ is based on an AMD computing platform instead of Intel’s. The notebook comes with either the AMD AMD Ryzen 5 3580U AMD Radeon Vega 9 AMD Ryzen 7 3780U Mobile Processor with Radeon RX Vega 11 Graphics. These are both exclusive Microsoft Surface® Edition processors. But, they are quite similar to the AMD Ryzen 5 and 7 chips you can find widely used in other laptop models. All of the chips are perfectly capable of running the daily home and office tasks and provide some extra headroom for more advanced tasks like video editing. Normally, the Ryzen 7 variants are slightly faster than the Ryzen 5. Their Vega integrated graphics.
The system memory (RAM) size can be either 8GB or 16GB, while internal solid state drive storage capacity options are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1-Terabyte.
The port selection is quite minimalist. The laptop has only one standard-size USB port and a compact USB-C port, besides the ubiquious audio jack and proprietary Surface connector. But at least, the USB-C port provides video output capability.
The Surface Laptop 3 15″ has a battery life of “up to 11.5 hours” with “typical” device usage involved.
Although it has a larger display, the Surface Laptop 3 15″ is still quite portable. It weighs in at 3.4 pounds and measures 0.6″ in profile.
There are two color options when buying this metal-topped laptop: Platinum (gray) and Matte Black.
Specifications of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15
Here are the specs of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 with descriptions of its features. For comparison against other laptops, you can use the "Compare Specs" button.
| Brand | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Laptop Type | Standard non-convertible laptop This laptop features a clamshell-only design, without ability to convert itself into a tablet. Premium-class laptop It belongs to the laptop maker's premium-class lineup. |
| Performance | Mid-range performance The mid-range performance of this laptop allows you to easily complete your daily home and office computing tasks. It additionally has some potential for heavier duties like professional photo and video editing. However, if you regularly do these tasks, a high-performance laptop is recommended. More info about performance of the laptop can be found in the CPU, GPU, RAM, and Storage sections below. |
| Screen Size | 15-inch This is a laptop screen size slightly smaller than the most popular 15.6". |
| Screen Resolution | 2496 x 1664 pixels This screen resolution provides a decent picture sharpness and a lot of space on the display for the user interface and apps. It's somewhat better than the popular Full HD. However, these resolutions aren't as good as the premium-class 4K and similar. |
| Touchscreen | Finger multi-touch input The screen supports finger touch input, including multi-touch gestures. Active digitizer pen input The screen supports active digitizer pen input, besides the common finger multi-touch input. In comparison to simple capacitive pens you can use on any touchscreen, active digitizer pen input provides advanced features like pressure sensitivity. Check with the laptop seller whether the active pen is included in the package. |
| Other Display Specs | IPS type Displays based on IPS technology provide much wider viewing angles than the budget-class TN screens. 3:2 aspect ratio The 3:2 aspect ratio makes the screen taller than the common 16:9 ratio. 3:2 is more suitable for document editing and productivity than the video-centric 16:9. |
| Processor (CPU) | AMD Ryzen 5 3580U (enables smooth everyday computing) AMD Ryzen 7 3780U (enables smooth everyday computing) |
| Graphics (GPU) | AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 integrated graphics (for light gaming, but with improved smoothness) AMD Radeon Vega 9 integrated graphics (for light gaming, but with improved smoothness) |
| System Memory (RAM) Size | 8GB RAM The 8GB RAM size is the standard one in 2023. It provides comfortable multi-tasking for the most home and office users. 16GB RAM 16GB and greater RAM sizes are recommended for heavy multitasking, gaming, and specialized programs that require a lot of RAM. |
| Data Storage | 128GB SSD 128GB is a relatively small storage space. However, it is usable if you don't store a lot of large files like movies and don't install a lot of programs. 256GB SSD 256GB is a decent capacity. If you tend to download and store a lot of large files like movies and install many programs, 512GB or more is a better choice. 512GB SSD 512GB storage capacity is recommended if you store a lot of large files and install many programs. 1000GB (1TB) SSD 1TB is an excellent storage capacity. The sizes above 512GB, including 1TB, are recommended for those who store a lot of large files. |
| DVD Optical Drive | None |
| Keyboard & Input | Backlit keyboard without dedicated number pad The keyboard has backlit keys for easier typing in the dark. There's no separate numeric pad you can typically find on the right side of the keyboard on many laptop models. Touchpad with click buttons built into the surface The left and right click buttons are built into the surface of the touchpad, as opposed to separate physical buttons. Touchscreen Active digitizer pen (optional) |
| Speakers & Audio | Stereo speakers As usual, the device features a pair of built-in stereo speakers. Combo microphone and headphones audio jack This laptop has the ordinary 3.5mm combo audio jack that supports both headphone output and microphone input simultaneously. |
| Camera | Front-facing web camera Laptops usually feature a frontal webcam located on the display bezel. This laptop is no exception. HD 720p resolution This is the most common web camera resolution in laptops. However, it's low in comparison to camera resolutions of modern smartphones, so it can't produce as sharp picture. Face-recognition camera The dedicated infra-red face recognition cameras in laptops are used for Windows Hello log-ins, without password typing. |
| Wi-Fi Wireless | 802.11AC The 802.11AC is the previous-generation wireless networking standard. It's also known as Wi-Fi 5. 802.11AC is succeeded by 802.11AX Wi-Fi 6 with data transfer speed and multi-device connectivity improvements. |
| Ethernet Network Port | No This laptop has no Ethernet LAN port for wired internet and networking connectivity. |
| Bluetooth | Yes This laptop has a built-in Bluetooth module. It enables you to connect the computer to Bluetooth mice and other Bluetooth peripherals, smartphones, and other Bluetooth-equipped devices. |
| USB Ports | 1 x USB 3.0 A standard full-size USB port. 1 x USB-C A compact type of USB port, commonly found in modern laptops and phones. |
| Video Output Ports | Video out via USB-C The laptop can deliver digital video output via USB-C. |
| Media Card Reader | None The laptop has no SD card slots. For reading from and writing to SD and microSD memory cards, you'll have to use a separately sold memory card reader via a USB cable. |
| Other Features | Surface Connect port A proprietary Microsoft Surface port for charging, docking, and compatible accessories. |
| Battery | "Up to 11.5 hours" of battery life |
| Weight | 3.4 pounds |
| Height | 0.6" |
| Width | 13.4" |
| Depth | 9.6" |
| Casing Material | Aluminum |
| Casing Color | Black Gray |
| Windows Version | Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Home is aimed at the regular home and office computer users. Only select business users need the Professional edition. Windows 10 Home users are eligible for a free upgrade to the latest Windows 11 Home. Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 Pro version adds some business-specific features in comparison to the standard Windows Home. Windows 10 Pro upgradeable to the latest Windows 11 Pro for free. |
| Warranty | 1-year A typical laptop warranty. |
| Year of Release | 2019 |
User Reviews and Q&A on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15
Below you can read and submit user reviews, questions, and answers about the laptop. Thank you for your contribution.
Please CLICK HERE to provide e-mail for receiving notifications when there are new replies
(The e-mail won't be used for any other purposes.)
There are no contributions yet.