This is a kind of distinctive device to review. One thing to keep in mind is that it is a unique piece of hardware. There are several things that most people look for in a laptop, especially in a premium one. These things are performance, features, and build quality. This Surface Book 3 knocks these all out of the park. Now obviously everyone's use case is different and what I enjoy from using this device might not be enough for you. **Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.**
Performance, this one is a little subjective depending on what your workflow looks like. Suffice to say that it is a very powerful laptop and will breeze through most tasks. This laptop is a beast in most areas, fast 512GB drive, 32GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 1660 Ti with Max-Q, and Quad-Core Gen 10 i7 processor. Again, this device handles just about any task without issue. I’m using this laptop to streamline my workflow when I am working on projects in Adobe’s Creative Cloud. I tend to spend most of my time in Photoshop with some time in Premiere Pro. Both apps run well and render all my projects with little issue. Now, the only thing that I have heard folks discuss is that the processor in here is not desktop-grade, it’s a more power-efficient processor that helps to keep thermals in check. Due to this amazing device, transforming between a tablet and a laptop, it needs to be able to house most of its components behind the beautiful 15” PixelSense display. So, if you need that extra processing power which might save you a little bit of time in compiling or rendering projects, then you will be giving up on the versatility of this device. I think the majority of creatives would be able to easily get their work done on this rig without any issues and benefit by its ability to change how you work on projects. Just a quick example of how well this laptop performed for me, lately I have been working on a project that is just shy of 2GB in size in Photoshop. The project has a dozen layers, each with many assets, textures, etc. This Surface Book 3 can open that file in less than 15 seconds, and once open, it has no issues or stutters working in the file or moving in and out of other programs while working on this large PS file. The Surface Book 3 handles this in stride, staying quiet and cool.
Features- this device is jam-packed full of them. The most obvious one being the ability of the screen detaching from the base to become a powerful tablet. The screen paired with the Surface Pen is a delight to get work done. Whether you are using the pen for art, notes, or annotating documents, the feel of the Surface Pen on the screen is amazing. I have used other tablets and their pencils, and they feel great, but they don’t compare to this setup. It feels like there is some friction between the Pen and screen and with no noticeable delay in pen input, so it almost feels like you are writing on paper. I love that you can flip the Pen and use the eraser end to erase. It takes a couple of seconds from pressing the detach button to having it off its base, and about the same for it to lock back in place when you are returning to the traditional laptop setup. The keyboard is great to type on. It feels comfortable and is not very noisy. I’ve been able to type out some work without waking up my wife. A huge bonus for me is the built-in webcam. I’ve had to work from home since March and subsequently have had to be part of a lot more video calls. The 5.0MP, 1080p HD video front-facing camera has been great. It does a great job of making my video calls look a lot more natural and clear. All of this on a battery that is rated to last a tad over 17 hours, although in my usage I’ve had it go just an hour shy of that mark with moderate use.
Build quality, this one is an easy win. Microsoft has been earning its reputation of late on building quality products. This is my first Surface Book, so to me this is amazing, and one of the best pieces of tech I have ever used. I know some folks were bummed that the design has stayed the same from the previous Surface Book, but honestly, it’s an amazing design so I don’t see the harm. The entire system feels lighter than you’d expect and sturdier. The keyboard deck is stiff with little give, the hinge looks indestructible, and the screen has just enough bezel to be able to hold the screen in tablet mode without accidentally interfering with what you are working on. The vents to disperse heat are cleverly hidden to keep the entire system looking very sleek.
This device will get any job you send its way, completed. The design and versatility will let you tackle most tasks in new and unique ways. The processing power, SSD, RAM, and dedicated graphics card is nothing to sneeze at and will fly through most tasks. This is a great computer, and as stated at the beginning of this year, unique. This is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to streamline their workflow. It’s honestly hard to describe how much my workflow has changed since I started using this Surface Book 3. Suffice to say that I have been using my iPad less and less. I find that I’m ok just carrying this one device as opposed to a laptop and iPad Pro like in the past. The only downside I can foresee is having to ever move to a more traditional laptop experience, now that this has me spoiled.