Today, at its annual Surface event, Microsoft has announced a new Surface Laptop. Called the Surface Laptop 3, the device is a successor to the previous generation model, the Surface Laptop 2. A couple of highlights that the company is emphasizing on with the new device include the ability to open the laptop with one finger, improved keyboard, 20% larger trackpad, 2x faster than Surface Laptop 2, 80% charge in less than an hour, USB-C port, and all-day battery life, to name a few. Alongside the Laptop 3, the company also announced the Surface Earbuds, Surface Pro X, Surface Duo, and Surface Neo.

microsoft surface laptop 3 with two screen sizes and usb-c announced - microsoft surface laptop 3

The Surface Laptop 3 looks pretty similar to the previous generation model on the outside but does have a few subtle changes on the inside. For starters, the Laptop 3 comes in two sizes: 13.5-inch and 15-inch with a machined aluminum finish, instead of its signature Alcantara fabric design. The 13.5-inch model comes with a quad-core 10th-gen Intel Core (i5 and i7) processor, that according to the company, is ‘2x faster than the Laptop 2 and 3x faster than the MacBook Air.’ Whereas, the 15-inch has a new semi-custom Ryzen Surface Edition (Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7) chip from AMD under the hood. Microsoft says it is ‘the fastest processor for any laptop in its class today.’

microsoft surface laptop 3 with two screen sizes and usb-c announced - surface laptop 3

The design of the new model allows it to be opened with a single finger, and the laptop always stays on, allowing you to get work done instantly, without having to wait for the machine to boot. Further, the keyboard has also got a slight improvement, and the key travel on the newer model has been reduced to 1.3mm, down from (~1.5mm) on the Laptop 2; the trackpad has been increased in size and is now 20% larger; there is the added ability to remove the drive and replace it as-and-when required, USB-C, finally, and an all-day battery with fast charging that can charge it up to 80% in about/under an hour.

Surface Laptop 3: Specifications

  • Display: 13.5-inch PixelSense display with 3:2 aspect ratio and 2256 x 1504 pixels screen resolution
    15-inch PixelSense display with 3:2 aspect ratio and 2496 x 1664 pixels screen resolution
  • Processor: 13.5-inch – Quad-core 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G7 and Core i7-1065G7
    15-inch – AMD Ryzen 5 3580U with Radeon Vega 9 and AMD Ryzen 7 3780U with Radeon RX Vega 11
  • RAM: 13.5-inch – 8GB/16GB LPDDR4X
    15-inch – 8GB/16GB/32GB DDR4
  • Storage: 13.5-inch – 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB removable SSD
    15-inch – 128GB/256GB/512GB removable SSD
  • Network: Wi-Fi: 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0
  • Battery: 13.5-inch – Up to 11.5 hours with fast charging, charges up to 80% in about one hour
    15-inch – Up to 11.5 hours with fast charging, charges up to 80% in under one hour
  • Camera: 720p f/2.0 aperture front-facing camera
  • Ports: 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A, 3.5mm audio jack, 1 x Surface Connect port

Surface Laptop 3: Pricing and Availability

The Surface Laptop 3 comes in four colors: Sandstone, Matte Black, Cobalt Blue, and Platinum. It starts at $999 and $1199 for the 13.5-inch and 15-inch model respectively and will be available for pre-order starting today, with shipping expected around October 22.

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