Microsoft must have gotten the memo about its slow hard drives. The 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD inside our unit duplicated 4.97GB of multimedia files in 9.4 seconds, for a rate of 541.4 megabytes per second. That's quicker than showings by the storage in previous Surface devices and the Spectre x360 13 (318.1 MBps), although it still doesn't top results from the XPS 13 (727 MBps) or the MacBook Pro (1,220 MBps, 128GB SSD) or the premium laptop average (580.56 MBps).
By opting for Ice Lake chips instead of Comet Lake, Microsoft chose a boost in graphics over maximum computing performance. You'll still want discrete graphics for playing modern games at high settings, but the Intel Iris Plus integrated GPU inside the Surface Laptop 3 will do for casual gamers.
The Surface Laptop 3 played Dirt 3 (high, 1080p) at 47 frames per second, which matches the Spectre x360 13's pace and outraces the XPS 13's result (34 fps). As a general rule, 30 fps is the minimum for frustration-free gaming. The Surface Laptop 3's battery life is great but short of record setting. The laptop lasted for 9 hours and 17 minutes on our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits.
That time tops the premium laptop average (8:39) and the 4K XPS 13's result (7:59), but the 13-inch MacBook Pro (10:48) outlasted the Surface Laptop 3 by an hour and a half. The Spectre x360 13 might have a 1080p display, but that laptop's 13-hour and 20-minute runtime is simply ridiculous. Surface devices have the best webcams of any Windows PC. It's a low bar to reach. Nonetheless, I'm glad Microsoft spent a bit extra for the Surface Laptop 3's decent 720p camera.
A selfie I snapped in our dimly lit office revealed individual hairs in my beard and the stitching in the jacket hanging over the back of my chair. The camera even captured the rosy tone in my face, which made me look healthier than I do in the unsaturated pics captured by most other laptops. There was still some visual noise in the selfie I snapped, so you would still benefit from buying a good external camera.
However, if we do see a consumer-ready device, we expect that it will come from Lenovo. It's been reported that the company has set a date of Q2 2020 for its first foldable, a variation of the ThinkPad X1. Another possible contender is Microsoft, which is reportedly launching the Surface Neo sometime in Q3 2020.
As the foldable market begins to heat up, don't think for a second that laptop manufacturers aren't going to be looking for ways to add another screen to their setups. Right now, Asus is leading the charge with excellent laptops such as the ZenBook Pro Duo and the ZenBook 15. But we wouldn't be surprised if we saw a lot of dual-screen concepts at the show.
AMD's been killing it on the desktop front over the past few years. Andhe company is long overdue for a serious comeback on the mobile front. We're pretty confident that AMD will be making some announcements regarding mobile during the company's keynote Jan. 6.
The Surface Laptop 3's untarnished Windows 10 Home OS still includes some apps you'll probably want to uninstall, including Candy Crush Friends and Farm Heroes Saga. Apart from those, the Surface delivers the pure Windows experience we all want. Microsoft ships the Surface Laptop 3 with a one-year warranty. See how Microsoft did on our Tech support showdown and Best and worst brands special reports.
The Surface Laptop 3 isn't a revelation, but the new 10th Gen CPUs and all-metal finish make it a worthy successor to one of the best portable laptops of last year. Those improvements combine with everything we loved about the previous versions, including a sharp, vivid 13.5-inch display (with a 3:2 aspect ratio); strong battery life; and a comfortable keyboard.
By opting for Ice Lake chips instead of Comet Lake, Microsoft chose a boost in graphics over maximum computing performance. You'll still want discrete graphics for playing modern games at high settings, but the Intel Iris Plus integrated GPU inside the Surface Laptop 3 will do for casual gamers.
The Surface Laptop 3 played Dirt 3 (high, 1080p) at 47 frames per second, which matches the Spectre x360 13's pace and outraces the XPS 13's result (34 fps). As a general rule, 30 fps is the minimum for frustration-free gaming. The Surface Laptop 3's battery life is great but short of record setting. The laptop lasted for 9 hours and 17 minutes on our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits.
That time tops the premium laptop average (8:39) and the 4K XPS 13's result (7:59), but the 13-inch MacBook Pro (10:48) outlasted the Surface Laptop 3 by an hour and a half. The Spectre x360 13 might have a 1080p display, but that laptop's 13-hour and 20-minute runtime is simply ridiculous. Surface devices have the best webcams of any Windows PC. It's a low bar to reach. Nonetheless, I'm glad Microsoft spent a bit extra for the Surface Laptop 3's decent 720p camera.
A selfie I snapped in our dimly lit office revealed individual hairs in my beard and the stitching in the jacket hanging over the back of my chair. The camera even captured the rosy tone in my face, which made me look healthier than I do in the unsaturated pics captured by most other laptops. There was still some visual noise in the selfie I snapped, so you would still benefit from buying a good external camera.
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However, if we do see a consumer-ready device, we expect that it will come from Lenovo. It's been reported that the company has set a date of Q2 2020 for its first foldable, a variation of the ThinkPad X1. Another possible contender is Microsoft, which is reportedly launching the Surface Neo sometime in Q3 2020.
As the foldable market begins to heat up, don't think for a second that laptop manufacturers aren't going to be looking for ways to add another screen to their setups. Right now, Asus is leading the charge with excellent laptops such as the ZenBook Pro Duo and the ZenBook 15. But we wouldn't be surprised if we saw a lot of dual-screen concepts at the show.
AMD's been killing it on the desktop front over the past few years. Andhe company is long overdue for a serious comeback on the mobile front. We're pretty confident that AMD will be making some announcements regarding mobile during the company's keynote Jan. 6.
- Asus Zenbook ux51 Battery
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The Surface Laptop 3's untarnished Windows 10 Home OS still includes some apps you'll probably want to uninstall, including Candy Crush Friends and Farm Heroes Saga. Apart from those, the Surface delivers the pure Windows experience we all want. Microsoft ships the Surface Laptop 3 with a one-year warranty. See how Microsoft did on our Tech support showdown and Best and worst brands special reports.
The Surface Laptop 3 isn't a revelation, but the new 10th Gen CPUs and all-metal finish make it a worthy successor to one of the best portable laptops of last year. Those improvements combine with everything we loved about the previous versions, including a sharp, vivid 13.5-inch display (with a 3:2 aspect ratio); strong battery life; and a comfortable keyboard.
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