Microsoft Surface Book 3 _2020 review

 After having surprised its little world by unveiling the Surface Neo and Duo, Microsoft has resumed its cruising speed. Last May, the American giant unveiled its new Surface range including the Surface Book 3. The third iteration of the Microsoft-style hybrid PC does not bring much change. But the manufacturer corrects some weaknesses of previous models by beefing up its game a little. On paper, the Surface Book 3 has everything to seduce, but what about everyday? I used one of the beefier setups for several weeks. Here is my opinion.

Design and screen:

Are Microsoft designers on extended leave? You might think so much the Surface Book 3 looks like its predecessors. Still as imposing (343 x 251 x 15-23 mm) and heavy (1905 g) in its 15-inch format, this new model incorporates all the codes of its big brothers. On the program, a minimalist design, an accordion fold that made the reputation of the range and a particularly attractive magnesium dress. You will understand, nothing changes and that's good.

Car, à l’instar de ses prédécesseurs, le Surface Book 3 respire le haut de gamme. Néanmoins, j’aurais aimé une meilleure intégration de la dalle. En effet, les bordures entourant l’écran de 15 pouces sont particulièrement épaisses et dénotent avec les tendances actuelles. Dell et Huawei dépassent les 90% de ratio taille/écran avec leurs derniers PC premium. Cela s’explique par le fait que la plupart des composants du Surface Book 3 sont logés derrière la dalle afin de fournir suffisamment d’énergie et de puissance en utilisation tablette.

In fact, other design elements remind us that the Surface Book 3 is also a tablet. The power and volume keys are housed on the top edge of the screen and an 8-megapixel camera is integrated on the back. The 3.5mm millimeter jack is also placed on a border of the screen (upper right corner), a poor choice since the headphone wire always falls into the user's field of vision.

For the rest, Microsoft is playing its classics and taking advantage of the imposing format of its PC to integrate more generous connectivity than its competitors. The Surface Book 3 thus embeds a USB-C (2nd generation, 10 Gbits / s) compatible Display Port 1.4 that can slowly recharge the machine (but not supporting Thunderbolt 3), a Surface Connect (proprietary charging port), two USB-A 3.1 and an SD card slot that will delight photographers and videographers. Small novelty of this third Surface Book: it is WiFi 6 compatible, a significant advantage.

  

You will understand, even if it is not perfect, the design of this Surface Book 3 is still as attractive. With its premium appearance and original choices (accordion folding for example), Microsoft's hybrid PC is in my opinion one of the most beautiful machines on the market.

 

Keyboard and trackpad:

No changes on the keyboard / trackpad side either. Microsoft reproduces exactly the same recipe as with the Surface Book 2. We therefore find a particularly comfortable keyboard with large keys, a stroke of 1.55 mm and a silence that will delight your colleagues in the open space. Add to that a three-level backlighting and you've got one of the best laptop keyboards, if not the best.

 

I wouldn't say the same for the trackpad, which in my opinion is too small. However, the large spaces on either side allowed even minimal expansion. Used to that of the Macbook Pro 16, I felt cramped. Too bad, because the Surface Book 3's trackpad is pleasant to the touch and very responsive.

 

4K display

I won't keep the suspense going, the Surface Book 3's PixelSense display is stunning. Available in two sizes (13 and 15 inches), it stands out for its 4K definition (3240 x 2160 pixels) and its display quality. Microsoft announces 75% coverage of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectrum and 100% of the sRGB spectrum. Added to this are excellent contrasts and very good brightness which correct its shiny appearance. Almost flawless. "Almost" because Microsoft announces its hybrid PC as the perfect companion for content creators. As such, HDR and / or Dolby Vision compatibility would not have been too much.

 

In fact, the Surface Book 3's display isn't particularly cut out for multimedia. Indeed, if its 3: 2 aspect ratio is relevant for productivity, gaming or creative software (editing, photo editing, graphics), it is much less when it comes to watching videos. Designed for a broadcast in 16: 9, the films and series are here surrounded by large black bands. Too bad, but we can't have it all.

 

Performances:

To deliver a machine that is both hybrid and powerful, Microsoft has no choice but to integrate a dual configuration which partly justifies its high price. To ensure comfortable use in both tablet and PC mode, the manufacturer integrates most of the components behind the screen. In our test model, a low-frequency Intel Core i7-1065G7 chip is paired with 32GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 1TB of storage (SSD). To avoid the heat in tablet mode, Microsoft has no choice but to integrate an Intel Iris Plus graphics card, sufficient for everyday use and a little photo editing, but far from satisfying the most demanding users.

 

It therefore equips the Surface Book 3 with a second graphics card, here the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q from Nvidia (with 6 GB of GDDR6 RAM). Housed under the keyboard, it is accompanied by a second cooling system promising better graphics performance. Clever, but not always relevant.

 

Indeed, most of the uses of content creators require use in tablet mode. For example, it's much more intuitive to manipulate gauges in Lightroom with a stylus or your finger. In these situations, however, the Intel Iris Plus chip lacks power. If inserting the tablet upside down allows you to combine power and tactile use, it is difficult to work on a chair or standing with such a heavy and bulky tool.

Still, it would be dishonest not to highlight the Surface Book 3's excellent performance in PC use. With the muscular setup of my test model, all of the most resource-intensive software performed perfectly, including 4K editing.

 

Although it is not designed as a gaming PC, the Surface Book 3 can also run games with high graphics requirements: Call of Duty Warzone, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, GTA V, Fortnite or even Apex Legends performed perfectly during this test. Xbox console owners will also be delighted to be able to use their controllers without prior configuration.