There's also no denying that the heavy duty engineering results in quite a chunky device, something that's not helped by the fact the otherwise clever fulcrum hinge leaves a fair old gap between the tablet and the keyboard slab at the hinge end.Īs a tablet, even this 13.5-inch model is likewise pretty hefty. The fulcrum hinge is a design marvel, the keyboard bed is extremely solid and the glass-topped trackpad very precise, even if it's now looking a little small by modern standards. Nevertheless, this remains one of the very best built tablets, laptops or 2-in-1 devices on the market, with gorgeous magnesium casing and a very high quality overall feel. Here in 2021 amidst a craze for ever slimmer bezels, it does rather date the Surface Book 3.

Back in 2015, that wasn't a huge design disadvantage. Likewise the tablet functionality still results in fairly large bezels around the screen. The signature – and beautifully engineered – fulcrum hinge remains, as does the button for releasing the tablet from the keyboard section, though Microsoft has shortened the wait time between when you hit the button and the hinge ‘popping' to release the tablet. Speaking of tablet mode, it carries with it all the same implication for design and ergonomics as previous Surface Books.

Surface book 3 i7