Review: Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go line has always served as a middle ground for students and young professionals who want a high-quality laptop without having to pay a high price. Of course, those affordably priced Go machines inevitably come with some compromises.

Both of the older laptops in the line—the Surface Laptop Go (7/10, WIRED Review) and Surface Laptop Go 2 (8/10, WIRED Review)—were criticized by us and others for their low-resolution screens, middling battery life, and lack of a backlit keyboard. But those things are easy to overlook when you're also getting a luxurious build, solid performance, and an extremely portable design in a package that costs as low as $700. It's been easy to recommend these laptops in the past few years despite their flaws.

The Surface Laptop 3, however, is a tough sell—particularly because the cheapest configuration now starts at $800. Microsoft nixed the 4-GB RAM and 128-SSD options, so you'll only have the choice between 8 GB or 16 GB of RAM with a 256-GB SSD for both. The latter will set you back $1,000. The company also threw in a 12th-generation Intel chip with a Core i5 processor.

That's it for upgrades, though. Typically, I'd still consider this a great, affordable laptop, but the lack of new features, zero effort on Microsoft's part to address the issues with its predecessors, and the elimination of cheaper options feels absolutely criminal.

As with past models, the Surface Laptop Go 3 retains its excellent design. The top half is made of anodized aluminum, which is supposed to be better at resisting scratches and nicks than untreated aluminum. The bottom half is a mix of aluminum and polycarbonate resin. It looks and feels extremely lavish, especially in the Sage color that Microsoft sent me. It's also available in Platinum, Ice Blue, and Sandstone, but storage configurations vary depending on which color you choose.

Photograph: Microsoft

The third-generation Laptop Go also remains lightweight at just 2.49 pounds and compact, measuring 10.95 inches wide, 8.12 inches deep, and 0.62 inches thick. Like its predecessors, it's a great-size notebook for students carting a PC to class or workers who commute to the office, because it won't weigh your bag down. It was small enough to fit into my Baggu Medium Nylon Crescent Bag, allowing me to ditch the backpack and tote bag I often switch between.

The full-size keyboard lives up to the hype too. Having reviewed Microsoft's 2-in-1 devices (like the Surface Go 2 and Surface Pro 8), I've only had experience with the Type Cover's mushy keys. But the Laptop Go 3 is super satisfying to type on, with excellent key travel and springy feedback. It's been a joy to use for typing emails, Slack messages, and this review.

There's one glaring error: the lack of a keyboard backlight. It's comical that a keyboard marketed to students and Gen-Z buyers is missing such a crucial feature. I found it particularly annoying when I was trying to find volume and brightness controls in the dark while streaming a TV show before bedtime. I can only imagine how frustrating it might be for someone to use this laptop to study or type up essays in their dorm late at night while their roommate is asleep, or to take notes in a dark classroom when the professor is using a projector.

The one key that is backlit is the fingerprint sensor, which is great because it's close to impossible to type your PIN in the dark. I've had to do this multiple times because, unfortunately, the sensor didn't recognize my fingerprints the majority of the time. The problem persisted even after I deleted my original fingerprint and set up two new ones. Doing this made things a little better, but I received an error message more often than not when trying to authenticate.

As for the display, Microsoft kept the same 12.4-inch touchscreen with 1,536 x 1,024 resolution (148 pixels per inch) and a 3:2 aspect ratio. The screen looks bright and vivid, making it enjoyable to stream Netflix and watch YouTube videos. But as we mentioned in our Surface Laptop Go 2 review, the glossy display makes it tough to use the laptop outdoors. I also found the glare to be noticeable and distracting when working near a window on a sunny day. But the low resolution of the screen really shows itself when reading text, where everything is slightly fuzzy if you look closely enough.

The webcam captures images at 720p, which looks grainy, as you'd expect. I'm not on video calls that often, so this wasn't a deal breaker for me. But if your classes are remote or your job requires a lot of video meetings, the low-quality camera might be an issue.

One thing I don't have complaints about is performance. Under the hood is a two-year-old 12th-generation Intel chip with a Core i5 processor and Intel Iris Xe Graphics card for both the 8-GB and 16-GB models. Microsoft sent me the latter. It was plenty of power to get me through day-to-day tasks like web browsing, word processing, and sending emails. The fans would sometimes kick in and the laptop would feel warm, but it never felt slow or sluggish, regardless of how much I threw at it.

Photograph: Microsoft

On a typical day, I had Slack and Spotify running in the background while using Microsoft Edge. I once had 42 tabs open simultaneously, and the laptop operated without any hiccups. That's not to say this machine should be used for intensive tasks like video editing or gaming. But it works great for getting the basics done. It's important to reiterate, however, that I had the higher-memory option which certainly contributed to the smoother experience. If you can swing it, I'd opt for 16 GB of memory over 8 GB.

Battery life is where the Laptop Go 3 really struggles. Microsoft claims you can squeeze out 15 hours of use on a full charge (a slight increase from the 13.5-hour claim on the Laptop Go 2), but I didn't reach anywhere near that. On days I had Zoom calls lasting about an hour, I would have to plug the laptop in after four hours of use. (I once watched the battery drop 12 percent during a meeting.) When I didn't have any video calls, I'd hit about six hours before reaching for the charger (one hour less than what we averaged with the Go 2). I also made sure to keep the brightness at 50 percent or below to help conserve battery life.

For a laptop that's designed to be comfortable to use anywhere, it's a bummer to know you'll either be kept busy searching for an outlet or just chained to your desk to keep the Laptop Go 3 near a charger. You can also carry around a power bank and charge it through the USB-C port. But that means dropping extra money (if you don't already have an external battery pack) and having to worry about always carrying an extra accessory.

If you couldn't already tell, I have a love-hate relationship with the Surface Laptop Go 3. I love the high-quality design, satisfyingly clicky keyboard, and the lightweight portability. I hate the anxiety-inducing battery life, grainy webcam, lack of a keyboard backlight, unpredictable fingerprint sensor, and hefty price tag—all of which are key features that its target demographic, students, look for in a laptop. It’s tough to look past this knowing it doesn’t hold much over the competition either, which often offers more for the money.

If you're in the market for a budget laptop, we suggest checking out the Asus Zenbook 14 (8/10, WIRED Review). For a starting price of $700 (for 8 GB of RAM and 256 SSD), you'll get an OLED display, 12.5 hours of battery (in our testing), and an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU that delivers good performance. The 16-GB version (with 256-GB SSD) will set you back $869, which is still cheaper than the Laptop Go 3 with the same memory.

Still set on a Surface Laptop Go? Since improvements to the third-generation version are incremental, you can save some money by going with last year's version instead and not miss out on too much. Microsoft is still selling the Surface Laptop Go 2 with 16 GB and 256-GB SSD for $800. You can snag the 8-GB version for as low as $550. It packs an even older, 11th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, but it should be more than capable of powering you through things like web browsing, note-taking, and movie streaming.

And if you're still tempted to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3, you should wait until there's a very good sale on it. That way, you can put the money you save toward a beefy portable charger.