The display brightness issue you're having is due to a setting that's enabled by default in the Intel Graphics Control Panel. Under "Power", disable "Display Power Saving Technology". This should solve the adaptive brightness issue depending on the content of the screen. Hope this helps, as I've also just discovered about this.
Yup same! Some people have told me it's a separate Intel graphics driver you need to download. Of course, it would be better if Microsoft had Intel had worked this out earlier and made this a native option instead. Thanks for the comment!
BEST way to fix this with no problems, zero difficulties. In the "Microsoft Store" app that comes with all windows 10, just download the Intel Graphics Command Center App. This is an official Intel App and works great! Open App and go, System - Power - And turn off the "Display Power Savings" button. And as long as you have the basic windows setting also turned off this will work perfectly. No new drivers or anything crazy. I just did this on my new surface laptop. Saved this video from a week before I received it just to see this comment and try what you said, which did not work BTW.
@@haurjie, there is nothing to download. The option is in Settings under "System", "Display". It is called "Change brightness automatically when lighting changes". You can simply unclick it. Also: there is a shortcut to manually select the brightness from the keyboard (different on different Surfaces), besides the win 10 setting.
@@haurjie Very nice job for your first one. I'll go ahead and give another of what I hope you take as constructive criticism: it's almost always a bad idea to review a product and use "I" in your use case statements - what I mean is, saying you wouldn't use that laptop for video editing because you have a $4K tower, and the screen is too small. I hear that and think "well not all of us have $4K PCs, and it's got a video-out port for an external monitor...so maybe it's fine for those of us that aren't to the point you're at with tech yet. My 2¢. Best of luck with your channel!
Hey Great video, I have been watching SO MANY videos on the surface line up and they ALL talk about gaming performance. I'm just a student looking to get a laptop that will be productive for a long time. Thank you for incorporating the info required for none gamers & non video makers
I have a 2017 surface laptop and the alcantara is pretty much impeccable. I use the computer basically everyday and everywhere for my college studies. It really gives a soft and warm feel to the hands and I really think that if you can take care of your device its a *Much* better choice.
This is a great video. It has been so hard to find a comparison like this between the i5 and i7. I'm surprised there aren't more i5 to i7 comparison videos, because the price differences is significant, yet the performance difference for the average person isn't easily discernible just from raw numbers on a spec sheet. Real use through reviews is really helpful for me. Thank you :-)
Oh my, looked at your sub count expecting at least 2mill, but I sadly found that you have much lower. With content like this I can easily see you climbing up there sometime soon
I was looking for videos about the Surface Laptop 3 i5 because I have to get a Microsoft computer for school. This was really helpful and comforting when looking for a new computer
@@nightshaderach I haven't tried any screen protectors for my laptop, but I also haven't had any problems with it either. I also tend to be very careful with my tech products just as a habit, being aware of the environment I take it to, what activities I'm doing outdoors etc. My friend has a Surface Laptop 3 and uses this screen protector if you need one. It's thin and doesn't stick out of the edge if you install it correctly. amzn.to/2Wjxe0D
The spec difference between the i5 and i7 here is insignificant: in terms of real world performance the i7 may be around 5% faster (4% according to UserBenchmark). The extra RAM might come in handy for some, but given the gnarly price gouging scheme Microsoft runs for upgrades the bump in CPU performance is just stupid expensive. One thing worth noting, the 15" intel models are only available to businesses (on MS store), regular consumers can only order the AMD chips, which are subpar. Just like you said, Alcantara should be avoided; it ages real bad if you don't take good care of it. The 128GB base version is just insulting from MS, I mean, this is a $1000+ laptop from 2019, that's way too little storage for that product tier. Nice video, but be careful when you say that the i7 can do certain tasks and the i5 somehow can't, that's just not the case. More often than not, the i7 variant of a product will provide a slight bump in processing power while coming at a significant increase in price that almost never reflects the increase in performance. The i7 might shave render times by a tiny bit, but unless you need 16GB of RAM for a certain task, the i5 is much better value and just as capable. I'm looking forward to getting mine, finally replacing my 7 year old MBA :)
Hey thanks for the comment and details. Yes I have to be careful on how I word things. The i5 can do what the i7 can, just not as well. And yeah I should've talked more about the double RAM and detail for what things it may be useful for. I tried to keep this video short as possible, but now I realize some people's comments are saying this video may be insufficient in info or coverage in some areas. Next time I'll keep this in mind for more complicated product reviews as leaving information out just for the sake of shorter video just isn't worth it.
This is such an amazing review. Most of the reviews were talking about the same things in their own flow. I got a lot of insight from this one in particular. Just got my hands on an i5 surface book 3 and loving it so far. I wish the screen was a little less reflective though. PS- Love the USB C hub recommendation. you did me a solid there :)
Ok, so for a few days I’ve had it. It’s been pretty respectful. I’m very happy with it so far. Yes, I would have liked to have a 16inch MBP, but at 2400, I don’t think it makes sense. I already have a 5K iMac for my major editing and whatnot. I can do Lightroom with no problems and Photoshop. 16GB ram is just enough for everything to run at once. If I had the extra, I’d get 32GB, but again, I’m in MBP territory at 2800-3000 range. This cost me 1412 plus tax out the door. I really don’t need to run it all at once lol. It’s what you said, people will find anything to complain about. Nobody really does all this at once normally. I do do this on iMac because I can do it. I have 32GB ram on that. I will say, it’s a great buy. My only question is should I invest in the Microsoft park now or just live with the Magic Mouse? I don’t have pinch to zoom and horizontal scrolling in excel. It is not supported. I’m also needing to pay for Magic utilities software to make the mouse even work. But I already have the mouse, so it’s down to what’s more cost effective. I’m used to the Magic Mouse. Never used an Arc Mouse. I just subscribed, I liked how you did the video. The way you described everything.
Nice video. I am pretty sure you can turn that off, under settings/Display/ uncheck the "Change Brightness Automatically when lighting changes" that works for me.
Thanks for the comment! That's the first option I unchecked when setting up my device. It doesn't work actually. Still does it. Even went into power settings and advanced display options, still no other options.
Excellent review and exactly what I was looking for. Toying with the idea of trading in my 2017 MacBook Pro for a Surface Laptop 3 and wasn't sure which configuration to consider. Same as you, I only need my laptop to handle productivity tasks and to be the "go" version of my heavy company-issued Lenovo Thinkpad. Feeling some Mac to PC angst but the Surface in matte black is slick as hell! At $899 for the i5, thinking it's worth a shot.
I've been looking for about 2 weeks now, comparing prices since cyber Monday and now Boxing Day sales. Trying to see if i5 or i7 - it's $500 Australian in difference. I searched everywhere online and then came to your video - well you really sold it to me. Thank you !!!!! I am very happy to now buy the i5 for word/excel work stuff. Keep making reviews! You don't talk crap like other reviewers and speak in a story way which I really enjoyed lol also typing noise X-D
Good video! I've had the 1st gen surface laptop for over 2 years now.. the alcantara is still in excellent condition and i use the laptop daily. I just bought the 3rd gen yesterday.. on sale at bestbuy for $699.. couldn't resist. Compared to the 1st gen it's pretty much identical except for the USB C and a little larger touchpad.
@@haurjie yep.. more space would be great but now it's ok.. and being able to put a new larger one in down the road will be nice. A little frustrating they don't just put a microsd slot in like they do on the surface pro line.
@@tri0xin yeah 128 is like what smartphones have lol. 2019 is just disrespectful. But, I do like all the rest of the designs. Good thing the storage is upgradable. The RAM however is not, that's soldered onto the board.
this is really helpful!i have no knowledge about any tech devices so I was debating between these laptops but leaning towards the i7 because the specs just look better, end up deciding against that thanks to this video, saving me some money as well! Thank you !
If there are programs and applications in your line of work that can justify the use of this i7 line, let me know! Any surface device users feel free to comment, I'd like to know your experience as well! Forgot to mention the specs of the laptops I tested in this video -_(\. Here they are. 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD for the i5 and 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD for the i7.
Picked up the i7 for the ram. I'm a developer, 16gb ram is great for Docker, Windows Subsystem for Linux, development tools, outlook etc and it runs super well...
There is a way to disable the adaptive contrast on the surface laptop 3. You have to download the Intel Graphics Command Center program and once installed go to System=>power=>Display power savings and turn it off. I had the same annoyance when i bought the laptop but this seems to have fixed it.
Yes it does have reflections like you would normally expect from a glossy screen. But it does not bother me. I feel that everything else about it is great and one hardware nuance like a glossy screen doesn't sway me from having a good experience with it. :)
Tbh, glossy screen never bothered me in the sense of being too reflective. Because I always just adjusted myself or tilt the screen just a tad bit to avoid any if there were. The only thing about glossy screens that bugged me were fingerprints, that's why I don't like touch screens. But I think over the years I've started to accept that as reality and it's okay for me to get use to on mobile devices.
I just got mine yesterday. The display is useless outdoors if it's sunny; the glass is very reflective and the panel is very dim, so you'll have a hard time seeing anything. It's not a total dealbreaker but if you plan on using it in an office next to a window or outside, it may very well bother you a lot. Definitely something that MS need to work on.
Glad I watched this video. I bought a few days ago, I have the i3, 13 .5 inch with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB memory but was second guessing myself on if I should return it and get the i7. I will be keeping my i3. I love the laptop and this was a fair review.
The question is why are you buying a laptop with 8 gb of ram and 256 ssd even if you don’t use the laptop too heavily it’s a waste of money not going for the 16GB minimum and 512 ssd your laptop gonna be memory swapping like crazy by now
This video has been waiting for you... dude, I hate UA-cam's algorithm right now. It thinks some people's comments (like yours) is spam. So I have to manually go into studios and approve it. So dumb.
Great video! And new subscriber. This video has really helped me. Great review. Just bought this laptop and can’t wait for it to arrive. The range top i7 16GB RAM 512SSD matte black. I’ve been Apple fanboy for years with MacBook Pro’s. But have lost all interest in Apple laptops, as nothing exciting coming from them in a long time. And woeful keyboards. So I’ve taken the plunge and gone back to a Windows based laptop. I hope I’ve made the right decision. Only time will tell. I only use my machine for web browsing, music, productivity MS office workflow and social media. Not a gamer and nor heavy graphics user. I’ll still keep my iPhone 11 Pro and iWatch 5 for a while though. Can’t go ‘cold turkey’ all at once. Small steps. Baby steps lol. Thanks again for this great honest review 👍🏽
Hey thanks for the lengthy feedback! I appreciate your time in writing it. I hope windows treats you well. But keep this in mind, tech is tech, apple, windows, Linux, Android, w/e... You can still like certain brands, but none of those are perfect. There's something that each of these platforms do very well and some not very well. You can have mixed to support different parts of your lifestyle! It will also make you a more versatile tech user and you will grow your knowledge too!
Really helpful video! As a consumer user who always has a ton of tabs open at once, I'm looking for something basic but fast. I'm not super techy so the explanation on i5 vs i7 helped a ton, wasn't really sure if that mattered before. Question for you: would you buy this one now, or wait until Sept/Oct when the 4 is supposedly going to be announced? I have a macbook pro that's at complete memory capacity, but am wanting to hold out for the next version of the surface laptop.
We're pretty close to the announcement of a potentially new surfaces line. That's not for sure though because covid has pushed every manufacturer plans back from what I can tell. But I do agree to wait until at least October.
@@thequalityedit1 also, one thing I forgot to talk about in this video was covering the RAM memory. Since you mentioned about having lots of tabs open, I would recommend a 16GB variant of either the i5 or i7.
@@haurjie That helps a lot, thank you! I noticed they have the Surface Laptop 3 for business (i7, 16gb, 256) on Microsoft's website for $1599 and was seriously considering it, but think I'll give it a couple of months and hold out for the newer ones! I appreciate the info!
Very informative video!! Thanks.. So icore5 cannot handle video editing? I mean, Im planning to buy this model but not sure if I can do some editing. Any advice? Thanks 😉
Great video and very informative! I hate to choose color of important stuff like phones or IWatches. So when I knew I likes a color of someone else’s I just say that color and don’t look at the other options. I get indecisive about that stuff lol. Microsoft the people have spoken, “Turn off adaptive brightness!!!” 😂😂😂
Good review, Microsoft and Apple should supply the multipurpose dongle with their laptops as standard.😊 Instead of profiting from them, by making an extra sale on their own name brand ones, which is the true reason for usbc, to take away needed ports, and than sell you a dongle to get them back👿 Anyhow, the anker dongle at under $30 is a good deal, although I wish it had ethernet, for more security and speed.
Hi , thanks for this great video. I have question , i am studying IT and i need a powerful laptop for heavy applications like gns3 and virtualization such as vmware and linux . Do you think the I7 will be a good choice or not ? Because i saw the speed is not very good which is just 3.9 ghz ?!
You will definitely need an i7 level CPU, (or AMDs new 3rd gen ryzen for more cores). But if you need something past 3.9 GHz for your applications I would recommend you to get a gaming laptop with higher specs.
Im in the market for a surface pro. Not sure what to get. Based on this video i7 is not worth the extra 300. my question is, is the I5 and I7 in the surface pros reflect the same as the surface laptop?
One thing I forgot to talk about in this video was the RAM, and a handful of people have pointed that out embarrassingly haha. But here's additional info I want to add. Although the CPU may not be a huge difference between i5 and i7 here on this Surface Laptop 3 line up, the amount of RAM will make a difference. 8GB vs 16GB is a considerable jump for multitasking. So depending on how many things you have open, you can look for an increased amount of RAM either on the i5 or the i7. The TYPE of workload you do will better determine whether you get the i5 or i7, but as I mentioned in this video, the CPU difference isn't that huge unless you really need that small bit of extra power. Your other question on the Surface Pro, the CPUs are different than the Surface Laptops, and since I haven't tested those, I don't feel I am qualified enough give an answer. I hope this helps and perhaps narrow down your choices.
Thanks for the great video. When i was using surface pro 4 i had a twitching problem. Whenever I started using more than 7-10 tabs or watching videos for a long time screen started shaking for some reason. I was just wondering if this device also has that kind of problem. Thanks again
I would not recommend gaming on this laptop if you want a decent experience. Even those titles because this laptop uses the CPUs integrated graphics. You can get a laptop that has a dedicated graphics card for the same price and that will be better for all the tasks you mentioned. But for just online classes and browsing this is fine.
Haurjie yeah I want USB-C. I’m still torn on deciding between a 128GB and 256GB configuration. Apparently bigger SSDs are faster? But how much more marginally? Is it worth paying NZD $400 to get a 256GB instead of 128GB? I’m torn xD I can’t seem to find any SSD vs SSD size speed tests on UA-cam, they mainly compare HDD vs SSD.
@@krishnanarayanan4653 the size capacity of an SSD with its read/write speed is very insignificant to real world user experience. I mean what kind of work are you doing or what kind of data are you transferring?
Haurjie I’m a college student, so not much. I can use an external SSD if I ever run out of space for photos & videos. On my current laptop I use 35GB for apps, 29GB for my iPhone backup, 8.35GB in “temporary files”, and 6GB in documents. and the rest is photos & videos
Haurjie I just looked up the available storage for 128GB - it’s 99GB. Minus 20GB to keep the SSD running faster, it would be 79GB of storage space - it should be just enough for me, giving me about 5-10GB of leeway I suppose ?
Have you had screen flickering at all? Mine either went bad or something else is wrong. Tried reinstalled drivers ect... It's so strange at how this is doing it. It's flickering, but when i use the mouse it cams down. same when i do screen brightness, it calms down. Very disappointing after 5 days with it.
I haven't had any screen flickering, had mine for about 2 months now. But I'll keep an eye out for it as well as any other issues. I will make update videos when necessary to provide warnings in advance for new buyers.
Haurjie I did upload the video here on my channel. Can you kindly go and look at it. Feel free to link anyone to my video to if you want. I appreciate you responding to me. I originally wanted a MacBook Pro but figured this would be a nice substitute because Ike this line. I also didn’t want to spend $2700. Again, I thank you for listening.
Haurjie I went back to the Microsoft store today. They said they have never seen this problem with the new surface laptop. They exchanged it immediately. That was cool. They treated me properly. They are deff on par with Apple when it comes to this customer service. Just wanted to tell you.
@@Thomasjcolbert82 That's great news! Also, I don't know what you mean by on par with Apple... Apple actually has a terrible reputation when it comes to customer service from my experience and what I've also read via forums. I could list several reasons why I don't like Apple. But, topic for another time... glad you were able to get a new unit from MS though!
@@haurjie Yea, I have heard lol. I personally had to return a few things like this to Apple and never had any issue. That's why I said that. I'm glad that they returned it too lol. Did you buy the ARC mouse? I'm not really liking the feeling of it.
I would have gotten the Cobalt Blue Surface 3 laptop. The Alcatera is rugged/tough long lasting material. Your a grown up so I know you would take good care of computer and not eat like a pig and touch the surface 3 with greasy fingers. The Cobalt blue looks so unique and different compared the the usual colors, black, aluminum and of course gold. Not that any of those colors are bad but that Bue!
I purchased the blue, and when I saw that it was not metal I returned/exchanged for black before I even opened the box. Makes no sense why they wouldn't offer the blue in all-metal for the same model.
I bought on last two weeks i7/256GB. Upon Windows update i had issue with screen flickering. Even restore won't solve the problem. But somehow the issue doesn't happen on safe mode. Already got my refund. But i plan to buy it again. Wondering whether yours having the same issue as well now on latest Windows 10 update? Please help me out.
Both the 13 inch and 15 inch have a measly 48 WHr battery. Way moar battery for the Surface Laptop 4! I don't care if it increases the weight. Writers want battery life TO THE MOON... and back... thank you very much.
Haurjie I’m an accounting student so I use excel quite a bit and Word too.. I actually bought the 15in with ryzen yesterday through Best Buy but am thinking about exchanging it for an Intel model bc I hear the i5 blows it out of the water however it would cost 100 more.. Also I would do a good amount of web browsing, videos, etc. I would NOT use it for gaming
@@appleenthusiast25 I don't know about "blowing it out of the water" lol... for what you're doing, there's no significant difference. In fact if you ask me, the Ryzen version might be slightly better if anything. Bigger screen so you can see more cells and data with Excel sheets, cheaper price too. Keep the one you have.
13:56 I don't agree, I use old Surface Pro 4 with I7 16Gb Ram and Adobe Premiere runs 4K editing, not too fast, but it runs, this Laptop 3 should be much more powerful than my Pro 4, so I don't understand why you say so.
I may have over exaggerated my wording on it, I mean sure even the i5 can run premiere and edit 4K, but just because something can run it doesn't mean it's a good experience working on it. Yes, I know the i7 can run it, I just still don't enjoy the delays when scrubbing through footage or watching playbacks, some frame drops here and there... All of these reasons are why I would not recommend it. But sure, yea, it can "run it”
I believe I talked about the battery life in here somewhere. I have the i5 personally. It should last you about 6 hours straight on a full charge on full brightness.
I’m looking into a new laptop to replace my ASUs K53U that’s I’ve had for 5 years. I’ve interest this is laptop but for £999. Is a lot, I want something for general use, a little work based.
8:13 I literally laughed out loud when you came into shot trying to look like Charlie Big Nuts. Dude FFS, it's great that you keep in shape, but that was so cringe.
Exactly what I want to see in a review. I don't really care about benchmarks. I practical, reasonable for a regular person with a light workload review. Just enough detail about the hardware. Thumbs up. Subscribe. I bought the i5, I think it's great.
@@haurjie I'm looking for pc i can use for podcasting (audio; with external mic connected), and editing videos recorded externally. Would you recommend either of these? or a diff product in general? ANyone please help im looking to get a pc in the coming weeks
wow the editing are profesionally good! beside that alcantara material if microsof play on these thin segment I'll rather prefer zenbook they look like having more personality (in design) than this don't get me wrong it's still looks high end also for same price the size of hdd are larger than this.. really only 256gb? and they even offer 128gb really???
Yup you're right. 256gb SSD storage is like a slap to the face in 2019. Other than that I like the other features and design. Maybe I'll upgrade the storage myself later... Idk
@@haurjie just do it man win10 is storage hungry compared to 7 my 128gb c partition already 80gb free vs 110gb on W7/8.. oh you can also replace the ssd? thank god i realized apple mb pro model also have 256gb this isn't right it's a high end product how come there's laptop under $1299 have 500gb SSD not hdd (i mistyped it earlier) oh
I wouldn't expect it to perform all that great because this laptop is using built in graphics from the CPU. It does not use dedicated GPU. Minecraft and fortnite as well as other games will be more gpu dependent.
@@haurjie Thank you so much for answering quickly!! Oh and sorry to kind of repeat the question but if I want like normal minecaft gameplay (so gameplay that isnt too amazing but is simple and works, will it work?)
This guy looks like Elon Musk if he's an Asian
Lol wow
Accurate
@@eraserboy12345 😆
So accurate LOL!
Can't unsee this. Asian Musk.
. . . sounds real grim out of context . . .
The display brightness issue you're having is due to a setting that's enabled by default in the Intel Graphics Control Panel. Under "Power", disable "Display Power Saving Technology". This should solve the adaptive brightness issue depending on the content of the screen. Hope this helps, as I've also just discovered about this.
Yup same! Some people have told me it's a separate Intel graphics driver you need to download. Of course, it would be better if Microsoft had Intel had worked this out earlier and made this a native option instead. Thanks for the comment!
BEST way to fix this with no problems, zero difficulties.
In the "Microsoft Store" app that comes with all windows 10, just download the Intel Graphics Command Center App. This is an official Intel App and works great!
Open App and go, System - Power - And turn off the "Display Power Savings" button.
And as long as you have the basic windows setting also turned off this will work perfectly.
No new drivers or anything crazy. I just did this on my new surface laptop. Saved this video from a week before I received it just to see this comment and try what you said, which did not work BTW.
@@ThatWasRage just did this and it worked
@@ThatWasRage What do you mean by the basic windows setting
@@haurjie, there is nothing to download. The option is in Settings under "System", "Display". It is called "Change brightness automatically when lighting changes". You can simply unclick it. Also: there is a shortcut to manually select the brightness from the keyboard (different on different Surfaces), besides the win 10 setting.
With i5 vs i7 in your title, a benchmark or two would've been nice. Your Chrome tabs experience is just the RAM difference.
I'll keep that in mind for future! My first laptop review here haha
@@haurjie Very nice job for your first one. I'll go ahead and give another of what I hope you take as constructive criticism: it's almost always a bad idea to review a product and use "I" in your use case statements - what I mean is, saying you wouldn't use that laptop for video editing because you have a $4K tower, and the screen is too small. I hear that and think "well not all of us have $4K PCs, and it's got a video-out port for an external monitor...so maybe it's fine for those of us that aren't to the point you're at with tech yet. My 2¢. Best of luck with your channel!
@@alchemistTi thank you for your feedback, I am always looking to improve my content. I will absolutely be taking note of this as well.
Hey Great video, I have been watching SO MANY videos on the surface line up and they ALL talk about gaming performance. I'm just a student looking to get a laptop that will be productive for a long time. Thank you for incorporating the info required for none gamers & non video makers
Why do I keep watching surface Laptop 3 videos🤷🏾♂️? I already got one...good video tho
Thank you. You keep watching it because you're trying to see if anyone has found out stuff about it that you haven't because it's a big purchase. :)
I’ve been doing nothing but that ha!
Hey I got one too.
Just ordered my one, how is it and how do you like the alcanta material?
Same
I have a 2017 surface laptop and the alcantara is pretty much impeccable. I use the computer basically everyday and everywhere for my college studies.
It really gives a soft and warm feel to the hands and I really think that if you can take care of your device its a *Much* better choice.
Really good depth....best review of the Surface Laptop 3 I’ve watched and I’ve watched over 10 at this point. Keep up the high quality videos mate. 👌👍
Thank you man! Appreciate the feedback. :)
You're spot on about the adaptive display... Surface Laptop 3 i7 user here.
This is a great video. It has been so hard to find a comparison like this between the i5 and i7. I'm surprised there aren't more i5 to i7 comparison videos, because the price differences is significant, yet the performance difference for the average person isn't easily discernible just from raw numbers on a spec sheet. Real use through reviews is really helpful for me. Thank you :-)
Oh my, looked at your sub count expecting at least 2mill, but I sadly found that you have much lower. With content like this I can easily see you climbing up there sometime soon
Thank you!! One day haha
I was looking for videos about the Surface Laptop 3 i5 because I have to get a Microsoft computer for school. This was really helpful and comforting when looking for a new computer
Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad it helped 😊
Haurjie do you have any opinions on the cracking of the screen? Or if you know any precautions to help prevent it?
@@nightshaderach I haven't tried any screen protectors for my laptop, but I also haven't had any problems with it either. I also tend to be very careful with my tech products just as a habit, being aware of the environment I take it to, what activities I'm doing outdoors etc. My friend has a Surface Laptop 3 and uses this screen protector if you need one. It's thin and doesn't stick out of the edge if you install it correctly. amzn.to/2Wjxe0D
Haurjie Thank you very much for your help!
The spec difference between the i5 and i7 here is insignificant: in terms of real world performance the i7 may be around 5% faster (4% according to UserBenchmark). The extra RAM might come in handy for some, but given the gnarly price gouging scheme Microsoft runs for upgrades the bump in CPU performance is just stupid expensive. One thing worth noting, the 15" intel models are only available to businesses (on MS store), regular consumers can only order the AMD chips, which are subpar.
Just like you said, Alcantara should be avoided; it ages real bad if you don't take good care of it. The 128GB base version is just insulting from MS, I mean, this is a $1000+ laptop from 2019, that's way too little storage for that product tier.
Nice video, but be careful when you say that the i7 can do certain tasks and the i5 somehow can't, that's just not the case. More often than not, the i7 variant of a product will provide a slight bump in processing power while coming at a significant increase in price that almost never reflects the increase in performance. The i7 might shave render times by a tiny bit, but unless you need 16GB of RAM for a certain task, the i5 is much better value and just as capable. I'm looking forward to getting mine, finally replacing my 7 year old MBA :)
Hey thanks for the comment and details. Yes I have to be careful on how I word things. The i5 can do what the i7 can, just not as well.
And yeah I should've talked more about the double RAM and detail for what things it may be useful for. I tried to keep this video short as possible, but now I realize some people's comments are saying this video may be insufficient in info or coverage in some areas. Next time I'll keep this in mind for more complicated product reviews as leaving information out just for the sake of shorter video just isn't worth it.
Thank you!
This is such an amazing review. Most of the reviews were talking about the same things in their own flow. I got a lot of insight from this one in particular. Just got my hands on an i5 surface book 3 and loving it so far. I wish the screen was a little less reflective though.
PS- Love the USB C hub recommendation. you did me a solid there :)
I like your detailed review! you've earned my subscription!
Thank you!
I just got the 15" I7. I will have it Monday. Looking foward to it.
Ok, so for a few days I’ve had it. It’s been pretty respectful. I’m very happy with it so far.
Yes, I would have liked to have a 16inch MBP, but at 2400, I don’t think it makes sense. I already have a 5K iMac for my major editing and whatnot.
I can do Lightroom with no problems and Photoshop. 16GB ram is just enough for everything to run at once. If I had the extra, I’d get 32GB, but again, I’m in MBP territory at 2800-3000 range. This cost me 1412 plus tax out the door.
I really don’t need to run it all at once lol. It’s what you said, people will find anything to complain about. Nobody really does all this at once normally.
I do do this on iMac because I can do it. I have 32GB ram on that. I will say, it’s a great buy. My only question is should I invest in the Microsoft park now or just live with the Magic Mouse? I don’t have pinch to zoom and horizontal scrolling in excel. It is not supported. I’m also needing to pay for Magic utilities software to make the mouse even work. But I already have the mouse, so it’s down to what’s more cost effective. I’m used to the Magic Mouse. Never used an Arc Mouse.
I just subscribed, I liked how you did the video. The way you described everything.
Nice video. I am pretty sure you can turn that off, under settings/Display/ uncheck the "Change Brightness Automatically when lighting changes" that works for me.
Thanks for the comment! That's the first option I unchecked when setting up my device. It doesn't work actually. Still does it. Even went into power settings and advanced display options, still no other options.
@@haurjie No problem, I have the SP7 and haven't really noticed that issue. So like you said, hopefully a Software update!
Excellent review and exactly what I was looking for. Toying with the idea of trading in my 2017 MacBook Pro for a Surface Laptop 3 and wasn't sure which configuration to consider. Same as you, I only need my laptop to handle productivity tasks and to be the "go" version of my heavy company-issued Lenovo Thinkpad. Feeling some Mac to PC angst but the Surface in matte black is slick as hell! At $899 for the i5, thinking it's worth a shot.
In the market for a surface 3 laptop, and I'm deciding between these two in the exact same color. Awesome content.
Wow looks smooth, great amount of RAM too. Great video, sorry im a little late, its due to school.
Swisher you need to stop apologizing every time lol. I appreciate the comment my friend. :)
Haurjie 😂 thanks
I've been looking for about 2 weeks now, comparing prices since cyber Monday and now Boxing Day sales. Trying to see if i5 or i7 - it's $500 Australian in difference. I searched everywhere online and then came to your video - well you really sold it to me. Thank you !!!!! I am very happy to now buy the i5 for word/excel work stuff. Keep making reviews! You don't talk crap like other reviewers and speak in a story way which I really enjoyed lol also typing noise X-D
Hey thank you so much for your feedback! I'm glad my review was informative for you and you acknowledged that I tried to keep my videos unbiased.
Good video! I've had the 1st gen surface laptop for over 2 years now.. the alcantara is still in excellent condition and i use the laptop daily. I just bought the 3rd gen yesterday.. on sale at bestbuy for $699.. couldn't resist. Compared to the 1st gen it's pretty much identical except for the USB C and a little larger touchpad.
Did you get the 128 GB one?
@@haurjie yep.. more space would be great but now it's ok.. and being able to put a new larger one in down the road will be nice. A little frustrating they don't just put a microsd slot in like they do on the surface pro line.
@@tri0xin yeah 128 is like what smartphones have lol. 2019 is just disrespectful. But, I do like all the rest of the designs. Good thing the storage is upgradable. The RAM however is not, that's soldered onto the board.
this is really helpful!i have no knowledge about any tech devices so I was debating between these laptops but leaning towards the i7 because the specs just look better, end up deciding against that thanks to this video, saving me some money as well! Thank you !
If there are programs and applications in your line of work that can justify the use of this i7 line, let me know! Any surface device users feel free to comment, I'd like to know your experience as well!
Forgot to mention the specs of the laptops I tested in this video -_(\. Here they are.
8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD for the i5 and 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD for the i7.
Picked up the i7 for the ram. I'm a developer, 16gb ram is great for Docker, Windows Subsystem for Linux, development tools, outlook etc and it runs super well...
@@dgloverau thanks for the insight and comment!!
There is a way to disable the adaptive contrast on the surface laptop 3. You have to download the Intel Graphics Command Center program and once installed go to System=>power=>Display power savings and turn it off. I had the same annoyance when i bought the laptop but this seems to have fixed it.
@@MexulTV Yes, someone else just told me that a couple days ago. Thank you so much! I guess I didn't do my research well enough :/
@@MexulTV But I do wish Microsoft had given us that option natively though
Thanks for helping to decide. Im getting the matte black i5. Most fair review. Sub.
Thank you so much! Glad it helped
Got mine yesterday and I love it 😊
great review! thank you. You mentioned that i5 doesn't go well with Premier?
i5 isn't recommended for video editing, it can run it, but it'll be choppy... especially if you've got a pretty stacked timeline
So I’ve seen the laptop 3 I7/16gb ram for 500$ is it worth it even thought its been around 2 years?
This is way more helpful than every other review
Thank you! :)
U deserve way more subs :D
Thank you!!!
Great review, how is the screen? since it is glossy and not matte, does the reflective screen bother you?
Yes it does have reflections like you would normally expect from a glossy screen. But it does not bother me. I feel that everything else about it is great and one hardware nuance like a glossy screen doesn't sway me from having a good experience with it. :)
Tbh, glossy screen never bothered me in the sense of being too reflective. Because I always just adjusted myself or tilt the screen just a tad bit to avoid any if there were. The only thing about glossy screens that bugged me were fingerprints, that's why I don't like touch screens. But I think over the years I've started to accept that as reality and it's okay for me to get use to on mobile devices.
I just got mine yesterday. The display is useless outdoors if it's sunny; the glass is very reflective and the panel is very dim, so you'll have a hard time seeing anything. It's not a total dealbreaker but if you plan on using it in an office next to a window or outside, it may very well bother you a lot. Definitely something that MS need to work on.
Great video. Very informative. Thank you!
Really useful your review, thank you so much
Glad I watched this video. I bought a few days ago, I have the i3, 13 .5 inch with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB memory but was second guessing myself on if I should return it and get the i7. I will be keeping my i3. I love the laptop and this was a fair review.
The question is why are you buying a laptop with 8 gb of ram and 256 ssd even if you don’t use the laptop too heavily it’s a waste of money not going for the 16GB minimum and 512 ssd your laptop gonna be memory swapping like crazy by now
Great practical review and video quality bro, much appreciated!
Thanks for checking it out!
Great review, very helpful!
Thank you!
good and simple review. Congrats!
I’ve been waiting for this video
This video has been waiting for you... dude, I hate UA-cam's algorithm right now. It thinks some people's comments (like yours) is spam. So I have to manually go into studios and approve it. So dumb.
@@haurjie Looks like I'm going to have to release some content so they know I'm not a fake account lol
On another note, what do you think of the surface go? I was thinking of getting one for a tablet.
@@vilorzz What kind of tasks will you be using it for?
@@haurjie Nothing intensive like video editing or anything. Maybe some light picture editing, studying, etc
Great video! And new subscriber. This video has really helped me. Great review. Just bought this laptop and can’t wait for it to arrive. The range top i7 16GB RAM 512SSD matte black. I’ve been Apple fanboy for years with MacBook Pro’s. But have lost all interest in Apple laptops, as nothing exciting coming from them in a long time. And woeful keyboards. So I’ve taken the plunge and gone back to a Windows based laptop. I hope I’ve made the right decision. Only time will tell. I only use my machine for web browsing, music, productivity MS office workflow and social media. Not a gamer and nor heavy graphics user. I’ll still keep my iPhone 11 Pro and iWatch 5 for a while though. Can’t go ‘cold turkey’ all at once. Small steps. Baby steps lol. Thanks again for this great honest review 👍🏽
Hey thanks for the lengthy feedback! I appreciate your time in writing it. I hope windows treats you well. But keep this in mind, tech is tech, apple, windows, Linux, Android, w/e... You can still like certain brands, but none of those are perfect. There's something that each of these platforms do very well and some not very well. You can have mixed to support different parts of your lifestyle!
It will also make you a more versatile tech user and you will grow your knowledge too!
Haurjie very true! Thanks! 😀
Great review man . Go on 👍🏼
Thank you!
thanks for the helpful review. 🙏🏻
Not sure if you stated it in the video but do you edit your videos with the i5 version ? Is the 8gb of ram enough?
Elon musk Asian version love you’re vids man
You seem buffed up.Spending extra hours in the gym?.....The content is awesome as always.
Nah. I'm as thin as this laptop 😆
@@haurjie 😂 thats a good one.
nice review , very thorough
10/10 would recommend
Really helpful video! As a consumer user who always has a ton of tabs open at once, I'm looking for something basic but fast. I'm not super techy so the explanation on i5 vs i7 helped a ton, wasn't really sure if that mattered before. Question for you: would you buy this one now, or wait until Sept/Oct when the 4 is supposedly going to be announced? I have a macbook pro that's at complete memory capacity, but am wanting to hold out for the next version of the surface laptop.
We're pretty close to the announcement of a potentially new surfaces line. That's not for sure though because covid has pushed every manufacturer plans back from what I can tell. But I do agree to wait until at least October.
@@haurjie Thank you!
@@thequalityedit1 also, one thing I forgot to talk about in this video was covering the RAM memory. Since you mentioned about having lots of tabs open, I would recommend a 16GB variant of either the i5 or i7.
@@haurjie That helps a lot, thank you! I noticed they have the Surface Laptop 3 for business (i7, 16gb, 256) on Microsoft's website for $1599 and was seriously considering it, but think I'll give it a couple of months and hold out for the newer ones! I appreciate the info!
There absolutely IS a way to turn off adaptive brightness! Its a Lenovo program you download and it allows you to turn it off.
Nice review and nice pecs ;) my only problem is that you didn't talk about the ram. Other than that great review!
Yeah! I totally brain farted about the RAM and realized only after I had uploaded... ahhhh next laptop I'll remember that!
Great video! Is there and backlight screen bleeding issue?
I didn't notice any that caught my attention...
a1iGee hmm
U got some big brain skills
Very informative video!! Thanks..
So icore5 cannot handle video editing? I mean, Im planning to buy this model but not sure if I can do some editing. Any advice? Thanks 😉
Giving Dave Lee some serious competition... Im stanning 😇
Dude.... this comment is some serious compliment. Dave2D is beyond me right now lol
nice review!
Great video and very informative! I hate to choose color of important stuff like phones or IWatches. So when I knew I likes a color of someone else’s I just say that color and don’t look at the other options. I get indecisive about that stuff lol.
Microsoft the people have spoken, “Turn off adaptive brightness!!!” 😂😂😂
When you talked about how hot the laptop was idk what was hotter you or it lol
Good review, Microsoft and Apple should supply the multipurpose dongle with their laptops as standard.😊
Instead of profiting from them, by making an extra sale on their own name brand ones, which is the true reason for usbc, to take away needed ports, and than sell you a dongle to get them back👿
Anyhow, the anker dongle at under $30 is a good deal, although I wish it had ethernet, for more security and speed.
There are dongles that have Ethernet ports too
the battery life on this laptop is worse than a $400 HP.
Hi , thanks for this great video. I have question , i am studying IT and i need a powerful laptop for heavy applications like gns3 and virtualization such as vmware and linux . Do you think the I7 will be a good choice or not ? Because i saw the speed is not very good which is just 3.9 ghz ?!
You will definitely need an i7 level CPU, (or AMDs new 3rd gen ryzen for more cores). But if you need something past 3.9 GHz for your applications I would recommend you to get a gaming laptop with higher specs.
8GB vs 16GB RAM on Surface Laptop 3? Thoughts?
i think its all about RAM difference, so if you have any work which need more RAM, then 300$ is the cost,
Oh boy, I totally forgot to mention the exact specs for both laptops I compared (-_(\
What about battery life comparison between the two?
Im in the market for a surface pro. Not sure what to get. Based on this video i7 is not worth the extra 300.
my question is, is the I5 and I7 in the surface pros reflect the same as the surface laptop?
One thing I forgot to talk about in this video was the RAM, and a handful of people have pointed that out embarrassingly haha. But here's additional info I want to add. Although the CPU may not be a huge difference between i5 and i7 here on this Surface Laptop 3 line up, the amount of RAM will make a difference. 8GB vs 16GB is a considerable jump for multitasking. So depending on how many things you have open, you can look for an increased amount of RAM either on the i5 or the i7. The TYPE of workload you do will better determine whether you get the i5 or i7, but as I mentioned in this video, the CPU difference isn't that huge unless you really need that small bit of extra power. Your other question on the Surface Pro, the CPUs are different than the Surface Laptops, and since I haven't tested those, I don't feel I am qualified enough give an answer. I hope this helps and perhaps narrow down your choices.
If you are looking for the difference between i5 and i7 like me,
go to 9:00 :)
The alcantara is the main reason, I like the Surface lime.
lime??
Do u think i5 for a student using excel, making powerpoints and just daily use is sufficent?
Yeah that's totally fine
Haurjie Thanks for the quick reply !! Appreciate it
Amazing content
You, a king
Great review....really appreciate the comparison. Will stick to the i5.
Thanks for the great video. When i was using surface pro 4 i had a twitching problem. Whenever I started using more than 7-10 tabs or watching videos for a long time screen started shaking for some reason. I was just wondering if this device also has that kind of problem.
Thanks again
dude Google "surface pro 4 screen flickering issue". you may be able to get a replacement device from Microsoft!
Is this laptop good for online classes exams etc. And a bit of lite gaming (Fortnite, FIFA 21 etc.) I can't say which variant it can be anyone
I would not recommend gaming on this laptop if you want a decent experience. Even those titles because this laptop uses the CPUs integrated graphics. You can get a laptop that has a dedicated graphics card for the same price and that will be better for all the tasks you mentioned. But for just online classes and browsing this is fine.
Also, does the i7 one work well for source film maker?
Source film maker?
Thanks
Casually sits down with white tank top. Nice flex bro
hahahaha ain't flexing yet
I have a surface laptop 2 i7. Do you think it’s worth upgrading to the surface laptop 3 i5 if it goes on sale?
Ehhhhh if there's nothing wrong with your Laptop 2, not reaaaallly unless you want the USB-C port?
Haurjie yeah I want USB-C. I’m still torn on deciding between a 128GB and 256GB configuration. Apparently bigger SSDs are faster? But how much more marginally? Is it worth paying NZD $400 to get a 256GB instead of 128GB? I’m torn xD I can’t seem to find any SSD vs SSD size speed tests on UA-cam, they mainly compare HDD vs SSD.
@@krishnanarayanan4653 the size capacity of an SSD with its read/write speed is very insignificant to real world user experience. I mean what kind of work are you doing or what kind of data are you transferring?
Haurjie I’m a college student, so not much. I can use an external SSD if I ever run out of space for photos & videos. On my current laptop I use 35GB for apps, 29GB for my iPhone backup, 8.35GB in “temporary files”, and 6GB in documents. and the rest is photos & videos
Haurjie I just looked up the available storage for 128GB - it’s 99GB. Minus 20GB to keep the SSD running faster, it would be 79GB of storage space - it should be just enough for me, giving me about 5-10GB of leeway I suppose ?
Have you had screen flickering at all? Mine either went bad or something else is wrong. Tried reinstalled drivers ect... It's so strange at how this is doing it. It's flickering, but when i use the mouse it cams down. same when i do screen brightness, it calms down. Very disappointing after 5 days with it.
I haven't had any screen flickering, had mine for about 2 months now. But I'll keep an eye out for it as well as any other issues. I will make update videos when necessary to provide warnings in advance for new buyers.
Haurjie
I did upload the video here on my channel. Can you kindly go and look at it. Feel free to link anyone to my video to if you want. I appreciate you responding to me.
I originally wanted a MacBook Pro but figured this would be a nice substitute because Ike this line. I also didn’t want to spend $2700.
Again, I thank you for listening.
Haurjie I went back to the Microsoft store today. They said they have never seen this problem with the new surface laptop. They exchanged it immediately. That was cool. They treated me properly. They are deff on par with Apple when it comes to this customer service. Just wanted to tell you.
@@Thomasjcolbert82 That's great news! Also, I don't know what you mean by on par with Apple... Apple actually has a terrible reputation when it comes to customer service from my experience and what I've also read via forums. I could list several reasons why I don't like Apple. But, topic for another time... glad you were able to get a new unit from MS though!
@@haurjie Yea, I have heard lol. I personally had to return a few things like this to Apple and never had any issue. That's why I said that. I'm glad that they returned it too lol. Did you buy the ARC mouse? I'm not really liking the feeling of it.
I would have gotten the Cobalt Blue Surface 3 laptop. The Alcatera is rugged/tough long lasting material. Your a grown up so I know you would take good care of computer and not eat like a pig and touch the surface 3 with greasy fingers. The Cobalt blue looks so unique and different compared the the usual colors, black, aluminum and of course gold. Not that any of those colors are bad but that Bue!
Good points made. I agree.
I wish there's cobalt blue in metal finish.
That was the first thing I looked for when I shopped lol
@@haurjie the cobalt blue color is so unique and that should be the one they put in, not the sandstone
I purchased the blue, and when I saw that it was not metal I returned/exchanged for black before I even opened the box. Makes no sense why they wouldn't offer the blue in all-metal for the same model.
I bought on last two weeks i7/256GB. Upon Windows update i had issue with screen flickering. Even restore won't solve the problem. But somehow the issue doesn't happen on safe mode.
Already got my refund. But i plan to buy it again. Wondering whether yours having the same issue as well now on latest Windows 10 update?
Please help me out.
Both the 13 inch and 15 inch have a measly 48 WHr battery. Way moar battery for the Surface Laptop 4! I don't care if it increases the weight. Writers want battery life TO THE MOON... and back... thank you very much.
I’m curious what is the better choice a 15 inch model with amd ryzen 5 or a 13.5 inch model with i5? I am a college student in need of an upgrade
What kind of work are you doing with it?
Haurjie I’m an accounting student so I use excel quite a bit and Word too.. I actually bought the 15in with ryzen yesterday through Best Buy but am thinking about exchanging it for an Intel model bc I hear the i5 blows it out of the water however it would cost 100 more.. Also I would do a good amount of web browsing, videos, etc. I would NOT use it for gaming
@@appleenthusiast25 I don't know about "blowing it out of the water" lol... for what you're doing, there's no significant difference. In fact if you ask me, the Ryzen version might be slightly better if anything. Bigger screen so you can see more cells and data with Excel sheets, cheaper price too. Keep the one you have.
Haurjie thanks for your feedback!
Btw the review is informative
Thank you!
13:56 I don't agree, I use old Surface Pro 4 with I7 16Gb Ram and Adobe Premiere runs 4K editing, not too fast, but it runs, this Laptop 3 should be much more powerful than my Pro 4, so I don't understand why you say so.
I may have over exaggerated my wording on it, I mean sure even the i5 can run premiere and edit 4K, but just because something can run it doesn't mean it's a good experience working on it. Yes, I know the i7 can run it, I just still don't enjoy the delays when scrubbing through footage or watching playbacks, some frame drops here and there... All of these reasons are why I would not recommend it. But sure, yea, it can "run it”
hows the battery life for this laptop (i5 variant)? thinking about picking one up for university.
I believe I talked about the battery life in here somewhere. I have the i5 personally. It should last you about 6 hours straight on a full charge on full brightness.
I’m looking into a new laptop to replace my ASUs K53U that’s I’ve had for 5 years. I’ve interest this is laptop but for £999. Is a lot, I want something for general use, a little work based.
I want to see a Ryzen surface laptop. If there was it will be a multitasking king and have better ram usage than Intel
8:13 I literally laughed out loud when you came into shot trying to look like Charlie Big Nuts. Dude FFS, it's great that you keep in shape, but that was so cringe.
for the i5 256GB version what amount of ram should i get for basic productivity and school work
I'm rocking 8gb just for internet browsing and MS word. Works fine. If you can afford it, go 16GB to have some headroom on multitasking
thanks for the heads up on the video brightness thing... not good...
Found the Intel graphics driver solves it
Exactly what I want to see in a review. I don't really care about benchmarks. I practical, reasonable for a regular person with a light workload review. Just enough detail about the hardware. Thumbs up. Subscribe. I bought the i5, I think it's great.
Thank you so much!
@@haurjie I'm looking for pc i can use for podcasting (audio; with external mic connected), and editing videos recorded externally. Would you recommend either of these? or a diff product in general? ANyone please help im looking to get a pc in the coming weeks
@@LuckyJackson2020 PC or laptop? Because this is a laptop video haha
How is video editing and Android game development work on i5 model.
How about with fabric and without
Sound quality
Where does the price come from? 4 core without gpu doesnt sound like over 1000 dollar pc
That's because it's not a PC... It's a laptop lol
wow the editing are profesionally good! beside that alcantara material if microsof play on these thin segment I'll rather prefer zenbook they look like having more personality (in design) than this don't get me wrong it's still looks high end also for same price the size of hdd are larger than this.. really only 256gb? and they even offer 128gb really???
Yup you're right. 256gb SSD storage is like a slap to the face in 2019. Other than that I like the other features and design. Maybe I'll upgrade the storage myself later... Idk
@@haurjie just do it man win10 is storage hungry compared to 7 my 128gb c partition already 80gb free vs 110gb on W7/8.. oh you can also replace the ssd? thank god
i realized apple mb pro model also have 256gb this isn't right it's a high end product how come there's laptop under $1299 have 500gb SSD not hdd (i mistyped it earlier) oh
Surface laptop 3 release to singapore after black friday
Will the Surface Laptop 3 be able to edit 4K video in premiere pro if it’s equipped with the intel i7 and 16gb of ram?
Yes it can. Might be a bit laggy a tiny bit though. But it'll be fine
i feel going for i5 but i dont want to regret it
Surface laptop 2 came out in October 2018 not in 2017
Oh you are right, my mistake. The first surface laptop came out in 2017. The 2nd one was 2018. Thank you for correcting me!
@@haurjie only because I got the surface laptop 2 in August and im extremely jealous of the 3 Haha
Does it exist with an azerty keyboard?
Will this Laptop run minecraft at 60 fps?
So if I get the i7 I can play games like minecraft and fortnite on high resolution?
I wouldn't expect it to perform all that great because this laptop is using built in graphics from the CPU. It does not use dedicated GPU. Minecraft and fortnite as well as other games will be more gpu dependent.
@@haurjie Thank you so much for answering quickly!! Oh and sorry to kind of repeat the question but if I want like normal minecaft gameplay (so gameplay that isnt too amazing but is simple and works, will it work?)
@@extraaa6722 medium settings for Minecraft should be fine.
1:15
U didnt state its 256 gb not the base model 128 gb for i5