Surface Laptop or Surface Book?

What's the difference?
And does the Surface Book 3 justify the extra cost?

We have a number of clients who've been choosing between the Surface Book 3 and Surface Laptop 3.  With the addition of USB-C, the Surface Laptop has become a serious contender for fleet laptop purchasers. 
Both are laptops with 13.5 or 15 inch screens, but beyond that there are some serious differences for users.
Here’s what we found, and our recommendations for user-choosers and fleet managers:

Screens to suit different users.

Surface Laptop 3

Clam shell laptop
Opens 135 degrees
Touch screen with Surface Pen support

13.5 or 15 inch display
3:2 aspect ratio
2256 x 1504 or 2496 x 1664 resolution
Gloss IPS wide-viewing-angle-display

Surface Book 3

Clam shell laptop with detachable tablet screen
Opens 135 degrees, screen can be reversed
Touch screen with Surface Pen support

13.5 or 15 inch display
​3:2 aspect ratio
3000 x 2000 or 3240 x 2160 resolution
​Gloss IPS wide-viewing-angle display

With a screen that opens up to 135 degrees (not 180 degrees flat or 360 degrees like some competitors), the Surface Laptop is not designed to be used as a tablet, despite supporting the Surface Pen.  
By contrast the Surface Book has a detachable display that can be used as a standalone tablet, or reversed and attached to the keyboard.  Either way, the Surface Book is preferable for Pen users.  The Surface Book also features a higher resolution display - Pen users typically work closer to the screen than laptop users. 

Graphics performance

Surface Laptop 3

Intel® Iris® Plus graphics
AMD Ryzen available in retail models only

Surface Book 3

Surface Book 3 13.5 inch with Intel® Core™ i5:
Intel® Iris® Plus
Surface Book 3 13.5 inch with Intel® Core™ i7:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB
Surface Book 3 15 inch:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB, or
​NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 6GB 

The Surface Laptop 3 and entry-level Surface Book 3 have Intel Iris Plus graphics, which is better than most competing business laptops. 

Surface Book 3 graphics options ramp up markedly with up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics in the 13.5 inch model and GeForce GTX 1660 graphics or Quadro RTX 3000 graphics in the Surface Book 3 15 inch.  The NVIDIA graphics are used when the Book 3 is attached to the keyboard base.

Anyone using modelling software, gaming, VR and even using certain Adobe CS suite features will need NVIDIA graphics for these applications to be usable.  The NVIDIA graphics on the 15 model model benchmark around 40% faster than the NVIDIA graphics on the 13 inch model. 
The top-end Surface Book 3 15 with NVIDIA Quadro RTX graphics is more powerful again.  It's certified for  a growing range of professional CAD, simulation, compositing, animation and visualisation software suites. 
​This makes the top end Surface Book 3 15 inch an excellent choice for engineers, motion picture makers, modellers and creatives that want to use a high quality Pen based screen in a 3D environment. 

The NVIDIA graphics (plus additional ports and battery life in the keyboard base) are not available when the tablet display is detached, however the Book supports removing and reversing the display in Studio mode.

Surface Book 3 usage modes and graphics availability

NVIDIA graphics available when used in laptop mode.

NVIDIA graphics available when used in studio mode with screen flipped.

Intel Iris Plus graphics available when used in detached screen mode.

Other factors

While performance and features favour the Book over the Laptop, many users don't need the extra functionality.  Here's a run down of remaining factors:

Surface Laptop 3

10th gen Intel Core i5 or i7

Lighter -
13.5 inch from 1.265kg
​15 inch from 1.542kg

Less battery life - 
13.5 inch up to 11.5 hours
​15 inch up to 11.5 hours

​Fewer ports
1x USB 3, 1x USB-C, 1x Surface Connect, Audio

More colours (depending on screen size) -
Platinum, Cobalt, Gold, Black

Significantly lower cost -
13.5 inch RRP from $2,049
15 inch RRP from $2,399

Surface Book 3

10th gen Intel Core i5 or i7

​Heavier - 
13.5 inch from 1.534kg
​15 inch from 1.905kg

More battery life (with keyboard attached) -
13.5 inch up to 15.5 hours
​15 inch up to 17.5 hours

More ports (with keyboard attached) -
2x USB 3, 1x USB-C, 2x Surface Connect, Audio, SD

Fewer colours -
​Platinum

Significantly higher cost -
13.5 inch RRP from $3,099
​15 inch RRP from $4,299

What about the Surface Pro

Users who want a tablet device with equivalent performance to the Surface Laptop should opt for the Surface Pro.  While the Surface Laptop is primarily a traditional laptop with touch and pen support added, the Surface Pro is primarily a touch and Pen tablet with keyboard added.  This makes the Surface Pro a good choice for non-power users who want a lighter and less-expensive device than the Surface Book.

Prices, specs and latest models at The Laptop Company:

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