Microsoft Surface Book 3 15"

Don't buy the Surface Book 3 as a gaming laptop. Buy the Surface Book 3 as a workstation, and then use it in your downtime for gaming. There are far more powerful gaming laptops available for a lot less money. But for someone who appreciates the Surface Book 3 design and Microsoft's approach to hardware, the Book 3 gets the job done in a sneakily fun way.

The most ambitious hybrid laptop design around. A good buy if you don't mind a chunkier hybrid.

The Surface Book remains Microsoft's most interesting and ambitious Surface PC, playing to creatives, gamers and tablet users. But two years ago, there was a lot less competition. Now convertibles, discrete graphics and color-accurate displays are common, plus there are more with Adobe RGB or P3 gamut coverage and 400-nit-plus brightness compared to the Surface's sRGB-ish, 380-nits peak. Especially given the price premium you're paying for the three-way flexibility you may not really need.

The Surface Book 3 offers a few hardware upgrades, but its unique design is clearly holding it back against more powerful competitors. It’s still a compelling option for creatives, but be aware there are far faster machines for the same price.

The Surface Book 3 is certainly unique, as it’s always been, but the tablet functionality is aimed at such a small market that I’m not entirely sure who would pick this over Dell’s new XPS 15 or XPS 17 or a gaming laptop like Razer’s Blade 15. You’ll get more for your money elsewhere, unless you really want a detachable display. The Surface Book 3 is still the only solid choice for that.