If you're in the market for an all-powerful pro-spec 2-in-1 then the Surface Book 3 is hard to beat. But we know Microsoft has the potential to turn things up to 11 for a fourth-gen model - so if you're not in a rush you might want to wait for the goodness that brings.

Sumptuous screen resolution; Muscle-wire release system to separate base and screen; Distinctive & solid design; Full-size ports & USB-C

Big bezel starting to look dated; Big & heavy design; Pricier than ever; Screen is reflective & lacks ultra-wide colour gamut; No Thunderbolt 3 speed

The Surface Book is a minor upgrade over its predecessor, and some clear shortcomings mean it’s starting to look a bit dated when compared to the competition.

Excellent keyboard; Great screen; Good port selection

Poor gaming performance; Lacklustre speakers; No fingerprint scanner

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

Solid gaming performance; Great keyboard and touchpad feel; High-quality

Short tablet battery life; Heavier and thicker than most conventional hybrids; Expensive

With an advanced mechanical locking system for the keyboard base, powerful graphics processing, multiple cameras and batteries, and a brilliant near-4K display, the Surface Book 3 is an innovative, excellent detachable laptop.

Unique detachable design; Powerful graphics processor; Many configuration options; Comfortable keyboard; Dual 1080p cameras; Beautiful PixelSense display

Pricey; Keyboard base adds significant weight

“The Surface Book 3 is not for everyone, but it's a one-of-a-kind laptop that's a joy to use.”

Unique 2-in-1 design; Big; sharp display; Powerful graphics; Great video editing performance; Excellent keyboard

Limited processor performance; Very overpriced; Reduced battery life

I’ve been waiting for the Surface Book 3 for two and a half years. Microsoft’s 15-inch Surface Book 2 was largely just a refinement over the original model — released nearly five years ago — so I was really hoping the company was holding back some big changes for the Surface Book 3.

Great keyboard; 3:2 nearly 4K display; GPU performance

No Thunderbolt 3 support; Hinge detach and GPU reliability issues; Battery life underwhelming

Please Microsoft, just make a convertible

Have you seen the original 13-inch 2015 Surface Book, or its 2018 followup? Then this new version is going to look and feel very familiar. In fact, you're likely to be underwhelmed by the design. That's not because it's bad, but rather because it's the same. It's not unusual for Apple to release three samey-looking MacBook Pros in a row, or for Dell to do so with its XPS line, but those laptops come out every year. The Surface Book, Windows' laptop-tablet hybrid, has retained the same design language since 2015.

How you react to the 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 depends on how much experience you have with Surface Books.

Flexible and unique laptop-tablet-convertible design; Outstanding graphical power for a laptop of its size; Excellent keyboard and 3:2 display;

Design is becoming stale; Speakers are far too soft; No Thunderbolt 3 port;

The Microsoft Surface Book 3 is an odd duck. It has the most inventive laptop-tablet hybrid design around. Microsoft must have spent a fortune to avoid it coming across a techy science experiment. But in the real world there are some real compromises. The Microsoft Surface Book 3 isn’t as slim or light as most, and also doesn’t have the CPU power usually associated with a little extra rump chunk in an ultra-pricey style laptop. Windows 10 and three-hour battery life ensure its tablet side isn’t as attractive as an iPad Pro either. However, Microsoft has tried to cover an almost ridiculous breath here. The Surface Book 3 aims to be the king of convergence. It’s more like a duke, but that is not a bad result.

Solid gaming performance; Great keyboard and touchpad feel; High-quality ;

Short tablet battery life; Heavier and thicker than most conventional hybrids; Expensive;

The Surface Book is a minor upgrade over its predecessor, and some clear shortcomings mean it’s starting to look a bit dated when compared to the competition.

Excellent keyboard; Great screen; Good port selection;

Poor gaming performance; Lacklustre speakers; No fingerprint scanner;