Surface 3 gets its first firmware update in a year and a half

Microsoft today released new firmware and driver updates for its Surface 3 tablet. Frankly, the news is quite surprising, as the PC hasn't received any updates since September 2016. What's also interesting is that this update includes Meltdown and Spectre mitigations, and you might recall that the Surface 3 wasn't on the list of Surface devices to get the patches.

The updates are available for all Surface 3 devices that are running Windows 10 version 1703 and above. Here's the full changelog:

Windows Update History Name	Device Manager Name
Surface – Firmware – 1.51116.198.0	Surface UEFI – Firmware 1.51116.198.0 resolves potential security vulnerabilities, including Microsoft security advisory 180002.
Intel Corporation – Display adapters – 20.19.15.4835	Intel(R) HD Graphics – Display adapters 20.19.15.4835 improves compatibility with high resolution external displays on Windows 10 April 2018 Update.

Windows Update History Name

Device Manager Name

Surface – Firmware – 1.51116.198.0

Surface UEFI – Firmware

1.51116.198.0 resolves potential security vulnerabilities, including Microsoft security advisory 180002.

Intel Corporation – Display adapters – 20.19.15.4835

Intel(R) HD Graphics – Display adapters

20.19.15.4835 improves compatibility with high resolution external displays on Windows 10 April 2018 Update.

Also this week, AdDuplex published its monthly Windows 10 usage report, showing that the April 2018 Update is now installed on 50% of Windows 10 PCs. It also showed 1803 distribution by Surface device, and the Surface 3 was by far the lowest, with just 17.7% of the devices running the latest version of Windows 10. The display driver update included in today's round of firmware may fix the issue that's causing whatever is holding it back.

If you want to install the updates manually, you can download the firmware and drivers bundle for the Surface 3 from the following links: