Today is a sad day for owners of the third-generation Surface Laptop. July 30, 2024, marks the end of support for the Surface Laptop 3, both AMD and Intel-based variants, both 13-inch and 15-inch modifications. The end of support means Microsoft no longer ships firmware and driver updates with security fixes, hardware improvements, and more.
Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop 3 during a special event on October 2, 2019. It was a special launch for the lineup because, for the first time, Microsoft offered customers a larger, 15-inch laptop that was not the expensive Surface Book. In addition, the Surface Laptop 3 was the first Surface product to feature AMD processors. Microsoft partnered with AMD to create customized versions of Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors (Ryzen 3000 mobile series).
Although the computer retained its familiar look, it received some notable hardware upgrades, such as a larger display, faster charging, shorter key travel, a USB-C port (not a Thunderbolt), and, of course, much more powerful processors with built-in graphics. Also, for the first time, Microsoft offered customers a Surface Laptop with 32GB of RAM, while the Surface Laptop 2 peaked at just 16GB.
While storage options remained unchanged, the Surface Laptop 3 became the first Surface Laptop with user-removable storage and a much easier opening procedure, which received praise from iFixit and a relatively high repairability score.
The Surface Laptop lineup is one of Microsoft's most successful devices. Like other generations, the Surface Laptop 3 was overall well-received. However, it also got its fair share of criticism, namely for inferior performance in the AMD configuration, an uninspiring keyboard, and quite mediocre battery life. Microsoft promised up to 11.5 hours of "typical use," but real-world tests in Neowin's review showed a significantly different picture.
The Surface Laptop 3 received almost five years of active support with regular firmware updates. Now, Microsoft is sunsetting the device and abandoning its owners. That, of course, does not mean that your Surface Laptop 3 will suddenly stop working. You can continue using it if you are happy with it; just do not expect new driver updates. Also, Windows will continue receiving feature updates since it has a separate lifecycle.
Microsoft replaced the Surface Laptop 3 with the fourth generation on April 13, 2021. It received a new color, more recent AMD and Intel processors, and other minor improvements. According to the official documentation, the Surface Laptop 4 will reach its end of support on April 15, 2027.
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