I was really excited by all the stellar reviews for the Surface Laptop 3 15”.   It big screen, robust processor, memory, and sleek design made it a great choice to replace my beat up Dell Latitude E Series laptop.  I put off purchasing for numerous reasons.  I didn’t have time and I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the inability of most docks to not to have the old school plop and dock.  PS.  I am not sure what I was fussing about after using the newer dock.  It is one cable plugin that I adapted quickly to but I digress.  I finally made the purchase, set aside a weekend to audit old data, and migrate whatever necessary to the new laptop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, I tend to hang out on my outdoor patio on the weekends if I am working.  However, I immediately noticed Surface Laptop 3 15”is a huge outdoor disappointment.  How does Microsoft spend all this money in R&D and not work on an Antiglare for their glossy screen?   At the very least, why don’t they have a Surface Laptop 3 matte screen option?  I tried to be patient with the situation and look for a Band-Aid solution to my mirror reflection screen issue.  Here’s what I found.

 

Drive down to Staples

3M™ Privacy Filter for 15.6″ Widescreen Laptop (16:9) with COMPLY Attachment System

  • Great dogs pic but this $80 Band-Aid doesn’t do anything antiglare as the Reddit feeds said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazon Prime?

Microsoft Surface Book 1/2 15 inch Fully Removable Privacy Screen Protector Filter, Anti-Spy Filter, Anti-Glare Feature Makes (for Surface Book 1/2 15 inch Privacy Screen Protector)

·         Whoever is writing these reviews doesn’t know the definition of antiglare.   I walked down to the water for some late in the outdoor light.   It’s better than the Staples $80 item but the Surface 3 Laptop is certainly useable outdoors for more than an hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are you comparing the Surface laptop screen to?

Below is my old and somewhat reliable laptop.  I can use the Dell Laptop E series laptop (left side) in the shade with ease.   Both screen options on the right for the Surface Laptop 3 are a disaster.  I threw up a compare and contrast with the matte covering half the screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I demonstrated the matte add-on on the Surface Laptop 3 to my old laptop matte screen on the right.  Judge for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Replacement Surface Laptop 3 – Dell XPS 15 9500

This is not a glossy screen.  The Dell XPS 16 9500 comes with a matte screen.  Glossy or not, the matte screen still works well indoors.  Glossy is supposedly better for cinema play but this is more than sufficient for my needs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surface Laptop 3 Glossy vs Matte Screens Anti-Glare Summary

Stay away from the Surface Laptop 3 if you like the outdoors and being productive on your laptop.  The Surface Laptop 3 Glossy is not available in matte.  I ended up purchasing the Dell XPS 15′” 9500 plus the Thunderbolt Docking Station.