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The Surface Laptop family is expanding. Originally comprising a lone 13.5-inch model with a unique soft gray “Alcantara fabric” covering its palm rest, the line now includes multiple sizes, color options, configurations, and material choices. The model I’m reviewing here is the Sandstone metal version with a 13.5-inch touch screen and an Intel Core i7 processor. Other chassis-color options at this screen size include Black, Platinum, and Cobalt Blue. The laptop is also available in a larger 15-inch version, which only comes in the first two color options. The Sandstone finish looks handsome and understated. It takes on a slightly pinkish hue under bright light, but it’s not nearly as flashy as the Rose Gold color option available on the Apple MacBook Air. Other than the new color options (some of which lack Alcantara fabric, only available on the Platinum and Cobalt Blue versions), the Surface Laptop 3’s physical design remains nearly identical to that of the first and second generations. It’s a traditional clamshell form factor. You won’t find a detachable keyboard or a 360-degree hinge here, designs Microsoft has championed in partnerships with other manufacturers and used in its own Surface Pro line to present Windows as a viable tablet operating system. If all you need is a laptop, though, the Surface Laptop 3 is an excellent one. The supremely sturdy unibody construction inspires confidence, giving up a bit of weight and size savings in the name of reassuring build quality. There are lighter and smaller laptops with 13- and 14-inch screens, such as the Acer Swift 7, but they often sacrifice build quality, typing comfort, audio quality, or sometimes all three to achieve their sleekness. The Asus ZenBook 13, whose vanishingly thin screen borders make it a member of the ultraportable laptop vanguard, measures 0.7 by 11.9 by 7.5 inches and weighs 2.83 pounds. But even with thicker bezels and some extra screen real estate, the Surface Laptop 3 comes in not far above those measurements, at 0.57 by 12.1 by 8.8 inches. It also weighs the same.