Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Microsoft offers free fix for unexplained cracks on Surface Laptop 3 displays

 

Microsoft is offering free repairs for cracked screens of the Surface Laptop 3, which have been happening under mysterious circumstances.

Recommended Videos

Since the Surface Laptop 3 was released late last year, there have been multiple reports of owners suddenly finding cracks on its display. In most cases, the damage appeared without explanation, as the owners claimed to have been very careful with the laptop. In addition, the issue seemed to only affect the models with aluminum cases, not those with Alcantara fabric, according to ZDNet.

Microsoft has now responded after an investigation into the Surface Laptop 3 cracked screen incidents. The company has found that “in a very small percentage of cases, a hard foreign particle may cause a hairline fracture in the glass that may seem to appear unexpectedly or without visible cause.”

Microsoft advised Surface Laptop 3 owners who have experienced the issue to contact Microsoft Support in order to avail of a free repair within the device’s warranty period, which should not be a problem as it is a fairly new product. For those who have already paid to fix the problem, they may be able to apply for a reimbursement.

The cause of the cracked Surface Laptop 3 displays, however, remain largely unexplained, as no further details were provided on the “hard foreign particle,” such as what those could be and how they can make the laptop’s screen crack. Without such information, owners are left in the dark on how they can prevent such incidents, as apparently handling the device with extra care and installing protective accessories has not been enough.

Surface Laptop 3 worth it?

The risk of cracked screens may have turned potential customers away from the Surface Laptop 3, a 15-inch laptop powered by AMD with a custom Ryzen processor and Vega graphics.

The device offers a large 3:2 display with a rock-solid build quality, and for some customers, that may be enough. However, it does not live up to the expectations that it could be a challenger to Apple’s MacBook Pro, due to mediocre performance.

The Surface Laptop 3 is a perfect fit, however, for people who are not looking for processing power, but rather for a large display for the extra screen real estate.

Aaron Mamiit
Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…
It’s a shame Microsoft’s upgraded Surface Laptop 7 is just ‘for business’
The Surface Laptop 7 on a table in front of a window.

Microsoft has offered 5G connectivity on the Surface Pro 11 since the laptop launched, but for the first time ever, Microsoft is expanding 5G support to its Surface Laptop 7, which ranks at the top of our list of the best laptops. There's just one small caveat; it's only available for business customers, at least right now.

There aren't a ton of details right now, but Microsoft says the Surface Laptop 7 for Business with 5G -- I don't make the names, folks -- will start rolling out "later in 2025." The company also promises to share more details on the laptop in the "coming months," which will hopefully clear up if this model is coming to the consumer market, as well.

Read more
AMD brings back 3D V-Cache chips for gaming laptops
The AMD Fire Range laptop CPU announced at CES 2025.

AMD just announced over a dozen new laptop CPUs, which will appear in over 150 new laptops being announced at CES 2025 and later this year, including a new 3D V-Cache chip for gaming laptops and some really impressive graphics in its new Ryzen AI Max+ halo chips.

Let's start with Fire Range. These chips are for high-end gaming laptops, a successor to Dragon Range line, catering to enthusiast gamers and, so far, only enthusiasts are going to be happy, as those laptops likely be quite expensive. On the other hand, the CPUs sound mighty powerful. The lineup includes, first and foremost, the next big 3D V-Cache chip, dubbed the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D.

Read more
An even better Surface Laptop may be coming soon
The Surface Laptop 7th Edition on a white table.

A new leak has hinted that Microsoft may be exploring an Intel version of the Surface Laptop 7th Edition. A listing for the device was spotted on Reddit, and it will supposedly coming with a Core Ultra 7 268V processor. The listing has since been removed, but the original listing reportedly claimed that it wouldn't officially be available until 2025.

A Lunar Lake version of the new Surface Laptop has since been supported by Windows Central's own sources.

Read more