Microsoft is sweating the details with the Surface Book 3, especially when it comes to thermal issues that users experienced with the Surface Book 2 and the original Surface Book. As the company prepares to launch the Surface Book 3 on May 21, it’s specifically testing the new model for “hot bagâ€� and other heat problems.
Heat issues have affected Microsoft’s Surface devices going back to the Surface Pro 3, but both the original Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4 were plagued by an inability to enter a low-power sleep state. That kept both devices in an an active power state, which consumes lots of power and generates quite a bit of heat as a result. That had two negative effects: greatly diminished battery life, and a surprisingly hot Surface when pulled out of an enclosed, insulated backpack. The issue was significant enough that Surface chief Panos Panay himself announced new firmware that solved the Surface Book power issue several months after its launch.