Some Surface Laptop 3 owners are reporting that they are experiencing cracked displays with their notebooks, and Microsoft is investigating this issue.
As highlighted by ZDNet, over the past couple of months, there have been allegations from Surface Laptop 3 users concerning their displays developing cracks of their own accord (so without being dropped, knocked, or otherwise mistreated).
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Threads have surfaced on Reddit and Microsoft’s own Answers.com help forum with stories that run along the lines of: ‘I closed my laptop last night, with nothing wrong with it, and when I opened it this morning, there was a crack across the screen.’
It appears that the problem is hitting Surface Laptop 3 devices which have an aluminum chassis, as opposed to the ones which are covered with Microsoft’s Alcantara fabric.
A number of affected users are also observing a ‘crunching noise’ when the lid of the laptop is being closed, and are claiming that there simply isn’t enough of a gap between the screen and keyboard deck when the machine is closed.
As one denizen of Reddit theorized: “Microsoft decided not to put any kind of rubber bumper around the edges of the display. So, when you pick it up, the screen flexes a little bit and is causing the crunching noise, and can obviously crack the screen.”
Others are advising the use of a screen protector with the laptop.
The display crack’d
So, while these are obviously all just allegations at this stage – and it’s far from clear what’s actually going on here – Microsoft has officially acknowledged the complaints. The company told ZDNet: “A limited number of Surface Laptop customers have contacted Microsoft and have reported screens that have cracked through no fault of their own. We are evaluating the situation and investigating the root cause of the claims.”
According to reports, some users have had success persuading Microsoft to replace their affected Surface Laptop 3, although others haven’t been so lucky, and some are allegedly being told they will have to foot the repair bill.
One Reddit user complained: “I have been arguing with Microsoft for over a month now. Finally, today, I got word from them that they are now aware of a potential fault, other customers are complaining of the exact same issue and they are investigating these reports. They have no time frame, but they are looking at a resolution.”
Some people have even complained that they might have received a replacement for a Surface Laptop 3 with a cracked screen, but subsequently that replacement was affected by the same cracking issue – so this could potentially be a knotty one for Microsoft.
