Taking your Surface Laptop 3 apart is, apparently, ridiculously easy

What you need to know

• Microsoft made a big deal about how easy it is to access Surface Laptop 3's insides, and it looks like they weren't kidding.
• One Reddit user took his apart and documented the process.
• After removing four screws, the Alcantara surface can be lifted up, giving you access to the replaceable SSD and battery.

At the Surface event earlier in October, Surface chief Panos Panay made a big deal about the fact that the Surface Laptop 3's guts are now much easier to access than on previous models. As it turns out, he wasn't kidding. After receiving their 13-inch Alcantara Surface Laptop 3 this week, one Reddit user took theirs apart and documented how simple the process is.

According to the redditor, ilikebrownbananas, all that stands in your way are four Torx T5 screws. Once removed, you can pull the Alcantara keyboard cover off of the base of the laptop to access the inside. From the post:

Once you're inside, you gain access to the replaceable SSD and the battery. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered to the main board. The Redditor did say that removing the cover had the unfortunate side effect of making the keyboard feel hollow while typing and adding a "massive amount" of flex to the keyboard.

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It's probably not a good idea to open your Surface Laptop 3 just for the sake of it, but it's good to see Microsoft is making an effort to make repairs much easier than previous models. It's unclear how the all-aluminum model will fare when subjected to the same process, but it will likely remain a little sturdier than the Alcantara version.