Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 screens are cracking up but it's not a laughing matter

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 was only launched in October 2019, and even then we reported on some teething issues the device was exhibiting. Further on down the line, and it appears a growing number of users have been complaining about cracks appearing on the display of their Surface Laptop 3. Many have taken to either Reddit or the official Microsoft community forum to complain about the issue.

While some users reported cracks in the corner, several have had much worse experiences, with one Redditor posting a photo that shows a crack running vertically down the middle of their Surface Laptop 3's screen. The incidents have grown in number to such an extent that sites such as ZDNet and DigitalMediaphile have been investigating the problem even further. ZDNet received this statement from Microsoft about the Surface Laptop 3 screen cracking issue:

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. 

Some Surface Laptop 3 users have commented that they were able to get replacement devices, while others have complained about not getting any satisfactory solution to their laptop’s cracked screen. There has been speculation that the glass of the display makes too much contact with the aluminum case and the stress causes the screen to crack, while the soft alcantara-covered variants of the Surface Laptop 3 at least offer some padding.

With one user reporting buying two units that both cracked and another claiming that three out of four Surface Laptop 3 devices they had purchased ended up with cracked screens, it seems to be more than careless handling that is at the heart of the problem here.