Months after admitting that Surface Laptop 3 suffers from a serious display issue, Microsoft says it will now fix it for free. What it’s not doing is properly explaining what the problem is.

“We have investigated claims of screen cracking on Surface Laptop 3 and have determined 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,” a Microsoft support document explains. “If you believe your Surface Laptop 3 is experiencing this issue, you are encouraged to contact our Microsoft Support to initiate a repair free of charge during the warranty period of the device. If you have previously paid Microsoft for a Surface Laptop 3 repair that you believe experienced this issue, please contact Microsoft Support to learn about reimbursement.”

I’d like to know more about that “hard foreign particle.” Is it something that came out of or with Surface Laptop 3? Or can the user introduce such a particle inadvertently over time? In other words, is there anything one can do proactively as a customer to prevent the display from cracking?

Microsoft released Surface Laptop 3 in late 2019 alongside Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X, and the first reports of spontaneous display cracking appeared by early 2020. In February, Microsoft admitted to the issue and said it was “evaluating the situation and investigating the root cause of the claims.”

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