Review: Microsoft’s Portable Surface Laptop SE is Scaled Down Yet Powerful

Cracking Open the Microsoft Surface Laptop SE for Repairs

Unlike most other computing devices, the Microsoft Surface Laptop SE is designed to be fully accessible for onsite repairs of common components, so students likely won’t have to wait to get back to work if their SE breaks.

With no moving parts and a strong chassis, the Microsoft Surface Laptop SE is about as tough as a laptop can be without adding specifically ruggedized components. And while elementary education is hardly a war zone, younger students likely don’t treat their devices with as much care as adults.

Microsoft talked with school administrators, teachers and IT professionals working with students ranging in age from kindergarten to eighth grade. It quickly became apparent that three key items — the screen, keyboard and battery — were the most commonly damaged or broken components on classroom laptops, especially in devices that also went home with students.

Those three components made up 85 percent of all repair orders, and the repair process itself was also a detriment to education. Normally, broken units must be shipped to a factory or repair center that might take a week or longer to ship the device back — meaning broken laptops were not available to students for extended periods. The shipping costs also were often the responsibility of the school.

Microsoft has revolutionized that process with the Microsoft Surface Laptop SE. Onsite IT teams can now fully replace those three often-broken parts, thanks to easily accessible screws that can be turned using standard tools. While this might make the SE a little less pretty in terms of form factor, it makes internal components much more accessible.

Microsoft sells repair kits that contain all three of the commonly broken components, so schools can have everything they need on hand to make local repairs. Swapping out a dead battery is extremely easy. Microsoft has also made videos demonstrating how to perform more complex repairs, like replacing a busted screen. Almost any skilled IT professional can easily make those repairs.

With a new local repair process and a fleet of easily accessible Microsoft Surface SE laptops, no student will be without their device for very long if they experience any of the most common breakdowns. That’s a nice advantage for schools — and one less excuse for students who don’t do their homework.