Did a Microsoft Surface Book really stop a bullet, save a life?

By Sean Endicott
last updated

Images suggest that a Surface Book may have blocked a bullet.

Surface Book 3 Review Side Ports Type C
Surface Book 3 Review Side Ports Type C (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • A Microsoft Surface Book allegedly stopped a bullet that was shot through an apartment floor.
  • An image shows what appears to be a bullet hole going through the trackpad and into the screen.
  • Some question the legitimacy of the story.

The Surface Book 3 is Microsoft's thickest mobile Surface device. It's apparently so thick that it managed to stop a bullet. A viral tweet appeared on October 10, 2020 that appears to show a bullet hole going through a Surface Book. Twitter user Aaron shared the image, which garnered quite a bit of attention over the weekend. According to Aaron, the Surface Book "saved [his] life."

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Aaron states that someone shot a bullet through an apartment floor and that the bullet was stopped by a Surface Book. The story seems hard to believe, but crazier things have happened.

Without seeing the apartment building in question and the exact scene of the incident, it's difficult to discern how feasible the story is.

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Aaron also shared an image of a bed that was also allegedly affected by the gunshot.

Whether a Surface Book really stopped a bullet is uncertain, but we're fairly certain that a Chromebook couldn't block a bullet.

What do you think of the story? Do you think a Surface Book really stopped a bullet? Let us know in the comments below. Also, please do not test if the Surface Book is bulletproof. Doing so could result in serious injury or death.

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Surface Book 3

Power on the go

The refreshed Surface Book 3 for 2020 gets new Intel 10th Gen processors, more powerful GTX graphics, and much better Wi-Fi, SSD, and RAM options making this one powerful 2-in-1 convertible PC.

Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com (opens in new tab).

8 Comments
  • To be fair, this isn't the first time a phone or a laptop stops a bullet.
  • "Whether a Surface Book really stopped a bullet is uncertain, but we're fairly certain that a Chromebook couldn't block a bullet." Love it. :-)
  • When did a bullet pass through a chromebook?
  • I assume it's a joke. But the Surface Book is a sturdier-than-typical system.
  • Damn... Shots fired!
  • Many have asked how it's possible - was he lying on the Surface Book, was he using it, etc. From the pics provided, it appears that he was in bed and the Surface Book was closed, on the floor, just under the edge of the bed (as I assume it would be, if he was using it in bed and placed it underneath the bed to keep from stepping on it when getting out of bed). Therefore, when the bullet from the below apartment passed through the ceiling - his floor, it would've hit the Surface Book. If the Surface Book wasn't there, the bullet would've passed through the bottom of his bed and easily through the mattress and into him. Freak set of circumstances, but I believe it absolutely saved his life.
  • Well, um, I'm not ready to issue Surface Books to the military for body armor just yet.
  • Not sure why this is something that is not believable or why an article needed to be written on it. However, depending on caliber of the weapon (I'm going to assume it was a 9mm), it still had to pass through the floor which was likely sheet rock, insulation, wood and possibly carpet. More enough to slow the momentum for a closed Surface Book, with a magnesium metal body to stop the bullet.