Table of Contents
Last Updated on March 29, 2020
Design
Microsoft laptops are getting better and better by the year. It is also the case of the Surface Laptop. Even though it isn’t the newest or the best of what the market has to offer, it is still a premium laptop that comes with great features. If what you want is a brand-new laptop that feels amazing to touch and looks heavenly, then you might like this one. Just like other Microsoft laptop models, this one has a beautiful, stylish casing and a superb keyboard, surrounded by Alcantara fabric. It is stain resistant and comfortable to use for any task. Its total size of 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.57 inches and its weight of 2.76 pounds make it highly portable.
The fact that it is heavier than other competing notebooks is a reality. There are more lightweight laptops out there, but this one offers a great design and weight for the price. On this model, Microsoft decided to exclude the USB Type-C port, but this can be a good thing, too. Due to its regular ports, you don’t have to carry dongles around. The downside is that you cannot use the Thunderbolt 3 standard. Deciding whether or not this is a problem for you is a matter of preference. Instead, a full-size USB 3 port is present, as well as a Mini DisplayPort.
Display and Audio
The Surface Laptop, just like the Surface Laptop 2 and other similar models from Microsoft, has a 13.5-inch touch display and a resolution of 2256 x 1504 pixels. This is a bright and colorful display that makes video consumption very enjoyable. It seems that Microsoft chose the 2K resolution for more advanced models, too, so there is nothing to lose here. If you have the chance to test it, you will notice that the display produces a wide array of colors and registers 135 % of the sRGB color gamut. On the other hand, it doesn’t excel at color accuracy.
As for the audio system, the Surface Laptop is equipped with good speakers that deliver clear and crisp sounds, as well as deep bass. It is great for listening to music and watching movies, but you shouldn’t expect to have a mind-blowing experience.
Performance and battery life
At first touch, one of the things that you will notice as a first-time user is that it wakes up extremely fast from sleep mode. This is an area where Microsoft has done a great job and there is no doubt that this laptop has a great performance. Users love the Windows Hello feature. There are other features that will make you love this laptop. The webcam for facial recognition works impeccably and its SSD is decent, but not the fastest. Generally speaking, it works well and responds fast, having a smooth operation thanks to its 7th-generation Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
Performance-wise, this laptop is better than the XPS 13 and MacBook’s Core m3 processor. Compared to laptops like HP Spectre or Asus ZenBook 3, it isn’t as fast when tested for performance, but the difference isn’t something that the average user can notice. Also, it is important to know that it is only natural for models powered by Core i7 processors to be faster.
The Surface Laptop has a good battery that lasts for about 9 hours. Microsoft could have done better in regards to the battery lifetime, but this value still helps the laptop rank high enough. If you need more than that, you can adjust the brightness and use the web on Wi-Fi.
Should you buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop?
If we were to compare this laptop with the Surface Laptop 2, the latter would definitely win in most areas. However, this is a more affordable laptop. If you want it, you must be ready for slight compromises. But then again, if you are planning to use it for work and entertainment, it will bring you a high level of satisfaction. With this model, you get a 7th-generation Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a128GB SSD. Although there are laptops that have 8GB of RAM at that price, this one has other features that beat the competition. Its design, feel and touch, its screen and light weight are just some of the factors that you should consider when making your buying decision.
The operating system that this model includes is Windows 10 S. If you can deal with the fact that you will only be able to run apps from the Windows Store, then you will love this version. Otherwise, you have the option to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. The Surface Pro has a decent camera, but if you know that you need an advanced one, this laptop will not be able to offer you that level feature. The good news is that the Surface Laptop doesn’t warm up as other models do. However, it gets loud occasionally. Therefore, if you want to move from a previous version to a newer one, this laptop will make your life easier, but you should now expect it to be perfect. It offers value for money and it is more affordable than other premium models, so we recommend it for activities that do not imply using external apps, especially if you are planning to keep the Windows 10 S OS.