Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8" 2024 Review

The new Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC is Microsoft's big swing at an Arm-based Windows machine. It's thin, light, and promises all-day battery life thanks to the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip.

On paper, it's built for students and professionals who want a sleek, portable laptop. The touchscreen and 120Hz display are nice perks, and it's one of the first with WiFi 7. But this is a whole new architecture for Windows, so the real question is how it actually performs.

The Snapdragon X Plus CPU is the star here. It's in the 92nd percentile, so it's seriously quick for everyday tasks, web browsing, and office apps. The 16GB of RAM is solid, but the 512GB storage and integrated Qualcomm GPU are mid-pack at best. That GPU lands in the 37th percentile, which explains the terrible gaming score. It's fine for video calls and light media, but don't expect to game or do heavy creative work.

Prices are all over the place, from $949 to $1300. That's a $351 spread, so shop around. At the low end, it's a compelling package for the specs. At $1300, you're paying a premium for the design and the Copilot+ AI hype. If you can snag it for under a grand, it starts to make sense.

It's directly gunning for the Apple MacBook Air. The Surface has a touchscreen and a higher refresh rate, but Apple's M-series chips are more mature and the app ecosystem is rock solid. Compared to a Windows laptop like the ASUS Zenbook Duo, you're trading raw performance and flexibility for battery life and portability. And next to gaming laptops like the MSI Vector, there's no contest for power. This is for a different, more mobile user.

Buy this if you're a student or a business user who lives on the go, values battery life over everything, and mostly uses web apps and Microsoft Office. Don't buy it if you need to run specialized Windows x86 software, play games, or do video editing. It's a great secondary machine, but not your only PC.