Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review: Success at last

Ever since Apple’s MacBooks switched to the company’s own M-series chips, Windows users have been wondering when a similar revolution would happen to their machines. Microsoft has to say, it wasn’t for lack of trying. In 2012, the company released the , which featured an Arm-based processor, the same architecture used in Apple’s silicon. Unfortunately, a small app library, sluggish performance, and limited software compatibility made using the device full-time a bit of a drag. In 2017, Microsoft renewed its efforts with the . The result was systems like the , which featured beautiful hardware that was once again marred by mediocre processing power and spotty software support.

But as the old saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try again. And after more than a decade of trying and stumbling, Microsoft has done it. By combining the powerful Oryon cores in Qualcomm’s and its new , Microsoft has transformed the Surface Laptop 7 (and its sibling, the ) into near-perfect productivity machines.

Design and appearance: Premium from top to bottom

While the Surface Laptop 7 (or 7th Edition, as Microsoft likes to call it) has a new, luxurious silicone interior, not much has changed on the outside. But I’m not complaining. It has a sleek, all-aluminum chassis with clean, minimalist lines, and it doesn’t look like a MacBook. Microsoft also made a few small tweaks, like the addition of rounded corners on the display, a new haptic touchpad (similar to the one found on the ), and a dedicated key for Copilot (more on that later).

As before, the Surface Laptop 7 comes in two sizes. The smaller has a slightly larger 13.8-inch display than before (up from 13.5 inches), while the larger model sticks at 15 inches. There are also dual USB 4 Type-C slots, a single USB-A 3.1 port, a microSD card reader, and Microsoft’s magnetic Surface Connect port. Nothing out of the ordinary, then, but more than enough connectivity to handle most situations. And with the 13-inch model tipping the scales at just under three pounds (2.96 lb) and the 15-inch option weighing in at 3.6 pounds, neither version is likely to add much extra weight to your bag.

As for the screen itself, the 15-inch PixelSense LCD display on our Surface Laptop 7 review unit is top-notch. Along with a 120Hz refresh rate, it’s color calibrated to deliver accurate hues while also offering great brightness (over 600 nits on a full white screen) and 10-point touch support. It’s even topped with Gorilla Glass 5 to protect against scratches and scuffs. I just wish there was the option to upgrade to an OLED panel like you can on the Surface Pro 11.

Performance and compatibility: new heights for Windows on Arm

The most impressive thing about the Surface Laptop 7 is how normal it feels. It’s blazingly responsive, has instant wake times, and just feels incredibly fast. But the best part is that you often can’t tell the difference between when it’s running native Arm software and when the laptop is using Microsoft’s Prism emulator in the background to seamlessly translate apps originally designed for x86 chips. It’s that smooth.

In benchmarks, the Snapdragon X Elite chip delivers on Qualcomm’s lofty performance claims. In Geekbench 6, for example, the Surface Laptop 7 achieved multi-core scores of 14,400, higher than a comparable version with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip (11,920). The X Elite inside the Surface even managed to outperform the Core Ultra 9 CPU in a test, which maxed out at 12,798.

It’s important to note, however, that the X Elite chip’s performance is based on how much juice it’s given. On the 15-inch Surface Laptop 7, Microsoft is allocating up to 30 watts to the processor. But on the smaller 13-inch model, it tops out at 20 watts, so while it should still be decently speedy, you’ll get better performance on the larger option. And while the Surface Laptop 7 isn’t fanless like a MacBook Air, even under load the notebook rarely got above whisper-quiet.

Finally, while most tools and apps will just work regardless of what architecture they’re designed for, with Windows PCs still relatively early in the transition (at least this time around) to Arm-based systems, there are a handful of key apps that will need a bit more time. Some of the big ones include Adobe products like Illustrator and InDesign, while updated versions of After Effects and Premier Pro may not see a release until late 2024.

A quick word about gaming

Microsoft has never said that the Surface Laptop 7 is a gaming machine. But considering that (the Electronic Software Association) shows that 65 percent of Americans play some form of video game on a weekly basis, the laptop’s fragging capabilities are probably worth noting. Unfortunately, while the Snapdragon X Elite chip does perform decently in benchmarks, many titles that would otherwise be a good fit for the Laptop 7 simply won’t run. Some of these include competitive games like Fortnite And League of Legendsthat contain anti-cheat protocols that have not been updated to work on Arm-based chips. It is doubly frustrating because in the case of LOL, The game installs normally and doesn’t show any warnings, except Riot’s Vanguard system asking you to reboot your system before launching the game. But no matter how many times you do it, the game never launches.

That said, it’s not entirely a lost cause. I’ve found that casual 2D titles like Into the breach And Vampire survivor run smoothly, so you still have some options. And if you want to play more demanding titles, there’s always streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now, which by their very nature aren’t affected by architectural or OS limitations.

Copilot+ AI features: more of a bonus than a real essential

One of the big selling points for this new breed is supposed to be Microsoft’s built-in AI features. But in reality, they’re more of an occasional bonus. The tool with the most potential is Recall, which takes screenshots of your desktop so that AI can help you find things later. Unfortunately, due to security concerns, the feature will only be available at first before it’s officially released sometime in the future.

Meanwhile, other Copilot+ AI tools feel a little limited in scope. The Image Creator button in the Photos app lets you generate images based on word prompts, and it largely delivers. But the results still aren’t as detailed or realistic as what you’ll get from more powerful cloud-based services like Midjourney. But hey, it’s free. To make matters even more confusing, there’s another button in Paint labeled Image Creator, but it’s actually a completely different feature with limited uses and results that aren’t quite as good as the similarly named option in Photos.

Ultimately, the most useful AI features are Live Captions and the Restyle Image tool in Photos. The former uses AI to creatively edit or transform existing shots, letting you change the style of a photo into something that resembles anime or an impressionist painting, while the font offers real-time translation for videos, podcasts, and more. And while Microsoft’s subtitles could be a little more accurate, they’re generally good enough to get the gist of whatever you’re watching or listening to.

Battery life: More than a full day of use

While emulating apps intended for x86 processors may sap a little more juice, the Surface Laptop 7 has more than enough battery life to go around. While our usual rundown tests haven’t yet been updated to include Arm-based chips, the device lasted for 17 hours and 38 minutes when I streamed a 1080p video over Wi-Fi, which is several hours longer than I typically get from similarly powered Intel- and AMD-powered rivals. And in general use, the Laptop 7 often seemed to fare even better, often ending a day with around 50 percent charge left.

Another benefit of the Snapdragon X chips is that there’s almost no battery drain when the system is asleep, which I attribute to Qualcomm’s experience in making efficient smartphone processors. I found that the Surface Laptop 7 only lost about 1 or 2 percent battery overnight, giving you the confidence to leave it unplugged for days on end.

For charging, you can use the magnetic Surface Connect port with the included power brick. But another good thing is that the Surface Laptop 7 also supports USB-C charging, so if you want to travel light and pack a universal adapter to keep this and a bunch of other gadgets charged, you certainly can.

Complete

While the road to this point has been full of bumps and potholes, the Surface Laptop 7 is now ready to compete. And it’s not just a great MacBook Air rival, it breaks new ground for Windows PCs. It’s fast, quiet, has excellent battery life, and works fine with most of your apps. Sure, a few major programs will still require extra support, and you might run into issues running games or installing niche software. And if you spec it out, things can get a bit pricey, too. The 15-inch model starts at $1,300 , but our review unit with a Snapdragon X Elite chip, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD costs $2,100 . Still, for general productivity, the Surface Laptop 7 and its Snapdragon X Elite chip are a revelation, and a revolutionary step forward for Windows as we know it.