Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8" Surface Laptop Black 2024

Gorgeous hardware, incredible CPU speed, and all-day battery make this a dream for the right user. But the ARM processor is a dealbreaker if you need Adobe apps or do any gaming. Only buy this if you've confirmed your must-have software runs natively, and try to snag it on sale.

The 12-core Snapdragon X Elite lands in the 99th percentile for CPUs in our database, and it feels like it. Native apps launch instantly, multitasking is buttery smooth, and the NPU handles those new AI tricks without breaking a sweat. The integrated GPU is a different story, sitting in a mediocre 39th percentile. It's fine for streaming and light photo edits, but don't even think about gaming, our benchmarks put that score at a brutal 9.1 out of 100. The real-world performance story, though, is all about app compatibility. If your workflow lives in a browser and Microsoft 365, you'll fly. If it relies on something like the full Adobe suite, you might be in for a crash-filled headache based on what we're hearing from owners.

Microsoft is directly gunning for the MacBook Air M3, and in raw CPU multi-threaded speed, it wins. But the M3's GPU runs circles around this Qualcomm chip, and Apple's software ecosystem is a known quantity with zero ARM translation surprises. The HP OmniBook X Flip is a direct Windows on ARM rival with a similar chip and a 2-in-1 design, so check that out if you want a tablet mode. If you need real GPU power for creative work or gaming, skip this entirely and look at the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, which sacrifices some battery life for a massive performance leap.

Pricing is all over the map, with a wild $1,750 spread across vendors. At the lower end near $800, this is a steal for a premium ultrabook if your software works on ARM. At the full $2,550, you're in "just buy a MacBook Pro" territory, which offers more consistent performance and none of the compatibility roulette. The sweet spot is finding it discounted, and right now Amazon has the best deal we've seen. Paying full price is a gamble we wouldn't recommend unless you've triple-checked your app compatibility.

The Surface Laptop 7th Edition is Microsoft's big swing at an ARM-powered future, and for the right person, it connects. This thing is built beautifully, feels impossibly light at 1.34kg, and the Snapdragon X Elite chip absolutely screams through native Windows on ARM tasks. The 13.8-inch 120Hz touchscreen is a joy, bright and color-accurate enough to make spreadsheets look almost fun. But that 'right person' caveat is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

Photographers, video editors, and anyone who relies on the Adobe Creative Cloud suite should look elsewhere immediately. The reported crashes and freezes are a total non-starter. Gamers should also steer completely clear, the GPU performance is one of the worst we've seen for anything beyond Solitaire. If you need to run obscure, older Windows software or specific VPNs and drivers, the ARM translation layer is still a gamble you probably don't want to take.

The Surface Laptop 7 is a gorgeous piece of hardware with a split personality. It's a top-tier productivity machine for cloud-first users who live in a browser and Office apps, offering best-in-class CPU speed and all-day battery in a stunning chassis. But it's a frustrating, buggy mess for anyone whose workflow depends on specific legacy Windows software, especially creatives tied to Adobe. Buy it for its strengths, not on the promise that all your apps will eventually work.