Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.5" 165H, Core Ultra 7 165H, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Black

A featherweight premium ultraportable that's perfect for everyday work, as long as you don't need storage, ports, or anything resembling gaming performance. Buy it for the build quality and portability, not the specs.

The 165H chip is no slouch for daily work. It sits in the 78th percentile for CPU performance, which means it'll chew through browser tabs, Office apps, and light photo editing without breaking a sweat. The integrated Arc graphics are fine for video playback and casual stuff, but the gaming score of 9.1 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know. This is not a machine for anything beyond Minesweeper and maybe some light indie titles. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM is solid for multitasking, though it's only middle of the pack compared to other laptops in our database.

Against the Apple MacBook Pro M5, the Surface gets absolutely destroyed on performance, battery, and ports. The MacBook is in a different league, but it also costs way more. The Lenovo Legion 5i and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 are gaming machines that crush this thing on GPU power, but they're heavier and pricier. For pure portability and a premium feel on a budget, the Surface holds its own. Just don't expect it to compete with any of these on raw power.

At $710 USD refurbished, this is a decent deal for a premium-feeling ultraportable. But the 256GB storage and limited ports make it a tough sell if you need to plug in more than one thing at a time. If you can live with cloud storage and a dongle or two, it's worth a look. If not, keep scrolling.

The Surface Laptop 6 with the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a weird one. It's a premium-feeling ultraportable that nails the basics, but it's also a refurb with a tiny 256GB SSD and a port selection that belongs in 2015. If you want a lightweight Windows machine for writing, browsing, and streaming, this thing is genuinely lovely. Just don't expect it to be a gaming rig or a storage monster.

If you need to plug in a mouse, external monitor, and USB drive at the same time, this isn't it. The port selection is one of the worst we've seen. Go grab a Lenovo ThinkPad or a MacBook Air instead if connectivity matters.

The Surface Laptop 6 is a great little machine for students, writers, and office workers who want something light and premium without spending MacBook money. The refurb price makes it tempting, but the tiny SSD and port situation are real compromises. If you can live with those, it's a solid buy. If you need more storage or connectivity, look elsewhere.