Microsoft Surface Laptop 15" 4 2021, Ryzen 7 Surface Edition, 8GB, 512GB SSD, Platinum

The Surface Laptop 4 has a stunning 15-inch 3:2 touchscreen and a premium build, but 8GB of RAM and a single USB-A port hold it back. It's fine for everyday productivity, but gaming is basically a no-go. At $800, it's a decent deal if you prioritize screen and design over raw specs.

The Ryzen 7 Surface Edition is a capable 8-core chip for productivity. Our database puts it right around the middle of the pack for CPU performance, which sounds unimpressive until you remember this thing is built for Office, Edge, and video calls, not rendering 4K timelines. It handles multitasking fine, but that 8GB of RAM is the bottleneck. Open 30 Chrome tabs plus Slack plus Spotify and you'll feel it. The integrated Radeon graphics are, well, integrated. Gaming lands at 10.9 out of 100, which is one of the worst scores we've seen for this category. Don't expect anything beyond casual browser games and very light indie titles. The SSD is quick for boot times and app launches, though its storage score sits below average compared to newer laptops with faster PCIe 4.0 drives.

Stacked against the MacBook Pro M5, the Surface gets smoked on raw performance, battery life, and ports. The M5 is in a different league entirely. Against gaming-focused machines like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or ASUS ROG Zephyrus, the Surface isn't even playing the same sport. Those have discrete GPUs and high-refresh displays. The Surface's real competition is other thin-and-light productivity laptops, and even there, the 8GB RAM and single USB-A port hurt. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 offers better performance and a more modern port setup for not much more cash. The Surface wins on screen aspect ratio and clean design, but loses on almost everything else that involves plugging things in or pushing the hardware.

At $800 USD, this is a weird spot. You're getting a premium-feeling laptop with a great screen and solid build quality, but you're also getting 8GB of RAM and a port situation that feels like a throwback. For the same money, you can find newer Windows laptops with 16GB of RAM and better connectivity. But if you want the Surface design and that 3:2 display, this is one of the cheaper ways in. Just know you're paying for the chassis and screen more than the internals.

The Surface Laptop 4 is Microsoft's clean, no-nonsense ultrabook, and this 15-inch AMD config is a solid pick if you want a big, beautiful screen in a slim aluminum shell. The 3:2 PixelSense display is the star here. It gives you way more vertical room than a typical 16:9 panel, which makes reading docs and scrolling spreadsheets feel less cramped. The Ryzen 7 Surface Edition chip keeps things snappy for everyday work, and the 512GB SSD means you won't be hurting for space right away.

But there's a catch. You only get 8GB of RAM, which is tight for a laptop in this class, and the port selection is basically one USB-A and that's your lot. No Thunderbolt, no USB-C charging, nothing. It's a 2021 design that still feels premium, but the specs are starting to show their age.

Skip this if you need to connect more than one USB device, want to play any real games, or plan to keep the laptop for more than a couple of years. The 8GB of RAM and single USB-A port will frustrate you quickly. If you need a machine for video editing, coding with virtual machines, or even moderate multitasking, look for something with 16GB of RAM and USB-C.

Buy this if you want a big, beautiful touchscreen laptop for writing, browsing, and light office work, and you don't care about gaming or connecting more than one peripheral. It's a great machine for students and business users who live in Word, Excel, and Edge. Just don't expect it to grow with you. That 8GB of RAM is already a ceiling, and the lack of ports will annoy you eventually.