TEST: Surface Laptop 4: Stable upgrade of Microsoft laptop
Tested product: Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Award: SEK 14,941 at Power
Microsoft’s new computer in traditional laptop design will be presented in April and is available just like the predecessor from 2019 in two groups, 13.5 and 15 inches, respectively. Here we test the 13-inch. It can be ordered in Microsoft’s web shop and most configurations can also be found at major Swedish retailers. Also for lower price than if you buy it directly from the manufacturer.
Rating 4 out of 5
Opinion
This is a nice and sympathetic laptop with the right performance, despite the choice of internal memory and storage, which we do not think can be optimal for the money. It’s top quality most of the time and the improved sound is a big plus. However, you have to pay an extra penny for a Surface Compare with several powerful competitors.
Positively
- BH performance
- Excellent comfort
- Good picture and sound
- Completely free from bloatware
Negative
- Unique impractical design choice
- Get connections
- Really expensive
It is not a super compact and light laptop with modern dimensions measured, but it qualifies without problems as a portable lightweight with its 1.27 kilos in the tested configuration.
In terms of design, it is identical to its predecessor, both in appearance and colors, dimensions and weight. This is what Microsoft’s typically petty design does with bevelled short sides and a spartan exterior. It is high quality in all details and a style with a high recognition factor. You have two color choices, aluminum gray or matte black.
The gray, which we tested, has matte, felt-like alcantara material on the inside around the mouse and keyboard. We prefer it over the black model’s metal surface, but matte black surfaces on the other hand look really nice. However, comfort must decide, then there are few who can beat Microsoft and the feeling of resting your wrists on these surfaces when you work.
Small things to polish
With a keyboard and mouse pad of mechanically high class and a touch screen with excellent response, it is and very comfortable to work on. A certain failure in the chassis, which holds up the keyboard, too little of the quality feeling, but it does not affect comfort. However, this may not always be practical
A couple of design choices are annoying, such as the fact that the computer’s on button is embedded as a keyboard button and is easy to access by mistake and that its sloping sides make it tricky to measure in and connect USB connectors.
Above all, connections are few, you get a headphone port, and store USB 3 port and a small one that also has display port support. We would have liked to see a usb port or two more. And preferably also an sd card reader. As usual, the Surface Laptop 4 has Microsoft’s own proprietary charging and docking port Surface Connect, but it is also possible to power the computer via the USB C port.
Good picture and even better sound
If the screen is new, we can not answer, it has the same specifications as before, and ips with 3: 2 in aspect ratio, high dot density thanks to 2,256 x 1,504 pixels resolution and really high brightness. It may be necessary, because the shiny glass surface has a tendency to give off clear reflections. It produces color intensity in srgb class without any problems and even exceeds the standard slightly and has good color accuracy.
One of the innovations with the new Surface Laptop can be improved sound, especially Dolby Atmos support. The sound out the speakers is clean, detailed and comes with good volume, It’s even noticeable bass, albeit not with depth and power. But it’s hard to start from a thin laptop. There is good stereo spread for music and some surround feeling in movies. How Atmos works in the background, however, we can not say that there are no opportunities to make sound settings.
The most important news with the Surface Laptop 4 is an upgraded performance. The computer is available with both AMD Ryzen and Intel Core processor. As the Ryzen is the 4000 series and not the new 5000, the 11th generation Core feels like the more current choice. Therefore, we test the entry-level model with Intel Core processor.
The processor exceeds expectations
Here is the Intel Core i5-1135G7, with four cores at 2.4 GHz, eight gigabytes of frame memory and a semi-fast ssd of 512 gigabytes. We would have preferred a smaller ssd and instead more frame memory. An AMD Ryzen version of the computer is available with 256 gigabytes of ssd, but Microsoft has over 128 gigabytes of ssd available for the Surface Laptop 3.
Thanks to the Surface computers’ stripped-down Windows installation and minimal disruptive background processes, most things flow in computer bras. In terms of performance, it is a significant boost to the previous generation, not least in single-wire operators. The Core i5 processor in our tested model surpasses in some measurements Core i7 performance and other ultralight laptops.
With programs such as Adobe Photoshop, which can be used for fast Iris Xe graphics, there will also be a significant performance boost. When we use heavy programs, however, is when we lack extra frame memory at most. Handling large image or video files causes some annoying micro-pauses.
Of course, you can upgrade and choose a 16-gigabyte model instead, but it costs a couple of thousand kroner extra. If you are a big fan of Surface and decide that this is computer for you, then it may be worth it.
Uncertain about battery life
At a point that does not use the Surface Laptop 4 up to its promises. At least not in our measurements. Microsoft states that it has a battery life of “up to 17 hours” for Core i5 models. Of course, they are careful to point out that it can vary depending on settings and usage.
But when we run it in the most frugal power saving mode, lowest possible screen brightness and do nothing more intense on it than edit text or just leave it on, we do not get more than 15 hours of operating time. So we have a hard time seeing how it will last longer. It is approved, but many laptops in the ultra-thin class clock in at almost 20 hours on similar driving, so it is not particularly impressive.
There is a lot of quality in the Surfpace Laptop 4, even the webcam and microphone are top class, which can be good in these remote working hours. But not all details are perfect and apart from the nice design and the advantage of a clinical rental Windows, there is nothing directly that can be used for Microsoft’s distribution. There are a whole bunch of equal and often slightly more affordable competitors. But sometimes the feeling can decide and the Surface laptop 4 delivers one hundred percent right of that product.
Specifications
Product name: Surface Laptop 4 13.5 inch (5BT-00047)
Tested: May 2021
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Processor: Intel Core i5-1135G7, 2.4 GHz quad-core
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory: 8 GB ddr4x
Storage: 512 GB ssd
Screen: 13.5 inch glossy ips, 2256×1504 pixels, 3: 2 aspect ratio
Webcam: 720p, ir for Windows Hello
Connections: Usb 3 gen 1 with display port, usb 3 type a, headset, Surface Connect
Wireless: Wifi 6, bluetooth 5.0
Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Other: Backlit keyboard, face login, rpm 2.0
Noise level: 0-37 dBa
Battery life: 1 hour 35 min (high load), approx. 15 hours (low load)
Size: 30.8 x 22.3 x 1.45 cm
Weight: 1.27 kg
Rec. Award: 15,995 kr
Current price: SEK 14,941 at Power
Performance
Cinebench R23, cpu: 5 145 points
Cinebench R23, cpu a core: 1 346 points
Geekbench 5, cpu: 5 184 points
Geekbench 5, cpu and core: 1,381 points
Geekbench 5, graphic: 15,045 points
Disk, reading: up to 2,238 MB / s
Disk, writing: up to 1,169 MB / s