Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Next-gen Laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Pros
- 11th Gen Intel CPUs
- AMD Ryzen 4000 CPUs
- More recent
- Stunning design
Cons
- Pricey
Microsoft gave the Surface Laptop family of notebooks a refresh in 2021 with the Surface Laptop 4. This upgraded release contains better Intel and AMD processors. You can expect to see the same great design and notebook performance.
Tried & Tested
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Pros
- More affordable
- Still a great notebook
- Same great design
Cons
- Slower processors
If you simply want a great Microsoft notebook at a more reasonable price right now, the Surface Laptop 3 is still a very good PC. It houses 10th Gen Intel processors with plenty of configurations available, depending on how much RAM and storage you need.
Microsoft's latest and greatest Surface Laptop is the Surface Laptop 4. It's what you'll want to choose if you need the best performance possible from the latest processors out of AMD and Intel. Because the Surface Laptop 4 is the newer model, you can expect to pay a small premium compared to the Surface Laptop 3, which is still a great notebook on its own and can be found at a discount.
Specifications
Microsoft has officially announced the Surface Laptop 4 so we know exactly how the newer notebook compares to the Surface Laptop 3. Almost matching leaked Surface Laptop 4 specifications, we've put together the below specifications chart to show how the comparison in full.
| Surface Laptop 4 | Surface Laptop 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1145G7 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 AMD Ryzen 5 4680U AMD Ryzen 7 4980U |
10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G7 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 AMD Ryzen 5 3580U AMD Ryzen 7 3780U |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4x 16GB LPDDR4x 32GB LPDDR4x |
8GB LPDDR4x 16GB LPDDR4x 32GB LPDDR4x |
| Storage | 256GB 512GB 1TB |
256GB 512GB 1TB |
| Display size | 13.5 inches 15 inches Touch |
13.5 inches 15 inches Touch |
| Display resolution | 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI) 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI) |
2256 x 1504 (201 PPI) 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI) |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe AMD Radeon |
Intel Iris Plus AMD Radeon |
| Ports | 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x Surface Connect, 3.5 mm headphone jack | 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x Surface Connect, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Biometrics | IR camera | IR camera |
| Battery | Wh (13.5-inch), Wh (15-inch) Up to 19 hours |
70Wh (13.5-inch), 80Wh (15-inch) Up to 11.5 hours |
| Weight | 13.5-inch from 2.79lbs (1.27kg) 15-inch from 3.40lbs (1.54kg) |
13.5-inch from lbs (kg) 15-inch from lbs (kg) |
There are many configurations available, starting with an 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 and AMD Ryzen 5 4680U. It's possible to configure up to 32GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 1TB of storage with Intel processors only, but all storage is removable allowing you to install your own NVMe drive.
What's new with the Surface Laptop 4
- Intel 11th Gen Core processors with Iris Xe Graphics
- AMD Ryzen 4000 and Radeon Graphics (Surface Edition)
- Up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage (Intel only)
- No more 128GB option (256GB or higher)
- Dolby Atmos spatial-audio
- Ice Blue with Alcantara (13.5-inch Intel only)
- Up to 70% performance improvement
- Battery improvements
- Slightly faster Windows Hello login
- 15-inch models are only Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7
- AMD models now have Wi-Fi 6 and LPDDR4x
Design & Display
It'll be difficult to tell the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Laptop 4 apart unless you know what to look for. Microsoft is using the exact same chassis, making both the Surface Laptop 3 and Laptop 4 look almost identical, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you're a fan of the older all-aluminum design, you'll dig the newer notebook.
The Surface Laptop 3 looks amazing and Microsoft did a solid job with designing such a premium-looking notebook. You'll be able to enjoy the same small bezel experience with stunning displays. The port selection is the same, rocking a single USB-C, USB-A, and a headphone jack. Microsoft chose not to include Thunderbolt 3 or 4.
Performance
This is where the major change comes into play. The Surface Laptop 4 comes rocking 11th Gen Intel and AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors. What's more is the AMD processors are available in the 13.5-inch laptop, likewise with the Intel CPUs in the 15-inch, allowing for far more choice. Compared to previously available chips, these offer up to a 70% increase in performance.
Interestingly, Microsoft is not planning to include 12th Gen Intel processors nor will it take Ryzen 5000 series CPUs from AMD. This is a strange move if you'd prefer to choose the very latest from AMD and Intel. The 11th Gen Intel and AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors aren't bad, but they won't be the latest and greatest.
It's not just computing power that has been given a slight bump, but also graphics processing. Intel 11th Gen processors come with Iris Xe graphics, and AMD still offers its excellent integrated Radeon GPUs with the Ryzen 4000 series.
Pricing
Microsoft is pricing the Surface Laptop 4 at $999 for the base model, which is the same as the Surface Laptop 3 when it first came out. You can easily find the Surface Laptop 3 for $800 or less right now, making it a better deal if you're on a tighter budget. Still, the additional $200 is worth forking out if you could make use of the additional performance.
Surface Laptop 4 has the latest tech
Going with the current generation of any product is best if you plan on making full use of the hardware available. Like other products, Microsoft's Surface Laptop 4 comes rocking 11th Gen Intel and AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors. The price will be a little higher, but it's well worth it if you need one of the best Microsoft Surface PCs available.
Latest & Greatest
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
The best Surface Laptop
Microsoft's Surface Laptop 4 takes everything the company has learned so far with this product line and throws in the latest from Intel and AMD for the most powerful Microsoft notebook yet.
Buy the Surface Laptop 3 for a better deal
Just because the Surface Laptop 3 is from the last generation, this doesn't mean it's a bad purchase. The Surface Laptop 3 is still a very good notebook, coming equipped with 10th Gen Intel processors and plenty of tech to keep you online throughout the day. You may even find one at a steal of a deal.
Still Worth Considering
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Still a Surface powerhouse
Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 may be showing its age on the specs sheet, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anything to complain about with the external looks. This is still a solid notebook to buy if you can find one at a discount.
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