Customer Ratings & Reviews

The first thing you notice when unpacking the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is the premium build quality. It’s a surprisingly lightweight, thin, and beautiful laptop with a very solid aluminum chassis. Setup was very easy. As soon as I opened the lid, the laptop turned on and Cortana helped guide me in the setup process. As advertised, you only need one hand to lift the lid. I love that you can use either the USB-C port for charging or the included power adapter that uses a magnetic connection to the Surface Connect port. Being able to use the USB-C port for charging means that I can use any standard USB-C laptop charger in case I misplace my Surface charger. The unit I am reviewing contains some interesting hardware 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40GHz with integrated Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics 13.5" PixelSense 10 point multi-touch display with 3:2 Aspect Ratio (2256 x1504) Surface Pen enabled (4096 levels of pressure) 8GB DDR4 System Memory SAMSUNG MZ9LQ512HALU 512GB NVMe SSD Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 + Bluetooth 5.0 720p Webcam supporting Windows Hello Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Atmos Microsoft Surface Connect port 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1x 3.5 mm headphone jack I’ve always been interested in new technology so I was very keen on playing around with the new Intel Iris Xe graphics. The keyboard is one of the better keyboards I have ever used on a laptop. The layout is good for typing and the large touchpad is responsive and accurate. The included webcam captures very sharp images and performs well in low light. I tested the microphones using Voice Recorder and I thought my voice came loud and clear. I think this laptop will perform well for video conferencing for those working at home. The Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Atmos also produced crisp and clear sound. I was impressed with the sound given the space constraint that laptop speakers are subjected to. The PixelSense display is bright and provides rich natural colors and sharp text. This laptop would also be a great choice for entertainment activities such as watching YouTube and Netflix videos (I’m watching the NFL draft on YouTube while writing this review!). I love the 3:2 aspect ratio of the display. Having more vertical space is great for productivity. Web browsers can display more information without scrolling. You can see more rows of a spreadsheet. As a programmer, I really appreciated having more vertical real estate for coding. I like this feature so much that I will probably want all my future laptops to have a 3:2 screen aspect ratio. During my usage, the Surface Laptop 4 felt very snappy and zippy. I haven’t noticed any lagging or sluggishness even with multiple programs and windows opened. I have a Microsoft Access database that I use to keep track of rental payments for some properties that my parents own and it was able to generate reports very quickly. An almost complete workload install of Visual Studio Community 2019 took about 23 minutes from an external SSD which was about 7 minutes faster compared to my older Intel i7 7560U based ultra laptop from 2017. Visual Studio felt responsive and quick when editing and compiling code. Handbrake encoding using the Super HQ 1080p30 Surround Sound preset averaged around 48 fps. By comparison, a Ryzen 3500U based ultrabook averaged around 30 fps and my Intel Core i5-9600K gaming desktop gets about 60 fps using the same preset. However, when using the Intel H.265 10-bit QuickSync encoder, the Iris(R) Xe integrated graphics averaged an astonishing 320 fps that blew away the 208 fps from the Intel i5-9600K. This shows the massive improvement in QuickSync on the new Xe integrated graphics. I was also interested in testing light gaming on the new Xe integrated graphics. I tested DOTA 2 and at the fastest setting it was running at 120 fps at 2256 x 1504. At best quality setting the fps ranged from 35 to 50 fps. It was very smooth and playable. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with the performance of the new Intel i5-1135G7 processor and the new Xe integrated graphics. It’s amazing how far integrated graphics have come in the last few years where ultralight laptops are now capable light gaming systems. The built-in Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 adapter was only connecting to my Linksys Wi-Fi 6 AX6000 MR9600 router using Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at a link speed of 300/300 Mbps. I have another computer with an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 adapter that reported a link speed of 1.2 Gbps so I’m not sure why I haven’t been able to connect at a higher link speed. Real world transfer speed from my home NAS was about the same so it hasn’t negatively impacted me. The main drawback for me is the lack of user upgradability. The memory is not upgradable. My unit came with 8 GB of memory which is probably the minimum that I would find acceptable on a Windows machine. Having only 8 GB can be a little tight for some tasks. I heard it’s possible to upgrade the internal SSD but that requires removing the rubber feet to reveal some screws and it’s also not recommended to be done by the average end user. I hate having to remove rubber feet to gain access to screws. I don’t want to do anything that might ruin something that looks as beautiful as the Surface Laptop 4. Finally, it would be nice if the USB-C port supported Thunderbolt so that an external graphics card could be attached for those who want to do more serious gaming. In summary, I think the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is an overall excellent laptop. The light weight and portability would make this a great choice for school or the casual user. It has enough power for light office work, schoolwork, programming, and work at home scenarios (such as video conferencing) as well as light gaming and media consumption. It’s a well balanced computer that many would be happy with.

Microsoft has yet done it again. Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop 4 series and depending on your need you can pick up a powerhouse. Surface Laptop 4 like the previous year models are available in 13.5- and 15-inch models and they range from Ryzen 5 all the way to up to Core I7. The model I tested has 11th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor with 8GB of LPDDR4X ram and 512GB of SSD Storage. The laptop also features a touchscreen LCD display running at 2256 x 1504 screen resolution on an Intel Iris Xe graphics card. The surface features 720p front facing camera and provides blazing internet speeds with its Wireless-AX card. You will also be amazed by the Dolby Atmos speakers and Bluetooth 5.0 providing you the latest tech in sound quality. The Surface Laptop 4 looks and feels beautiful with its full aluminum finish and design giving it that high end feel all while being amazingly thin, lightweight and super portable. The Surface Laptop has a height of .5 inch, 12.1 inches wide and 8.8 inches deep and only weighs 3lbs. It also features a USB, USB-C and an audio jack, which I am glad Microsoft has decided to keep. Now, I have been using this laptop for a few days and based on its specifications it has performed well. We used the laptop to make Zoom video calls, while running google classroom for my kids, preparing this review, watching movies, using it for work (Running CAD, and designing software), and playing some video games. Most of the tasks performed well except for running CAD and playing video games. Although lite video games are ok, I would not recommend running anything graphics heavy on the laptop. The laptop is great for home use, light office work and entry level gaming. The Intel Core I5 in this laptop is a good processing unit, but its an entry level unit. Also, the 8 GB of ram is not enough to run some of the designing software. Overall, the Surface Laptop 4 is an excellent entry level machine. It will be an amazing tool in helping you complete everyday task whether for business or pleasure.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is an excellent choice for various tasks. We have a mixed technology home with products from all sorts of manufacturers and operating systems. This laptop has been an excellent addition to the collection. I decided on the Ice Blue The first stand out to me was the keyboard. I am so impressed with how comfortable it is with what they call Alcantara material. It is hard to describe, but it has a cloth like feel to it and is really comfortable to the touch. It is more comfortable than any other laptop keyboard I have used. The metal of the chassis does not dig into my wrists and when typing for a while and it doesn’t make me feel like taking frequent brakes. The machine is light at under three pounds and since it has a 13-inch screen, is very portable. Out of the box, I let the Surface charge for about an hour even though I wasn’t sure if it needed it or not. When I began setup and got into Windows it was at 100% so I assume it came with a significant charge to begin with. Since then, I have plugged it in once and that was after three or so days of varying usage from music to movies, miscellaneous Microsoft activities and general web surfing. All in all, I would say I was able to get about 15 hours in before it needed a charge and it was still at about 10%. The base model comes with an i5 intel chip that isn’t the fastest available, but plenty powerful for the typical user. Also, with 8GB of ram, this laptop will perform well. For those that need to work more on video, photography or any intense graphics, I would suggest going for the i7 with 16GB of ram from the start so that you aren’t having any regrets afterward. The 512 GB hard drive is sufficient but, because I travel, I may need to upgrade to a 1TB so that I can have more of my files with me when I am not on a network. The specifications do stipulate that this is not user swappable, so I’d to take it in to ensure I was within spec and warranty. I have several Bluetooth options for my sound and I don’t typically concern myself with how the speakers sound when using a laptop or tablet; however, the built-in speakers on this laptop are better than average with nice range, strong bass and good treble. Certainly, the sound from this are better than any of the phones or tablets I have used. There is an HD camera built in for video calling and recording. It is sufficient and comes in handy for my zoom calls, I really wasn’t expecting anything more. All in all, this is a fantastic laptop with excellent out of the box capabilities. I would buy it again and anticipate others in the family will be fighting to use this versus some of the other options we have.

Overall it’s a nice looking laptop. It has a quality feel to it. It’s quick and responsive, and the display is vivid, but on the hardware side it’s a bit overpriced for what you get. At this price point I’d expect at least 16gb of memory. It’s not a deal breaker but if you’re looking for a nicely designed laptop for school or office work this is a good choice.

Microsoft has continued to improve the surface laptop line and now has the addition of choice between Intel processor and AMD Ryzen, both in multiple specifications. My unit is the Intel core i5 with 8gb ram and 512gb SSD. First impressions on the unboxing proved that this looks and feels like a premium product. I have the sandstone finish and it is a nice change from the constant silver/metallic finishes of almost all brands out there. In the box are the computer, proprietary charger, and paperwork. Upon initial startup, I found that the laptop, via Cortana, made the process painless and was quite fast. Transferring 280 gb of data (files, music etc.) was surprisingly fast compared to my 4 yr. old core i7 Lenovo product (no knock there as it has been a workhorse). Once the laptop was set up to my specs, I put this produce through multiple simulations and processing abilities and to my surprise, was able to handle everything with ease. The 11th gen i5 processor is truly a step up from the previous version and quite a bit faster than last year’s iteration (I have a laptop with i5, 10th generation). Even with the additional processing power, the battery life is stellar and every bit was is reported in the spec sheet. I was pleasantly surprised to see this much processing power in this product and so much so that I am going to purchase another for my business needs. My only negatives to this laptop are the screens bezels are a bit wide and dated compared to other manufacturers. I would also like the ability to increase the RAM on this but unfortunately, this is not possible. I also will never understand proprietary chargers. While the USB C can charge the laptop, it is not as fast as the Microsoft charger that is different than all other manufacturers. In the era of thunderbolt USB-C, and warp charging from other manufacturers via USB C, I do not get the need for yet another unique charger. I know this is personal preference but the tech is there to charge all devices (phone and computers) with only one type of charger. The fruit computers have this issue as well. I would also love to see this computer have a thunderbolt USB C which it unfortunately does not. Not a huge cost increase to the manufacturer and would be appreciated by every purchaser. All in all, I would recommend this laptop, mostly because of it’s processing power ability. The price is right for what you receive and with just a few tweaks, this could be an outstanding laptop on every level. I do not think you will be disappointed in this offering.

I bought the surface laptop on the day of its launch with high hopes. I opted for the Intel Core i5 (Yes, I am paying the Intel tax and Ryzen has gotten better). Before you think about buying this laptop, please answer, What am I getting for the price? You don't have thunderbolts or extra ports, ram is 8GB and non-upgradable. The product finishing isn't amazing, nor is the battery in real-world usage. I absolutely regret getting it and I predict, this product is going to fail, just like the surface buds.