Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch) review: AMD Ryzen shines, but Microsoft could still do much more
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It'due south (kind of) meliorateSurface Laptop 4 (15-inch) review: AMD Ryzen shines, but Microsoft could still do much more
Featuring newish AMD Ryzen 4000 processors, Surface Laptop 4 15-inch finally realizes its operation potential, but some things keep it from being perfect.When Microsoft first introduced Surface Laptop back in 2022, I called information technology one of the all-time Surfaces yet. Years later on, a lot has changed for Microsoft, but surprisingly Surface Laptop has not (save for the added 15-inch model every bit an culling to the original 13.5-inch one).
But Surface is all about the details, and while I mostly panned Surface Laptop 3 with AMD Ryzen 3000, the new Surface Laptop 4 with Ryzen 4000 makes a noticeable impact thanks to those eight cores. Yes, Surface Laptop iv is a marked improvement, so much so I am coming effectually to the 15-inch model. But, as usual, there are prominent areas where Microsoft tin withal improve and some heavy qualifications around that AMD fleck also.
As to which model you should go with – Intel vs. AMD – the option is complicated, but the bottom line is that either is a great choice, with the latter competing amidst the best AMD Ryzen laptops available.
Choice is good
Surface Laptop iv
Lesser line: Surface Laptop 4 gets a massive heave in functioning making it a much better upgrade than concluding year's model. AMD Ryzen 4000 lives upward to its promises, just so does Intel 11th Gen. Only a few things hold this laptop from existence the best despite its fantastic design.
Pros
- AMD Ryzen 4000 is a massive upgrade
- Excellent functioning (on Ac), decent battery life
- Nonetheless the best keyboard, trackpad, and sound in a Windows laptop
- Not much competition (15-inch model)
- Very quiet fan
Cons
- AMD performance drops on battery
- Limited AMD color options
- No Thunderbolt 4, few ports
- Brandish is nonetheless glossy, with no HDR or WCG
- No option for 4G LTE or 5G
Surface Laptop 4: Price and availability
Surface Laptop 4 is now available direct from Microsoft or through Best Purchase and Amazon.com, as well as many other retailers. Global availability varies, merely information technology should be available in all current Surface markets by June.
New this twelvemonth is the broader availability of selection betwixt Intel and AMD models and many more than configuration options.
Pricing still begins at $999 for the 13.five-inch model and $1,399 for the 15-inch i, but there is much more value for 2022. Compared to concluding year, the $999-entry level Surface Laptop doubles storage from 128GB to 256GB along with 8GB of RAM and a Ryzen 5 processor (instead of Intel Cadre i5). At that place is also no longer a $1,199 15-inch model with Ryzen 5. Instead, at that place is a $1,299 model, but the processor is now a more powerful Ryzen 7, and it also doubles the storage to 256GB making it well worth the actress $100.
Surface Laptop 4 (13.5-inch) Consumer
Features | Colors | Price |
---|---|---|
Ryzen v, 8GB RAM, 256GB | Platinum | $999 |
Ryzen 5, 16GB RAM, 256GB | Platinum | $1,199* |
Cadre i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB | Platinum, Bluish, Black, Sandstone | $1,299 |
Cadre i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB | Platinum, Blueish, Black, Sandstone | $i,499 |
Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB | Platinum, Blueish, Black, Sandstone | $i,699 |
Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB | Black | $2,299 |
Surface Laptop four (15-inch) Consumer
Features | Colors | Price |
---|---|---|
Ryzen vii, 8GB RAM, 256GB | Platinum | $one,299 |
Ryzen 7, 8GB RAM, 512GB | Platinum, Blackness | $1,499 |
Ryzen 7, 16GB RAM, 512GB | Blackness | $1,699 |
Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB | Platinum, Blackness | $1,799 |
Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB | Blackness | $2,399 |
While AMD may be the star of the show for some, information technology is evident that Intel nevertheless gets preferred options. If you lot desire the cloth-like Alcantara thirteen.5-inch in Ice Blue, that is Intel-only. The aforementioned goes for sandstone and black non-Alcantara models as well. And if you are a big spender, the model with 32GB of RAM (also new this year) and 1TB of storage is also Intel-only.
Surface Laptop 4: At a glance
Surface Laptop four looks a lot similar all previous models because Microsoft has non modified the core design since version one. Nonetheless, there are plenty of smaller changes, including processors, configuration options, pricing, and software that practise add up to a substantial refresh over its predecessors:
- Intel 11th Gen Cadre processors with Iris Xe Graphics
- AMD Ryzen 4000 and Radeon Graphics Surface Edition
- Upwards to 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage (Intel only)
- No more 128GB option (256GB or higher)
- Dolby Atmos spatial-audio
- Water ice Blueish with Alcantara (13.5-inch Intel only)
- Consumer availability of AMD and Intel models
- Commercial availability of AMD and Intel models
- Upward to lxx% performance improvement
- Bombardment jumps from 11.v hours to 17 to 19 hours
- Slightly faster Windows Hello login
- 15-inch models are only Cadre i7 or AMD Ryzen 7
- Aforementioned $999 starting price (AMD Ryzen v, 256GB, 8GB)
- AMD models now have Wi-Fi 6 and LPDDR4x
Specs-wise, Surface Laptop 4 falls into the traditional Ultrabook category – thin and lite computing. While the 13.five-inch is more cogitating of many of the best 13-inch laptops bachelor, there are very few thin and low-cal 15-inch laptops. Near 15-inch PCs add on at least a pound in weight, are significantly thicker, accept worse bombardment life, but are also substantially more powerful thanks to a discrete NVIDIA GPU, which Surface Laptop 4 lacks.
Category | Surface Laptop four (xiii.v-inch) | Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch) |
---|---|---|
Operating System | Windows x Home or Pro | Windows x Habitation or Pro |
Brandish | thirteen.5-inch PixelSense 3:2 attribute ratio 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI) | 15-inch PixelSense 3:2 aspect ratio 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI) |
Processor | Intel i5-1135G7 Intel i5-1145G7 (Commercial merely) Intel i7-1185G7 AMD Ryzen 5 4680U AMD Ryzen 7 4980U | Intel i7-1185G7 AMD Ryzen vii 4980U |
GPU | Intel Iris Xe Radeon RX Graphics | Intel Iris Xe Radeon RX Graphics |
Retentivity | 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB (Intel) LPDDR4x (3733MHz) | 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB (Intel) LPDDR4x (3733MHz) |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD (Intel) Removable | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD (Intel) Removable |
Front Camera | 720p | 720p |
Security | Windows Hello face up authentication camera, Firmware TPM 2.0 | Windows Hello face authentication camera, Firmware TPM two.0 |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi half dozen: 802.11ax compatible Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible Bluetooth five.0 |
Ports | 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x Surface Connect, three.five mm headphone jack | 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x Surface Connect, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
Battery | Ryzen 5: Upward to 19 hours Core i5: Up to 17 hours | Ryzen vii: Up to 17.5 hours Cadre i7: Up to sixteen.5 hours |
Weight | Up to ii.84 lbs (one,288 thou) | Up to 3.4 lbs (1,542 g) |
Colors | Alcantara: Platinum or Ice Blueish Metallic: Matte Black or Sandstone | Platinum metal, Matte Black metal |
Just the 13.5-inch models offer the famed Alcantara material stop, and fifty-fifty then, information technology is only available in platinum or ice blue. The other two finishes are matte blackness and sandstone, which are traditional metal. For the 15-inch models, at that place are no exciting colorways, merely platinum (Intel) and matte black (AMD or Intel).
This review uses the fifteen-inch matte-blackness model with Ryzen 7, 16GB RAM, and 512GB of storage provided by Microsoft. It retails for $1,699 and ships with Windows 10 Home.
Looks familiar
Surface Laptop 4: Pattern and features
Surface Laptop 4 can best exist described as minimalist. Borrowing from the design philosophy of Dieter Rams, Microsoft wants a laptop that is clean, unobtrusive, and easily understood, where "less is more." It succeeds.
There are only four ports: Type A, Type C, and a headphone jack on the left side. On the right is the proprietary Surface Connect port (used with the 65-watt charger or port expansion via Surface Dock). There is no Thunderbolt 4 despite Intel building it into 11th Gen chips. The reason for omission may autumn upon offering AMD processors, where adding the port specification is challenging (and perhaps even political).
The matte-black chassis is spotless thanks to a single logo on the lid with a mirror finish. While matte blackness looks nice, it quickly picks up fingerprints and oils, significant it needs occasional wiping to stay clean. The platinum chassis is a better option for those who hate the sight of such marring. However, you are and then limited to Intel as your processor selection in platinum, at least for the 15-inch series.
The sloped pattern of the chassis is smooth with no abrupt edges. The brandish lid can be opened with ane paw, and at that place is little flex to the whole trunk. Typically, the bottom of a laptop is where 1 finds large intake vents for the processor, but Microsoft pushes them to the rear edge. That means when in your lap, yous never block the vents, and information technology results in a purer design (and likely a libation chassis). Such details are piece of cake to overlook, but few laptops get this far to hibernate necessary components due to the complexity of pulling them off.
There are no visible speakers on the Surface Laptop – another unique design trait non found on any other PC. Microsoft, instead, hides them below the keyboard. Despite its non-visible status, the sound is well above average, which is only improved upon this year by the inclusion of Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos is a software driver solution that increases the speakers' spatial capabilities during music playback, only peculiarly during modernistic movies optimized for the standard.
The keyboard and trackpad, every bit always with Surface, set the bar. Primal travel, size, and the overall experience are some of the best in the business organization, with only HP offering similarly competitive typing. The 3-stage backlighting makes it easy to see the keyboard in low-light situations. While some may lament the lack of a number pad on the 15-inch model, Microsoft is again going for a purer experience (and one I favor). The trackpad is big, shine, and has a relatively repose click when depressed.
A practiced brandish
Surface Laptop 4: Display and camera
Unfortunately, there are no new improvements to the screen for Surface Laptop four. Information technology is still the same LCD-based 15-inch PixelSense 2496 10 1664 brandish with a 3:ii aspect ratio. The 201 pixel per inch (PPI) is slightly lower than that of Surface Pro vii (267 PPI) and Surface Book 3 (260 PPI), only that's non discernible.
Surface Laptop iv's display is adept but falling behind the competition.
The Surface Laptop iv supports inking with a Surface Pen (not included), but the brandish does not open to 180 degrees, nor is in that location a place to proceed the pen in transit. Even so, in a pinch, the pen is great for signing a document or making a quick note. Likewise, the Surface Dial works with off-screen interaction.
Display accurateness is typical, but unremarkable with 97% sRGB, 72% AdobeRGB, and 75% DCI-P3. The LG Gram 17 and VAIO Z, past comparison, earn 100% sRGB, 87% AdobeRGB, and 100% DCI-P3. Granted, neither of those besides have a touch display like Surface Laptop 4, only information technology is axiomatic Microsoft is not pushing the bar with screens lately.
Brightness peaks at an average of 399 nits in the middle, with just 6.three nits of brightness when fix to cipher, making this laptop piece of cake to utilize in the dark of night without being besides bright.
Microsoft still does not include an anti-cogitating treatment (not to be confused with anti-glare/matte) for reducing middle strain. It also does not support HDR for more vibrant contrast, nor wide colour-gamut (WCG) for those who need precise colorwork for photography or video. Such features are at present increasingly common, but Microsoft is withal uninterested in adding those to Surface.
Color, contrast, and vibrancy are all good with very even brightness. Microsoft gets some credit for having one of the thinnest displays in a laptop, just the bezels are still on the large size compared to what HP and Dell are doing these days.
Microsoft does, nonetheless, excel in the web camera department. Even at simply 720P resolution (beneath that of Surface Pro and Pro 10 at 1080P), it is an splendid camera that is much better than any other premium laptop in this category. However, mail-pandemic, it would have been overnice to see even more small improvements in the hardware to match the new normal.
AMD shines, simply …
Surface Laptop iv: Performance and bombardment
Operation with Surface Laptop iv with AMD Ryzen 7 (4000 Mobile) is outstanding and a massive improvement over terminal year'south Ryzen 3000 models. While some will complaining that Microsoft is not using the newer Ryzen 5000 Mobile fries, the gains between it and the 4000 series are significantly less substantial than those betwixt Ryzen 3000 and 4000 Mobile. It may be better to think of these processors every bit Ryzen "4500 Mobile" with the modifications to clock speeds and driver optimizations made by Microsoft.
Compared to other chips, including 11th Gen Intel and fifty-fifty Apple'southward touted M1 processor, the picture quickly gets complicated. Those hoping for a clear winner between Intel, AMD, and Apple will exist sorely disappointed as each has pros and cons.
Earlier we begin, there is a caveat and a change to our benchmarks. During my testing, it became credible at that place is a discrepancy in performance on Surface Laptop 4 (AMD) between using AC power or on battery (set to functioning in both modes). This behavior is also valid on Surface Laptop 3 (AMD). While the divergence is not perceptible (that is, it did not feel slower), it is consistent, measurable, and often significant. Intel laptops do not exhibit such variance past comparing. I include benchmarks for both AC and battery scenarios for evaluation to give the entire flick.
AMD Ryzen 4000 is either astonishing or just OK, depending on Air conditioning status.
On PCMark ten, an overall look at system performance, Surface Laptop iv is only beat by laptops with a detached NVIDIA GPU, which is boggling. It even slightly edges out the Dell XPS 15's 8-core Intel i7-10875H and even newer Intel Core i7-11375H. However, on battery, Surface Laptop 4 is a pilus slower than Surface Laptop three (AMD) when running on Ac and below that of 10th Gen Intel laptops.
3Dmark Time Spy reveals limitations of the AMD RX Vega GPU nearing the bottom of the list and below that of similar laptops with Intel Iris Xe graphics regardless if plugged in or not. The discrepancy with discrete GPUs from NVIDIA is even more apparent simply unsurprising.
We run across like results on 3Dmark Night Raid, a mix of CPU and GPU overall system operation. Surface Laptop 4 on AC edges out Surface Pro seven+ but is well behind Razer Book 13 and HP Spectre x360 14, neither of which has a detached GPU, just Iris Xe Graphics. On battery, Surface Laptop 4 edges out Surface Laptop three (Intel).
Geekbench 5, which focuses on pure CPU performance, again highlights the departure betwixt existence plugged in or non. When on Air-conditioning, Surface Laptop 4 virtually reaches Apple tree's M1 processor and is well ahead of Intel'southward 8-core and 4-core fries. However, when on bombardment, AMD falls behind processors like the i used in Surface Laptop 4 merely with Intel for single-cadre merely maintains a slight edge on multi-core (fifty-fifty though information technology has twice the cadre count).
It's not all bad news, nevertheless. On Cinebench R23, Surface Laptop 4 is remarkable regardless of power state. The AMD's viii-core advantage is specially credible on the multi-cadre test, where information technology handily beats Apple'south M1 processor by a substantial margin (Apple slightly edges AMD out on single-core). Intel quad-core and even eight-core 11th Gen fries are left in the dust.
Surprisingly, fifty-fifty SSD speeds, which is never an area Microsoft excels in, takes a hit depending on power condition (plugged or unplugged). Surface Laptop 4 PCIe 3.0 SSD has below average speeds of ii,310 MB/s for sequential read and a low i,060 MB/south for sequential write when on AC power. On battery, those results driblet to a disappointing 1,806 and 1,056 MB/south, respectively. Like Surface Laptop 3, the SSD on Surface Laptop 4 is serviceable, pregnant users tin can upgrade it, although the procedure is a flake tricky.
Thermals are pretty expert, with the pinnacle of Surface Laptop 4 never exceeding 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) on the tiptop deck. The lesser peaks at or just below 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), making this laptop warm but never hot. Similar numbers are seen on Apple's MacBook Pro with M1 when both devices are running Cinebench 23.
Surface Laptop iv'south bombardment is fine, matching the Intel-based Surface Laptop iii in our controlled examination.
Fan volume is well-nigh 2 decibels less than Surface Laptop three, peaking around 46 dBA, which is incredibly quiet for a laptop in peak mode. Apple'south MacBook Pro with M1 is a smidge softer at 44 dBA. When not pushing CPU and GPU to the max, the Laptop iv'due south fans rarely turn on, making this a very quiet laptop for everyday usage.
However, compared to Intel 10th Gen Surface Laptop three (13.v-inch) Surface Laptop 4 with AMD did not pass the 3Dmark Fourth dimension Spy Stress Exam earning merely 91.6% FPS Stability compared to Intel's 99.1% score. Such a effect suggests that the viii-core AMD processor is striking thermal limitations, which seems plausible considering how sparse and repose this laptop is versus proper gaming or workstation PCs.
Battery life is decent even though the 15-inch Surface Laptop has the aforementioned battery as the xiii.v-inch. Of course, as has been illustrated, AMD and Microsoft accomplish this past reducing the CPU, GPU, and fifty-fifty SSD performance, which heavily influences such a result. In our controlled battery rundown test (PCMark ten Modernistic Part), which loops through productivity-related tasks with occasional breaks, Surface Laptop 4 matched Surface Laptop 3 15-inch with an Intel Core i7 tenth Gen.
The battery results are OK but non super impressive either, and information technology makes us wonder what the version with Intel 11th Gen would achieve. In existent-life experience, battery life appears to striking the 8-hour marker and should be fine for most people.
Surface Laptop 4 as well resumes from sleep very quickly so that by the time the lid is opened, the Windows Hello infrared photographic camera is already logging you lot into the Bone. However, on hide, AMD takes around v seconds longer than an Intel Evo laptop to fully resume, clocking in at approximately xv seconds versus 8 to x.
Putting aside benchmarks and charts, Surface Laptop iv feels very fast and responsive, much more and then than Surface Laptop 3. Microsoft makes a big bargain well-nigh "arrangement integration" of all the hardware to work smoothly and efficiently — and I believe them. While the Ryzen 7 drops in overall performance on battery, where I use it most of the time, it notwithstanding feels exceptionally competent and enjoyable.
Anything improve?
Surface Laptop 4: The competition
While there are enough of like PCs in the 13-inch range, there are very few sparse laptops like Surface Laptop iv 15-inch.
The near obvious comparison is the new LG Gram xiv, which has a slightly smaller and lower resolution not-touch display (1920 x 1200), 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage with an Intel 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7. It does offering Thunderbolt four, more ports, a larger bombardment at 72WHr (versus 47.four WHr), and weighs just 2.2 pounds (999g) – more than a pound lighter than Surface Laptop 4, all for $300 less at $1,400.
Another interesting choice is HP'due south ENVY 14. Information technology has a smaller, lower-resolution 16:10 xiv-inch touch screen, but information technology offers up a moderately powerful NVIDIA GeForce 1650 Ti GPU, which obliterates Iris Xe or AMD. It gets surprisingly good battery life, has many more than ports (including microSD and full HDMI), and it is overall simply one of the most lovely laptops I take used. Pricing with GPU is much lower than Surface Laptop four (xv") at $i,260 while or smidge heavier at 3.53 pounds (ane.6kg) versus 3.4 pounds (1,542 g).
The remainder of the 15-inch space is crowded with some splendid offerings similar the Dell XPS xv, Razer Blade 15, HP Spectre x360 15T, and more than. Still, these all get into gaming laptop or workstation genres weighing much more than Surface Laptop 4 with college cost tags and frequently worse battery. You also get something much more performant since that course of laptop also features an NVIDIA GeForce GPU.
See our best xv-inch laptop and best thirteen-inch laptop lists to see our top-rated choices.
Information technology'due south better
Should you lot buy Surface Laptop 4?
Who it's for
- People who want a light and thin xv" touchscreen laptop
- Those who desire an elegant PC with stiff Air-conditioning performance
- Writers, photograph and video editors, office workers
- Fans of Surface who want a traditional laptop
Who it isn't for
- Those who need Thunderbolt four or a convertible PC
- Gamers
- People who need 4G LTE or 5G connectivity
My first experience with Surface Laptop 3 xv-inch was, at best mediocre. Part of it was AMD's Ryzen 3000 processor was lacking compared to the much superior Intel 10th Gen bit. The other was more than philosophical: why fifty-fifty buy this laptop?
The processor dilemma has mostly been answered, or rather, improved upon. AMD Ryzen 4000 and the 8-cadre R7 is a very powerful upgrade 1 that can even nip at the heels of Apple tree'south M1. Battery life is decent – non unique – and the overall responsiveness, instant-on, and quality of the components shine. All of that has greatly improved my impressions and even fondness of the 15-inch model.
What makes a Surface a Surface is Microsoft's attention to detail and the sum of its parts. Information technology is something y'all only "get" in using 1 firsthand. That holds especially truthful for the Surface Laptop, which is still ane of the nicest, well-nigh enjoyable PC laptops available.
Of course, equally the criterion section revealed, there are a lot of qualifications also. Whether yous primarily work on AC or battery could affect your pick of processor. AMD gets the bombardment life, but Intel gets the mobile performance. When plugged in, AMD dominates, but only if you do not need a strong GPU. If you primarily practise work in multi-core app scenarios, and so go with AMD, just Intel is the winner if you use single-core apps. Besides, for media creators, our results from PCMark x revealed the AMD Surface Laptop 4 better for photo editing, merely Intel Iris Xe (Surface Pro 7+) is ameliorate for video.
It is all overly complicated, and most people don't have single answers to those questions. Instead, "it depends." The only takeaway is there is no articulate winner between the two processors, and either pick is fine. Just don't overthink it.
What makes a Surface is Microsoft'due south attention to detail, which holds especially true for the Surface Laptop.
The more pregnant upshot is why get Surface Laptop 4 fifteen-inch regardless of the fleck inside it? For myself, it is a tricky question to respond. The most obvious respond is the simplest: you prefer a more than prominent brandish. That may be a practiced enough response for many, and it is non my place to disagree. Notwithstanding, I would yet like to run into Microsoft exercise a bit more to make the 15-inch model more just a "blown up" smaller ane. Even things like using a larger battery, adding an actress port, or a 1080P camera would at least be interesting. LG can become away with this because its whole schtick is ridiculously light laptops, e.g., Gram 17.
For either the 13.five-inch or xv-inch Surface Laptop iv, Microsoft could still do things to brand the display on par with Apple tree, HP, or Dell regarding HDR, WCG, and anti-reflective treatment. Thunderbolt 4 would besides be excellent (even if I recall it is overrated for your average user).
Overall, Surface Laptop 4 is a welcomed improvement to the line irrespective of whichever processor you choose. As e'er, Microsoft seems to exist slipping a fleck in pushing new features making this laptop full of potential not yet realized. But if you are attack the xv-inch model, it is much easier to recommend in 2022 than final year.
AMD or Intel
Microsoft Surface Laptop iv (2021)
The pick is now yours
Surface Laptop iv brings options for Intel 11th Gen or AMD Ryzen 4000 Mobile processors in both xiii.five and 15-inch models. With Dolby Atmos, Iris Xe, or Radeon Graphics, the new Surface Laptop 4 should deliver an excellent experience.
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Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007 back when this site was chosen WMExperts (and later on Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Surface, laptops, and modern computing. Follow him on Twitter: @daniel_rubino.
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/surface-laptop-4-review
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