Best Microsoft Surface Laptop (2026): Which Model to Buy or Avoid

But more than anything, it’s the finish of the laptop’s design and the quality of its components that make it comparable to Apple’s. You can get it with a screen size of 13.8 or 15 inches. The smaller model has a slightly larger screen than its predecessor (up from 13.5 inches) with thinner bezels and rounder corners. It’s also brighter and has a 120Hz screen refresh rate, giving it an advantage over the MacBook Air. Content looks vivid and sharp, even outdoors in broad daylight (but you’ll need to crank it up to full brightness in direct sunlight).

My favorite thing about the screen is the aspect ratio. Because it’s 3:2 instead of 16:10, the laptop has a larger, closer-to-square screen. This provides more vertical space for web pages, spreadsheets and applications. When choosing between the two, I’ll always lean toward the Surface Laptop’s 3:2 display, which is one of the few laptops to use this aspect ratio. The 1080p webcam, customizable haptic feedback trackpad, and snappy keyboard are also as powerful as the MacBook Air.

None of this would matter if the performance and battery weren’t competitive. Fortunately, the Surface Laptop 13.8 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, with options for the X Elite or X Plus. It was one of the first laptops to adopt these chips and benefited from their exceptional battery life and efficient performance. We tested the Elite and performance was perfectly smooth, regardless of the number of windows, tabs and applications open. It’s not a machine for graphics-intensive tasks, like video editing or gaming, but it’s perfectly capable of performing all the usual tasks that most people do on a laptop.

The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop initially came with an option with just 256GB of storage, which is how Microsoft was able to sell it at such a low starting price. But now it starts at 512GB, whether you choose the 13.8-inch model or the larger 15-inch. The 13.8-inch model now starts at $1,099, although you can often find it for less at Best Buy or Amazon. Additionally, Microsoft has a newer (and more budget-focused) option in the lineup called the Surface Laptop 13, launching in 2025 and starting with 256GB of storage. While we haven’t tested this machine yet, it comes with several downgrades, including a lower resolution screen (which isn’t a 3:2 aspect ratio), no Surface Connect magnetic charging port, and no Windows Hello infrared camera. With all the discounts available on the larger models, I don’t find the price difference with the Surface Laptop 13 worth all the compromises.

Best 2-in-1 laptop

The Surface Pro 13 is the best Surface tablet Microsoft has ever made. It uses the original Surface design, combining a 13-inch tablet with a built-in kickstand with a detachable keyboard. You get the same two USB-C connectors as before, as well as Microsoft’s Surface Connect port. It’s still awkward to use on your lap, but on a desk, the new Flex Keyboard is a great (and expensive) upgrade: You can use the keyboard and Surface separately, so you can space out your setup a bit.