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Surface Laptop 7
Editor’s choice
The new Surface Laptop 7 packs a better processor, more RAM, a bigger battery, and a superior 120Hz display than the Surface Laptop 6 for Business. It’s also a bit cheaper, making it the clear choice for users looking for a new Surface PC.
Pros- Faster chipset
- More base RAM
- Sleek new design
Cons- Slightly inferior multi-core performance
- OLED display limited to X Elite model
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Surface Laptop 6 for Business
Not compelling
The Surface Laptop 6 for Business isn’t a bad computer, but it feels half-baked compared to the Surface Laptop 7. Its overall design and chunky bezels feel dated in 2024, and the Intel Core Ultra processors, while capable, don’t outperform the Snapdragon X chips inside the Surface Laptop 7. It’s also ineligible for Microsoft Copilot+ due to its weaker NPU. Despite all that, it’s somehow more expensive.
Pros- Core Ultra CPUs are very capable
- Broad configuration options
- Premium look and feel
Cons- Inferior hardware
- More expensive
Surface device fans were in for a treat this year, as Microsoft has unveiled not one but two different models of its Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices. On the clamshell PC side, we saw the release of the Surface Laptop 6 for Business in April, followed by the Surface Laptop 7 in May. The laptops are fairly similar at a glance, but there are some notable differences inside and out. If either of these Surface PCs caught your eye, but you can’t decide which one is a better fit, keep reading. We’ll do a deep-dive comparison of the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Laptop 6 for Businesses below.
Price, specs, & availability
The Surface Laptop 6 for Business dropped in April, and the Surface Laptop 7 hit the market about a month later. Both are currently available for purchase through Microsoft, the exclusive vendor for the Business model. The Surface Laptop 7 is also available from Best Buy and will likely pop up at other retailers, such as Amazon, soon.
As is typically the case with Surface devices, you can order the Surface Laptop 7 and Laptop 6 for Business in various hardware configurations. Both are also available in 13-inch and 15-inch form factors, keeping with previous Surface Laptop generations. Retail pricing for the Surface Laptop 7 starts at $1,000, whereas the Surface Laptop 6 for Business carries a sticker price of $1,200 in its base configuration.
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Surface Laptop 7 Surface Laptop 6 for Business CPU Up to Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Up to Core Ultra 7 165H GPU Qualcomm Adreno Intel Arc Display type IPS touchscreen LCD, anti-reflective, 1400:1 contrast ratio, up to 120Hz IPS touchscreen LCD, anti-reflective, 1300:1 contrast ratio, up to 60Hz Display (Size, Resolution) 13.8-inch, 2304×1536 or 15-inch, 2496×1664 13.5-inch, 2256×1504 or 15-inch, 2496×1664 RAM Up to 64GB LPDDR5x Up to 64GB LPDDR5x Storage Up to 1TB Gen 4 SSD Up to 1TB Gen 4 SSD Battery 54 to 66 WHr 47 WHr Ports 2x USB4, 1x USB Type-A, 1x Surface Connect 1 Thunderbolt (2 TB4 in the 15-inch model), USB 3.1 Type-A, Surface Connect, optional Smart Card reader Operating System Windows 11 Windows 11 Pro or Windows 10 Pro Webcam 1080p Surface Studio Camera 1080p Surface Studio Camera Cellular connectivity No No Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Form factor Laptop Laptop Dimensions 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69in; 15-inch: 12.96 x 9.41 x 0.72in 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.66in; 15-inch: 13.4 x 9.6 x 0.67in Weight 13-inch: 2.96 pounds; 15-inch: 3.67 pounds 3.06 pounds; 15-inch: 3.70 pounds Speakers Omnisonic speakers Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos Colors Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire, Dune Platinum, Black Pen compatibility Microsoft Pen Protocol Microsoft Pen Protocol Price Starts at $1,000 Starts at $1,200
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Design
The Surface Laptop 7 is a much-needed refresh
Image credit: Microsoft
Surface PCs have graced many “best laptops” lists over the years, but they were in dire need of a refresh. Thankfully, Microsoft answered the call with the Surface Laptop 7. The biggest update is that the chunky bezels around the display are slimmer. As a result, the Surface Laptop 7 is slightly smaller and lighter than the Laptop 6 for Business, although they’re both quite light and suitably portable. The bigger advantage of smaller bezels (aside from aesthetics) is that the 13-inch Surface Laptop 7 now sports a 13.8-inch display compared to the 13.5-inch screen on the Laptop 6 for Business. The larger model still sits squarely at 15 inches, however.
One thing you might notice when looking at the specs of the Surface Laptop 7 is the absence of Thunderbolt 4. That’s because official Thunderbolt certification is limited to Intel and Apple, and Qualcomm (the maker of the Snapdragon X processors inside the Laptop 7) isn’t eligible. However, this is nothing to worry about. The Surface Laptop 7 features two USB-C ports with USB4, so it still supports charging, high-speed data transfer, and external monitors via DisplayPort 2.1. And yes, your favorite Thunderbolt accessories will work just fine with it. The differences between the new Surface Laptops aren’t huge, but the refined design of the Laptop 7 feels long overdue.
Winner: Surface Laptop 7
Display
One major difference
Surface devices always have nice high-definition displays. The Surface Laptop 7 and Laptop 6 for Business don’t deviate from that and are similar in resolution, brightness, and color accuracy. The 15-inch models have a 2,496 x 1,664 resolution, offering the great 3:2 aspect ratio we love about these PixelSense screens. The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 display has a 2,304 x 1,536 resolution, while the 13.5-inch Laptop 6 for Business has a 2256×1504 pixel resolution, obviously due to the different-sized panels.
The more noteworthy divide is the refresh rate. The Surface Laptop series has been stuck with 60Hz panels, yet the Pro tablets have been upgraded to 120Hz. That’s unfortunately still true for the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, which seems like a cut corner for a PC that costs north of a grand. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop 7 boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, which is another long overdue upgrade. If upgrading from a 60Hz display to a 120Hz panel, you’ll notice a smoother picture when watching videos or scrolling through apps and websites. Quality-of-life improvements such as these make the Surface Laptop 7 look and feel like a more premium (not to mention more up-to-date) device than the Laptop 6 for Business.
Winner: Surface Laptop 7
Performance
Intel should be worried about Qualcomm
The Surface Laptop 6 for Business runs on Intel’s latest Ultra Core system-on-chip, specifically, the Core Ultra 5 135H or Core Ultra 7 165H, depending on configuration. These impressive SoCs combine CPU and GPU cores onto a single chip. Intel cranked up the graphical horsepower with its Ultra Core chips, but a bigger highlight of these Meteor Lake processors is its neural processing unit. This NPU provides the muscle for generative AI functions, such as language modeling or image generation, featuring heavily in many productivity apps now (as you’ve probably noticed).
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Microsoft put AI front and center in its recent Copilot+ PC initiative, which adds a slew of new AI functionality to the Windows experience. The Core Ultra processors in the Surface Laptop 6 for Business are up to the task, but Intel has some competition. The beating heart of the Surface Laptop 7 is the Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipset, which rivals other SoCs like Intel Meteor Lake and Apple silicon and is shaking up the laptop market. The Snapdragon X Plus and Elite deliver superior performance than the Core Ultra chips in just about every metric. They’re also more efficient, built on 4 nm architecture in contrast to Meteor Lake’s 7 nm structure.
Additionally, the Snapdragon X chips provide much more NPU power than Meteor Lake, so much so that Core Ultra chips aren’t eligible for Microsoft’s Copilot+ program. That means the Surface Laptop 7 outpaces the Surface Laptop 6 for Business for generative AI tasks, despite Microsoft heavily marketing the latter as an AI PC. Making matters even worse for the Surface Laptop 6 for Business is that it offers only 8GB of RAM in its base configuration, which is unacceptable for a laptop that retails for $1,200. The Surface Laptop 7 comes standard with 16GB of memory, and it’s cheaper.
Winner: Surface Laptop 7
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Battery life
The Surface Laptop 6 lags behind yet again
Surface devices typically offer pretty good battery life, laptops included. However, another upgrade that the Surface Laptop 7 received is a bigger battery. Both models of the Surface Laptop 6 for Business pack a 47 watt-hour battery, yet even the 13-inch Surface Laptop 7 has a bigger internal power supply at 54 watt-hours. The 15-inch Laptop 7 has a bigger battery still, at 66 watt-hours. In conjunction with the energy-efficient Snapdragon X processors, the larger battery capacity of the Surface Laptop 7 means you can expect it to last longer (potentially all day, depending on what you’re doing) when not plugged into a power outlet. This is another area where the older design of the Surface Laptop 6 for Business is beginning to feel a bit dated compared to the competition, which, in 2024, includes another Surface Laptop.
Winner: Surface Laptop 7
The Surface Laptop 7 cleans up across the board
If it’s not clear yet, the winner of this contest is the Surface Laptop 7. It’s better by virtually every measurable metric. From its sleek new design and powerful Snapdragon CPU to its smoother display and superior battery life, the Surface Laptop 7 beats the Laptop 6 for Business across the board. It’s even priced more attractively, with the base model costing $200 less (yet packing better hardware, including twice the RAM) than the Surface Laptop 6 for Business. If your choices boil down to these two Surface PCs, there’s simply no compelling reason not to opt for the Surface Laptop 7.
Surface Laptop 7
Editor’s choice
The Surface Laptop 7 is the first major shakeup the lineup has received since its inception, with a brand-new design with thinner bezels, plus a new haptic touchpad. The laptop now comes in 13.8- or 15-inch models, and it’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite or Snapdragon X plus chips.