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It falls behind in terms of upgradeability, external display support, screen refresh rate, and relative cost.
For a model with 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, expect to pay about $1,899.
The 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 sitting open.
That’s $100 less than the top Surface Laptop 7 model, but it lacks 8GB of RAM.
Moving on to the 15-inch Surface Laptop 7, it’s only available with the Snapdragon X Elite SoC.
A model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD costsabout $1,300.
From there, prices climb toabout $2,100for a model with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
For a model with 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, you’re looking at about $2,099.
DIY memory and storage upgrades are not possible on the MacBook Air.
Microsoft has an exclusive on models with 64GB of RAM, which is nice considering memory is soldered.
If you’re looking for the most mobile laptop, Apple has Microsoft beat.
The speakers are hidden beneath the keyboard.
The Laptop 7 has good audio, but the extra hardware in the MacBook Air is hard to beat.
The port selection also falls in favor of the Surface Laptop 7.
The Air can handle one external display up to a 6K resolution with its own display active.
Wi-Fi 7is included in both Surface Laptop 7 models; it’s joined by Bluetooth 5.4.
Finally, the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 comes in Sapphire, Dune, Black, and Platinum colors.
The 15-inch model has only Black and Platinum options.
The 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 sitting open.
Both sizes of the MacBook Air M3 come in Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver finishes.
It can reach up to 500 nits brightness, and it hasDolby VisionHDR support for compatible content.
Both screens top out at a 60Hz refresh rate.
The lid and left ports on the 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 with Platinum finish
Microsoft uses a slightly larger 13.8-inch IPS display with a 2304x1536 resolution, working out to 201 PPI.
It’s a touch display, too, something that the MacBook Air lacks.
That includes Dolby Vision IQ support, and up to about 600 nits of brightness.
Rounded edges and bezel on the 15-inch Surface Laptop 7
Our unit also has no noticeable backlight bleed around the edges either."
Yes, the Laptop 7 has a touchscreen, but its use in a notebook PC is rather limited.
It also lacks pen support for inking.
A look at some glare on the 15-inch Surface Laptop 7
Qualcomm currently has three tiers of theSnapdragon X Elitefor laptops, as well as one X Plus chip.
One standout exception is Adobe Premiere Pro, which struggled in Bowden’s testing.
An ARM-native version is expected at some point, according to Adobe.
Two 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 models sitting closed
Other Adobe apps like Photoshop that have ARM64 versions run flawlessly.
Gaming performance from the 10-core GPU in the M3 is touched on in iMore’s MacBook Air review.
Like the Surface Laptop 7, it’s not meant to be used as a dedicated gaming machine.
3DMark Time Spy results for the Surface Laptop 7 and other laptops we’ve reviewed
Windows now has something calledAuto Super Resolutionthat works in select games.
Windows is still the best place for PC gaming.
Battery life is another important consideration.
The Copilot key on the 15-inch Surface Laptop 7
Battery life from the 15-inch Laptop 7 we tested (which has a 66Wh battery) is stellar.
That works out to somewhere around 15 hours of runtime.
That’s a huge deal for travelers and mobile workers.
The 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 in a Platinum finish
Interestingly, Apple is using its own silicon for the AI cloud.
Apple Intelligence is expected to arrive later this year.
How useful Copilot+ and Apple Intelligence are to you ultimately comes down to how you work.
Surface Laptop 7 vs. MacBook Air (M3): Which should you buy?
Both sizes of the Air have impressive audio, with a stellar keyboard and touchpad.
If you don’t need macOS, the Surface Laptop 7 certainly makes a strong case for itself.
The keyboard is as good as ever, and the touchpad is now haptic for a better pointing experience.
Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7 comes in two sizes with Snapdragon X SoCs.
