In this blog, I will give you my honest review of Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. When Microsoft first released their Surface Laptop series in 2017, it was a significant step for the company. The Surface Laptop was one of the best laptops available at the time, with technology that could go head-to-head with that of a MacBook Air as well as a lightweight design that was years ahead of its competition.

 Expert’s Ratings

Price

$1181.09

Design

6/10

Features

7/10

Performance

7/10

Pros

• Long-lasting batteries
• Superb image clarity
• Supports Thunderbolt 4 connections at last
• Compact and lightweight

Cons

• Lacks a distinguishing quality
• There’s no fingerprint ID
• Inferior performance compared to rivals
• Extremely antiquated design.

Our Verdict

There have been some subtle improvements made to the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, such as a faster central processing unit and a port for Thunderbolt 4. When compared to other laptops such as the MacBook Air or the Dell XPS 13, it is difficult to see why someone would choose for this antiquated model with its mediocre performance.

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Detailed Review: Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13.5-inch)

Even while the CPU has been improved and connection through Thunderbolt 4 has finally been implemented, this laptop is in almost every other respect remarkably similar to the one that Microsoft debuted five years ago, notably in terms of its design.

Microsoft has not made many improvements to the Surface Laptop range despite the fact that other manufacturers of laptops have launched new features such as laptops with reduced bezels, OLED panels, and fingerprint scanners. Although for the same price there are solutions that are much more fascinating than the Surface Laptop 5, it is still a fine laptop and will serve anybody who wants a device that is lightweight and can be used for productive tasks.

Key Features

Join us for an up-close and personal look at the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. Fair warning: this laptop may not be the enchanted kingdom of your dreams. It’s more like going on a dubious funfair ride that leaves you feeling disappointed and regretful. But hey, let’s enjoy the oddities as we investigate the central elements that, uh, try to salvage this subpar extravaganza. A performance as flat as a deflated balloon and a battery life that drains faster than you can say “wait, is it dead already?” await us as we explore the device’s fairly unappealing appearance and middling resolution display.

Brace yourself for an exciting adventure as we explore the world of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. For better or worse, it’s an emotional roller coaster of mediocrity. Okay, how about we just jump in?

Decent Touchscreen

Use Windows Hello’s facial recognition to log in quickly and safely, and use the touchscreen interface with ease. The Surface Laptop 5 incorporates a touchscreen that may be used to poke, pinch, and swipe around online pages.

Thunderbolt 4

Thunderbolt 4 is now enabled and supported, which implies that data transfer speeds will be increased and more peripherals will be able to be connected. Microsoft has enabled this feature.

Intel Core 12th Gen Processor:

Streamline your workflow and run resource-intensive programmes with ease on modern hardware that has powerful processors, large amounts of RAM, and quick storage solutions. The Surface Laptop 5 from Microsoft is equipped with the most recent generation of processors available from Intel.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 Design

In 2022, Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop 5 without cosmetic revisions. I get déjà vu. I don’t mind the laptop’s outdated screen. Both the Alcantara and metal variants are beautiful. The 13.5 and 15-inch models’ compact shapes and smaller screens make them perfect travel companions. The laptop screen has a large black bezel. Compared to the Dell XPS 13 Plus’s elegant shape and minimum border, it’s ugly. It also wastes too much screen space.

Microsoft merely added a new colour, Sage, to the laptop, which I have. I miss Ice Blue with Platinum, Black, and Sandstone, but it’s a good alternative. Microsoft promised Thunderbolt 4 for the Surface Laptop’s USB connection. This speeds up data transport to and from the laptop and expands external display possibilities. It now competes with other high-end laptops.

On the left edge, there are just USB-C, USB-A, and headphone jacks. The right-side Surface Connect connection charges, although it’s inconveniently situated next to a second Thunderbolt 4 port. Headphones, USB-A, and Thunderbolt 4 ports are on the left side. Microsoft wants to maintain the magnetic charging connection and the Surface Connect port so its own accessories can operate with it. I’m unconvinced.

Summary:

• The keyboard has a wonderful texture.
• Thick screen bezel is really old.
• Thunderbolt 4 expands available interfaces.

Keyboard

I find the keyboard’s loud clicks to be really pleasurable. The laptop’s deck will not budge under your prods since it is supported by a solid frame. The lack of a fingerprint scanner is disappointing given how commonplace they have become on high-end laptops, but at least Windows Hello allows you to log in with your face if you’d rather not remember a password.

The webcam’s quality of 720p isn’t the highest available and results in somewhat blurry and distorted video transmissions. It works well for work-related Teams meetings, but if you want professional-quality video for YouTube, you’ll need an additional camera. The laptop has the holy trinity of trackpads: it’s big, it’s silky, and it responds quickly. After the success of the Surface Laptop Studio, I thought Microsoft would be persuaded to adopt a haptic feedback touchpad, but I can live without one for now.

Screen

Both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch versions of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 have touch-enabled displays with a 3:2 aspect ratio designed with web browsing and social media in mind rather than video. The picture quality is also excellent, with a Quad HD resolution that brings out the finest details in your digital media. The trailer for Oppenheimer had vibrant colours, but I had problems making out finer details in the movie’s darker nighttime sequences.

The colorimeter allowed me to examine the display in more detail. The 398 nits of brightness I measured are far higher than the norm for laptop screens, but the 1264:1 contrast ratio I measured is less impressive. My fears that this laptop wouldn’t be able to display fine detail in dark environments were confirmed by tests, but it was more than enough for streaming video. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t yet included an OLED screen to their laptop lineup, which would greatly enhance the display’s contrast and brightness.

When it comes to the display quality of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, my only real issue is the colour gamut. The 61.4% Adobe RGB coverage and the 63.1% DCI-P3 coverage make this laptop a poor choice for color-critical tasks like picture and video editing. If this is a major concern for you, I highly recommend the MacBook Pro. I was impressed by the speakers’ ability to play at high volumes without losing clarity. With this laptop, I don’t even need headphones to enjoy watching a film or listen to Spotify.

Summery:

• The colours are off for serious artwork.
• Display sizes of 13.5 inches and 15 inches are also offered.
• The sharp footage was made possible by the high resolution screen.

Battery

I don’t understand why Microsoft opted with an Intel Processor that has such a low power rating. It’s possible that they did it with the life of the battery in mind. In my battery rundown test, which entails lowering the screen brightness to 150 nits and running PCMark 10 to simulate typical office use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 lasted for a total of 10 hours and 30 minutes until the battery gave out. It has an outstanding endurance considering that the majority of laptops turn themselves off after 8-10 hours.

Given the decreased performance, do you feel that the battery life is acceptable? The longer battery life of the more powerful MacBook Air, which is around 12 hours, does not convince me to purchase it. In 40 minutes, the battery of the laptop may be recharged to fifty percent of its capacity, and in ninety minutes, it can reach its full potential. That is wonderful if you just have a few moments to give yourself a little boost before you have to dash out to work.

Summary:

• Tested with a battery life of little about 12 hours.
• Capable of a full charge in 80 minutes

Performance

Despite its performance boost, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5’s CPU disappoints me. The 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1255U powers the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. Microsoft’s U-Series CPU is slower than the Dell XPS 13 Plus’s P-Series CPU, but it’s an advance over the Surface Laptop 4. The M1-powered MacBook Air surpassed its opponents despite its two-year-old release. Microsoft’s laptop is speedy, even if cheaper machines are more powerful. Switching websites is enjoyable even with many apps open. A powerful computer isn’t needed for ordinary tasks.

The poor benchmark scores will worry content producers who need a powerful workstation. The MacBook Pro and Surface Laptop Studio outperform the Surface Laptop 5, which lacks a GPU. The Surface Laptop 5 has a meagre 256GB SSD. That’s not enough space for most people nowadays unless you keep a lot of stuff in the cloud. The 15-inch model features a 1TB model, and the 512GB model costs more. The laptop’s sluggish solid-state drive disappointed me. The Dell XPS 13 Plus, for example, has read and write speeds of 3560 and 2483 MB/s, respectively.

Summary:

• Disappointing SSD performance and insufficient basic storage
• Not quite as quick as the rest of the pack yet
• Powered by the latest Intel Core processor (12th generation)

Final Thoughts

It’s tough to justify the purchase of a Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. When considered in isolation, the laptop holds up rather well thanks to its lightweight design, contemporary CPU, and high-resolution screen. However, it lacks everything that would make it preferable to a current ultrabook like the MacBook Air or the Dell XPS 13 Plus. It has a dated look, a limited number of ports, and no standout features like an OLED display, powerful processor, or fingerprint reader. A smaller price reduction would have had a significant impact.

Thunderbolt 4 support is a welcome addition to Microsoft’s Surface Laptop lineup, but unfortunately it isn’t enough to keep this laptop attractive. So, unless you get it on sale or are a die-hard Microsoft Surface fan, I can’t really endorse this laptop.