Specs Appeal: Comparing the Surface Laptop 13-inch with the Surface Laptop 7

There is a new Surface Laptop in town. The Surface Laptop 13-inch (yep, that's the name) joins its larger siblings, the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 and the 15-inch Surface Laptop 7, offering customers a more affordable, albeit significantly cut-down version. Here is our detailed spec-by-spec comparison.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch was announced alongside the Surface Pro 12-inch, and you can check out its Specs Appeal article here.

Like the Surface Pro 12-inch, the new Surface Laptop is powered by an eight-core Snapdragon X Plus processor with a 45 TOPS NPU for AI-powered experiences, such as Recall, Click to Do, and a bunch of other features that Microsoft announced today (including new features for stock apps). Memory is limited to just 16GB, and storage options are either 256GB or 512GB UFS (no SSDs here).

The biggest downgrade in the Surface Laptop 13-inch is its display. It is a 1080p touchscreen display at only 60Hz, a big step down from the 120Hz displays in the Surface Laptop 7. HDR is not supported, the contrast ratio is lower, and the max brightness peaks at only 400 nits. That is a lot of sacrifices for a device that is only $100 less expensive.

Microsoft also ditched a Windows Hello webcam. The 1080p webcam supports all the AI enhancements, but it cannot be used for biometric authentication. Instead, Microsoft borrowed the fingerprint reader from the Surface Laptop Go and implemented it in the power button. Fortunately, the fingerprint reader is present in both configurations, not just the more expensive 512GB variant.

Ports in the Surface Laptop 13-inch include two USB 3.2 Type-C (no USB-4, but dual 4K 60Hz display output is supported), one USB 3.1 Type-A, and a headphone jack. Like in the Surface Pro 12-inch, the Surface Connect port is no longer with us as Microsoft is now committing fully to Type-C.

On the bright side, Microsoft introduces two new colors: Ocean and Violet. Also, while being smaller and thinner in size, the Surface Laptop 13-inch boasts significantly better battery life, taking the title of the longest battery life in any Surface device (up to 23 hours of video playback).

Here are the key changes summed up in a list:

• Smaller and lighter
• Two new colors: Ocean and Violet
• Lower-resolution display with a lower refresh rate and max brightness without HDR
• 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor with a fan
• UFS storage instead of SSD
• Fingerprint scanner in the power button instead of a Windows Hello camera
• Better battery life
• USB 3.2 ports instead of USB 4 and no Surface Connect
• $100 cheaper

And here is a detailed spec-by-spec comparison, with changes highlighted in bold:

	Surface Laptop 13-inch	Surface Laptop 7
Chassis	11.25 x 8.43 x 0.61" 2.7 lbs 285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6 mm 1.22 kg	11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69" 2.96 lbs 301 x 220 x 17.5 mm 1.34 kg	12.96 x 9.41 x 0.72" 3.67 lbs 329 x 239 x 18.29 1.66 kg
Colors	Platinum, Ocean, Violet	Sapphire, Dune, Black, Platinum
Display	13-inch:   1920 x 1280 (178 ppi) 1000:1 contrast ratio 60Hz 10-point multi-touch	13.8-inch:   2304 x 1536 (201 ppi) 1400:1 contrast ratio 120Hz 10-point multi-touch HDR support	15-inch:   2496 x 1664 (201 ppi) 1300:1 contrast ratio 120Hz 10-point multi-touch HDR support
Processor	8-core Snapdragon X Plus	10-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 12-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
Memory	16GB LPDDR5x	16GB, 32GB LPDDR5x
Storage	256GB, 512GB UFS	User-removable PCIe 4 SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Security	Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0 Fingerprint sensor Windows 11 Secured-core PC	Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0 Windows Hello face sign-in Windows 11 Secured-core PC
Network	Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
Battery	TBD mAh   Up to 23 hours of video playback   Charger included	13.8-inch:   54Wh   Up to 20 hours of video playback	15-inch:   66Wh   Up to 22 hours of video playback
Camera	1080p front-facing camera	1080p front-facing camera with Windows Hello face sign-in
Ports	2x USB 3.2 Type-C 1x USB 3.1 Type-A 3.5 mm headphone jack	13.8-inch:   2x USB-C/USB4 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect	15-inch:   2x USB-C/USB4 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect microSDXC reader
Launch Price	$899+	$999+ $1,299+

In conclusion, the Surface Laptop 13-inch looks appealing at first sight. However, as you start digging deeper into its specs and discover cut corners, the Surface Laptop 7 begins to look like a significantly better option. Right now, you can get the baseline Surface Laptop 7 for just $799 on Amazon, $100 cheaper than the new Surface Laptop, and for this money, you will get a lot more: a more powerful processor, better storage, a much better display, and a better camera.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch is very hard to recommend at its launch price. Unless, of course, you want a smaller laptop with three extra hours of battery life (according to Microsoft). Also, I cannot blame anyone for wanting that Violet variant. It just looks so good.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch is now available for preorder in the Microsoft Store. Shipments begin on May 20, 2025. Are you getting one?

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