Receive FREE headlines and breaking news alerts by subscribing to our newsletter
We have newsletters
Receive FREE headlines and breaking news alerts by subscribing to our newsletter
we have newsletters
I tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop CoPilot 15-inch PC, a Windows 11 device designed to challenge the market dominance of Apple MacBook.
This is the seventh-generation Surface Laptop, one of a new wave of computers that offers enhanced on-device AI capabilities, longer battery life and power efficiency, and ultraportable designs. It is powered by the Snapdragon Elite X chip and is on sale at Harvey Norman.
I had almost a month to put this 15-inch CoPilot+ through its paces as my number one computer. By the way, it also comes in a 13. 8-inch size.
READ MORE: I tested DJI Mini Pro and it’s a solid, ultra-portable drone for beginners and professionals
Here’s my full review and, spoiler alert, it’s one of the most productive laptops I’ve tested.
The design of the Surface Laptop has been renewed for this new generation. The narrow foldable computer, which is just 17. 5mm thick and weighs 1. 66kg, has a classic wedge shape, so it gets thinner towards the front of the device. a sloping bottom that looks gorgeous. An anti-fingerprint coating does a good job of keeping your computer free of smudges.
You also get thinner bezels, rounded screen corners, sharp edges, and a larger trackpad. Everything seems high-end. There is no visual element on the chassis to open the laptop and there are no visual speaker grills on or below the keyboard.
The stunning LCD screen has a resolution of 2496 x 1664 and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Automatically switches between 60 Hz and 120 Hz when scrolling. The maximum brightness is six hundred nits, which is bright for an LCD computer screen.
The problem with the format is the lack of an anti-glare coating on the screen.
Surface Laptop 7 is a Windows Hello machine. This means that it uses the laptop’s infrared camera and front camera to ensure protection of the machine when you are away from it, and then activates immediately when you are working on it.
This ultra-fast experience sets the tone for this Surface Laptop, which features a Snapdragon X Elite formula-on-chip (SoC) that powers everything under the hood. It’s Qualcomm’s first true PC-class chip and the first Windows on Arm processor that can compete. with Intel, AMD and Apple silicon, Microsoft is so confident through those new Qualcomm chips that this generation of Surface Laptop 7 works exclusively through them.
An ARM processor necessarily simplifies computer commands so that the formula is executed more efficiently. This results in longer battery life while maintaining flagship functionality at peak workflows.
I’ve done benchmark tests with incredibly impressive scores, but mock tests never tell the full story and it’s in use that this device shines the brightest.
I tested it with open browsers with 20 tabs running on each, while toggling between a processing power-intensive virtual audio workstation and open video editing systems along with Photoshop and Lightroom and various programs from the Microsoft Office suite.
Not only did I never enjoy any lag or slowdown, but I was surprised at how temporarily this Surface Laptop is going through everything I throw at it. This device is as rugged as the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops powered by Apple Silicon. We have tested it for the last few years.
It’s worth mentioning that an existing app I tried to test, Adobe Premiere Pro, had not yet been optimized for the Windows architecture on Arm (it’s still in its infancy) and was disabled through Adobe, so I couldn’t run it. Of the productivity and workplace systems I tested, the new SoC is amazing. And Adobe runs on a local Arm edition of Premiere-Pro.
Most non-Windows-native apps on ARM will still work perfectly thanks to an emulation layer called Prism.
Furthermore, in daily use I did not experience any overheating, because the active cooling fan does its job, which it does very quietly. The only time the Surface Laptop got hot was when I was running artificial benchmarks in Geekbench 6 and Cinebench.
The battery life is insane. There’s a 66Wh power supply on board and if your typical workday is surfing the web, answering emails, Microsoft Office tasks, attending virtual meetings, etc. , then the Surface Laptop will seamlessly last you a full workday. .
I spent almost 11 hours a day conducting extensive testing and what’s very important is that there was no loss of functionality when the device was running on battery power.
I ran a video stream on YouTube and the battery lasted 19 hours.
Microsoft has kept its proprietary tester on this generation of Surface Laptop, and I like the ability to have a magnetic charging port like you have on Apple’s MacBooks. But you can also choose to use the USB-C ports, which is convenient for working with the pass and means you can leave the proprietary cable at home.
The AI features available on Surface Laptop integrate seamlessly into apps like Microsoft Word, Paint, and Teams. Live translation features on video calls, cleaning up text documents, transforming drafts, generating photos and applying video filters are just a click away as there is a dedicated CoPilot button for instant access to all the qualities of AI.
And those installations run on the device, giving you more personal and secure AI with faster processing than AI installations running in the cloud.
The touchscreen help has been a key merit of Microsoft Surface laptops (and other Windows machines) over Apple’s MacBooks, but this feature is even more welcome on a CoPilot PC.
Other useful features include WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5. 4, two USB4 40Gbps ports, a USB-A 3. 2 port, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.
My mode included 512GB of SSD storage and 16GB of RAM.
You get a stunning Full HD webcam and the perfect microphones that beautifully reproduce convention calls. And the Dolby Atmos speakers are decent too.
The spacious new touchpad catches the eye because it uses a haptic engine to simulate a click. The keyboard is also a pleasure to work with: all the keys are tactile and responsive.
Microsoft has claimed that it is completely repairable since almost all of its parts are replaceable.
This super impressive Surface Laptop is by far the most Windows device I’ve ever tested and one of the most productive laptops you can buy.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop CoPilot PC with 512 GB/16 GB costs €1,479 according to Harvey Norman for the 13. 8-inch model and €1,829 for the 15-inch model reviewed. A 15-inch model with 1TB storage is also available for €2,079. You can also purchase it from the Microsoft website.
Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox
Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to get the latest news and headlines right on your phone. We also provide members of our network with special offers, promotions, and advertising from us and our partners. If you don’t like our network, you can check it at any time. If you are curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.