Microsoft Surface Laptop is one of the best Windows 10 laptop available in the market. Here’s our detailed review of Surface Laptop.
As anyone who has used a Microsoft keyboard or mouse will tell you, Redmond makes some excellent hardware. So a couple of years back, the company decided that it was time to an extent this expertise to computers as well. The Surface series has been a success in more ways than one. But it has not been that popular in India, primarily because Microsoft has not offered many choices to the buyers. However, all that seems set to change with the company bringing its top end Surface devices also to India this week.
Surface Laptop specifications: Windows S mode | 13.5-inch PixelSense display (2256x1504p) with touch Screen | Intel 7th Gen processor with up to 16GB RAM + 1TB storage | 1 x USB 3.0 headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, 1 x Surface Connect port | 1.25 kg
Surface Laptop price in India: Rs 86,999 onwards]
Microsoft Surface Laptop review: Design
The Surface Laptop is what Microsoft would ideally offer mid and upper management professionals in India. So this is perfect for all their content consumption, number crunching on Excel sheets as well as show and tell on PowerPoint.
But I have a feeling that most of the users will pick it up primarily because of its weight, or lack of it. At just around 1.25 kg, the Surface Laptop will be one of the most mobile and portable laptops you can buy. If you are someone who travels a lot, laptop in a bag, then this will be a boon.
At just around 1.25 kg, the Surface Laptop will be one of the most mobile and portable laptops you can buy.
Also, the Surface Laptop has one of the most unique design elements I have seen in a while. The keyboard side is covered by Alcantara microfiber fabric. I have been a fan of this material ever since I encountered them first on some high-end headphones a few years back. While this means you don’t wake up to a cold keyboard panel in the winters, it also means more confirm during long hours of working on the laptop. And yes, it does remind you of the original cover or Surface devices.
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The keyboard itself is well spaced out and the keys offer the right amount of travel. I loved typing on the Surface Laptop, which when combined with the smooth cursor movement of Windows 10 makes writing itself so much more stress-free. The glass trackpad responds well to gestures and you swipe around from one screen to the other, if you like me are not that keen to touch the screen.
The keyboard itself is well spaced out and the keys offer the right amount of travel.
Microsoft Surface Laptop review: Display
The other feature worthy of mention is the display itself. The Surface Laptop has a stunning Pixel Sense display which is sharp and bright. I tried working in the open with the laptop on a cloudy day, with the screen at 85 per cent brightness I had no issues typing a story under the sun. Also, you can use the Surface Pen on this screen if you want to, just remember that this device does not offer modes that make it touch first.
To go with the screen is one of the best audio outputs on a mobile device since the first iPad Pros were launched. Even as the sound stuns you with its clarity and depth, you will not be able to guess that all this is coming from under the keyboard.
Microsoft Surface Laptop review: Performance
Powered by an Intel Core i7 processor and with at least 8GB of RAM, performance will not really be an issue for the Surface Laptops. In fact, it could do everything I wanted it to from multi-tab browsing to high-quality video streaming. I am, however, not sure this device is ideal for even more stressful stuff like video editing. Anyway, despite you not really being able to see where the fans are, this is among the coolest laptops I have ever used. And it manages to remain cool for hours.
And this limited thermal footprint seems to be helping the Surface Laptop offer close to 14 hours of battery life on a full charge. However, to achieve this you might need to reduce the screen brightness and even volume. But it is still no small achievement as this lets the users leave their power adapter at home, even though Microsoft has made it much compact now.
The Surface Laptop has a stunning Pixel Sense display which is sharp and bright.
Surface Laptop runs Windows 10 on S Mode which means it is more app friendly, though I still couldn’t find a good reason to go the Windows App store. However, one feature I really liked was Timeline which lets you go through what you had been working on before easily even if you don’t know file names or where something is saved.
Surface Laptop has just one USB port and a display port. So there will some adapters in your life if you decide to but this. But then who uses USB drives these days? Also, with a premium device like this running the 7th Generation Intel Core processor, Microsoft will have to do some hard sell as customers will see that most of the choice they have at this price is running the latest 8th Generation processor. That will need some convincing for the price conscious Indian users.
Microsoft Surface Laptop review: Conclusion
If you don’t mind the premium price tag, the Surface Laptop offers enough for you to really enjoy working or just consuming content on this device. This is what really expect from a laptop in 2018, at least in terms of experience. Clearly, this is one of the best options available for those in the Windows ecosystem.