Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 Review: A Flexible And Powerful Laptop

Is the new Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 worth your money? We take a look at the specs, design, and price to help you decide.

Microsoft has just announced its latest addition to the Surface family, and it comes in the form of the Surface Laptop 5. Available in black, blue, and red, this sleek device comes with some pretty sweet upgrades and new features, making it an upgrade from the company’s previous versions of laptops. Here are some things you need to know about the newest member of Microsoft’s tech family.

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Introduction

For years, Microsoft’s Surface laptops have received praise for their sleek design and gorgeous displays. In fact, at first glance, you might think that nothing much has changed from previous generations of these popular devices. 

But look a little closer and you’ll see that there are a couple of notable differences worth mentioning. While we’ve only had our hands on them for a short period, here are five things we noticed right away when reviewing Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop 5. 

Microsoft’s latest laptop comes in two different configurations—one with an Intel Core i5 processor and another with an Intel Core i7 processor—but both models come standard with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). 

The base model is priced at $999 while the higher-end version costs $1,699. Both versions also include Windows 11 Pro software. Let’s dive into the detailed review of it.

Price & Configurations

The $999 starting price for a Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD remains. The new Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 will start at $1,699 with a Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD; you can up that to 32GB of RAM and 1TB for $2,300. 

You’ll have your choice of four colors—Platinum, Graphite Gold, Burgundy, and Cobalt Blue—and there are two USB-C ports on either side of the machine. In comparison, Microsoft’s closest rival, Apple’s MacBook Pro with Touch Bar 13-inch, starts at $1,299 and maxes out at $2,400. 

The entry price gets you a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and only two USB-C ports. You can get up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB for that uppermost configuration—but it costs an extra $600. Overall, it’s worth the price tag!

All About The Design

Like its predecessor, the Microsoft surface laptop 5 sports a slim and attractive design that can easily fit in any bag. The sleek look and feel make it an excellent choice for road warriors who demand more than just raw processing power in their day-to-day devices. 

The laptop also has an easy-to-use keyboard featuring a touchpad designed to work seamlessly with Windows 11 Pro gestures. This makes navigation smooth and hassle-free. It’s a slim, lightweight laptop with a touchscreen display that makes it easy to create and share content on the go. 

The Microsoft surface laptop 5 is available in four colors: platinum silver, burgundy, cobalt blue, and graphite gold. Microsoft made some changes to its long-standing design philosophy when designing its latest generation of laptops. Microsoft no longer uses a kickstand to prop up its devices but instead uses an adjustable hinge. 

This allows for more flexibility when using the device as you can adjust its viewing angle depending on how you want to use it at any given moment. Microsoft also removed all ports from the Microsoft surface laptop 5 except for one USB port. 

This means users will have to purchase adapters if they need additional ports such as HDMI or Ethernet. For those who travel frequently, Microsoft has included a small dongle that includes one USB Thunderbolt 4 port as well as an SD card reader. Microsoft also added a fingerprint scanner to make it easier for users to log into Windows 11 Pro. 

Overall, Microsoft did a good job updating its design philosophy by improving upon what worked best about previous generations while removing features that were rarely used by most people.

Hardware Overview

Microsoft’s latest addition to its laptop family is a meaningful step up from its predecessor. The new Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 boasts Intel’s latest processor and much-improved battery life, making it an excellent choice for just about anyone looking for a solid, reliable laptop. It even comes at a pretty great price point. 

The new Surface Laptop 5 is a far cry from Microsoft’s more experimental efforts, but that doesn’t mean it’s anything less than high-quality. The Surface Laptop 5 features an all-aluminum chassis with a soft matte finish on its lid and deck. It feels sturdy without being too heavy, weighing in at just over two pounds. 

Hardware-wise, you’ll find a Fast Intel i7 Processor for Multi-Tasking processor on board. This new generation of processors is more than capable of handling heavy workloads and high-performance applications. 

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 comes with 8/16GB of RAM and 256/512GB of SSD storage, which should be plenty for most users. In terms of ports, you get one USB Thunderbolt 4 port, one Mini DisplayPort, and one full-size SD card slot. 

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.2 LE wireless networking, as well as an optional mobile broadband module that supports LTE networks when available. 

Microsoft has also included an IR camera with Windows Hello support for logging into your laptop quickly and securely. Overall, it’s hard to argue with what Microsoft has packed into its latest laptop.

The Display

Like most laptops in its class, Microsoft’s latest model features a 13.5 display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. However, unlike most laptops in its class, Microsoft has stepped up from 1920p to full HD. With a ‎2256×1504 Pixels resolution, that means you can view text and images more crisply and without distractions than ever before. 

This year’s model of Microsoft’s laptop has a higher resolution display than last year’s version, which translates into sharper images. In addition, it is also touch-enabled for easy navigation. The screen is bright enough to be used outside or in low-light conditions without straining your eyes. 

Plus, with a 16:9 aspect ratio, it provides an experience closer to using an actual sheet of paper. One thing that really stands out with the Microsoft Surface Laptop is its display quality. It has an excellent contrast ratio, which makes for deep blacks and vibrant colors; it’s also bright enough to use comfortably outside or in direct sunlight. 

Although it is still not 4K and there are laptops with higher resolution in that price range, I was surprised by how good its display looked. Display quality is where Microsoft has always succeeded. So, I was not surprised to find that its latest laptop also excels at it. 

It offers one of the best displays among laptops in its price range. However, if you are looking for a brighter display or a display with a higher resolution, you might want to look elsewhere. 

Performance and Software

Microsoft packed some interesting specs into its $999 (£979, about AU$1,480) Surface Laptop. It comes with a faster Intel seventh-generation processor than its predecessors, a crisper screen, and slightly better audio. The laptop runs Microsoft’s Windows 11 Pro operating system by default; which means it can only run apps from Microsoft’s store. 

That said, if you don’t mind being limited to Microsoft Store apps, it’s an excellent choice for students. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is here to help students get their work done quickly—and look good doing it. Microsoft has taken everything that made its last two generations of Surface laptops great and added more of it in almost every way. 

The performance of Microsoft’s Surface Laptop has been impressive thus far. While Microsoft’s newer seventh-generation processors aren’t as innovative as past iterations, they still offer a lot of power for both mainstream productivity tasks and casual use. 

If you’re looking to do more intensive work like video editing or heavy multitasking, you might want to look elsewhere. This is one of Microsoft’s best laptops yet, but it still has some room for improvement. 

Microsoft’s newest Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a beautiful notebook that offers solid performance at a reasonable price point. If you’re not looking for something flashy, though, there are cheaper options out there with similar capabilities.

Camera Quality

The camera on my Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 was one of its biggest downfalls, so I’m excited to see how much better it is on its successor. In my opinion, there’s no use buying a top-of-the-line laptop if its built-in camera isn’t at least average. 

While we’ll need to wait for more in-depth reviews for a final verdict on camera quality, so far what we’ve seen looks promising. If you plan on using your Surface as a work machine or educational tool, you should definitely consider upgrading to Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. 

I’m not a photographer, but I have taken hundreds of photos in my life and they’ve all looked at least slightly grainy. In my experience, even really expensive cameras have trouble taking pictures in low light – that is until now! The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 has some of the best low-light capabilities I’ve ever seen on any device. 

The camera was able to capture clear images even when lighting conditions were less than ideal. That being said, if you plan on using your Surface as a work machine or educational tool, you should definitely consider upgrading to Microsoft Surface Laptop 5.

Battery Life & Charging

Let’s start the battery life performance on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. Microsoft claims that you can get up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge, and in my testing, I came pretty close to that estimate—in one case, I managed nearly 17 hours! 

The laptop also supports fast charging via USB-C, so if you have a compatible power brick and cable handy, you can get about 2 hours of use from just 15 minutes plugged in. While Microsoft is claiming up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge, that’s only when you’re surfing websites in Microsoft Edge or streaming video. 

In my testing, I was able to get about 14 hours of use from a single charge while running Chrome and Google Docs with brightness set at 75% and wireless turned off. That being said, if you’re just browsing sites like Facebook and Twitter throughout your day (or even watching Netflix), Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 claims that you can get up to 15 hours of use from a single charge. 

If you do run low on battery life, though, there are a couple of different ways to keep using your computer while you charge it. The first is via a USB-C port—if you have a compatible cable handy, you can plug it in and continue working for about 2 hours with just 15 minutes of charging time. 

The second way is through Microsoft’s proprietary power brick, which has an additional USB-A port that lets you charge other devices (like phones or tablets) even as your laptop charges up. Overall, battery life is one of the best features of this laptop.

Overall Verdict – Should you buy it?

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a step up from its predecessor. With improved design and processing power, it’s definitely worth your time and money. While I don’t think it quite stands up to some of its competitors (like Apple’s MacBook Pro), I can confidently say that it’s an all-around solid laptop that shouldn’t disappoint. 

If you’re looking for a new laptop but aren’t sure what to get, look no further than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. It offers a lot of bang for your buck, with better performance than previous iterations and an updated design that’s sure to turn heads. 

Microsoft has made some significant improvements in the latest iteration of their highly popular laptop. While there are still things they could improve upon, such as specs and screen resolution, there are many reasons why Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a worthy investment. 

But, if you want a good all-around laptop that can do any task then look no further than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. You can enjoy many new features on this laptop. 

Thank You for reading! I hope you enjoyed my detailed review and know anything that you want to know about this flagship. If you still have any questions in your mind so feel free to comment down below or also don’t forget to subscribe to our daily blog posts!