5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant Computing Defined

J.A. · April 25, 2025

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } This incredible, beautiful, elegant and productive laptop showcases what Microsoft is truly capable of, and I'm a Linux guy. I bought the big one - 15" screen, 32 gig RAM, elite CPU. It is a powerhouse of a laptop.Now - there is one con, but as time progresses the problem becomes less and less of a problem and that is the ARM architecture vs standard Intel x86/64. Basically, this laptop uses a newer, different CPU architecture, which means that many applications don't work yet (YET!!). Almost everything I threw at this laptop worked out of the box and worked beautifully. There were some older applications that didn't work (SimCity Deluxe for example). But and this is a huge BUT - as time passes more applications are supported (or emulated effectively) and it becomes less and less an issue.With the 1 CON out of the way, let's talk about how amazing this laptop is:Premium feel (shell and keyboard). As good as or even better than a MacBook. Yes, for real.Speakers sound delightful.The 15"-inch sounds like a big laptop but fits perfectly in my backpack and it is still light and small. I mean, unless you are a 5'2" petite tiny person I don't see how this 15" laptop is too big for someone.It is plenty fast for doing all sorts of productivity like writing papers, excel spreadsheeting, music, internet, YouTube etc. Understand this isn't a fancy Chromebook. Operating System / Applications are exceptionally fast. This laptop WILL make you more productive just by opening it. It makes you want to work it's so nice.Battery life is OUTSTANDING. If you aren't glued to this laptop for hours at a time the battery will last DAYS. Literally days.Touchpad is also legit. No problems with cursor moving around (palm detection) and typing. Just legit good.Even when watching movies it doesn't get hot. Temperature is steady and cool. I love ARM.In closing, get this laptop. It's nice. Really nice. Like honestly, the nicest laptop I've ever owned (I've had the ASUS ROG 2024, two Dell XPS 15's, Razer Blades, etc.,)For my fellow nerds in the crowd:VMWare & Vbox do NOT work. Remember that ARM is a RISC architecture and neither products support ARM (yet). Docker Desktop for Windows DOES work on ARM. Also, WSL 2.0 also works just fine.Also, with the advent of cloud, lightweight servers (I run a small cloud on my home network) we don't need powerhouse laptops anymore if you have supporting infra. When I'm on travel I just VPN into my home network and I have all the resources I need. So keep something light and portable to work from :)

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a proper Macbook Air Competitor

M.C. · October 9, 2024

Years ago, I had the original Surface Laptop, and I loved it. It remains one of my favorite laptops of all time.So before I purchased the Surface Laptop 7, I actually had a 14" 2021 Macbook Pro. It was honestly too much laptop for my needs, but the limited port selection on the Macbook Airs ruled them out for me. Of course, my Macbook Pro was better than the Surface Laptop 7 in many ways - the mini-LED screen is just about the best laptop display you can get, full-stop, whereas the Surface's display is good but not great. The speakers on the Macbook were amazing; the Surface's are quite good but can't compete in that regard.However, I don't regret my purchase for one second because the Surface Laptop 7 is really a Macbook Air competitor, and that is where it shines. I compared the Surface and Macbook Air 13" side by side and came away with the following conclusions:-Screen: I don't do any serious photo editing or graphic design. To me, the Surface screen is slightly better. It gets much brighter than the Air and colors seem more accurate. However, the Air has better black levels. The Surface is a touchscreen, but I never use it as I don't like fingerprints on my screens. However, if you want a touchscreen, the Surface is clearly the better option. The Surface also has a 120hz display, whereas the Air is stuck at 60hz. The difference in smoothness when scrolling or using trackpad gestures is very noticeable. The Surface's screen looks much smoother.-Speakers: I can't tell the difference between the two. The Surface's speakers are really good compared to other laptops in this class. The same is true of the Macbook Air.-Ports: I had hoped that by 2024, USB-A would be all but gone, but alas it is not. It was very annoying to have to carry around dongles to use USB-A devices on my Macbook Pro, and now I don't have to! The Air has only two USB-C ports, so clearly the Surface wins here. The Macbook Pro does have HDMI, which is nice, but I just bought a USB-C to HDMI cable that I carry around with me, so I don't need a dongle for that either.-Keyboard: I like that the Macbook Air has more than 3 levels of brightness control, but I slightly prefer the key feel on the Surface.- Trackpad: somehow, the Surface's trackpad is better. I am thrilled that Microsoft finally brought a haptic trackpad to the Surface lineup. It feels more delicate and the tactility is stronger. Macbook trackpads are still among the best in the business, but there is finally a Windows laptop that is comparable in this regard.-Login: hands down, Windows Hello is better than the fingerprint reader. It's so fast that my Surface often logs me that it feels like the laptop was left unlocked. The fingerprint scanner on Macbooks are very good, but they are not as fast, nor as convenient, as Windows Hello. My Macbook Pro could also unlock with my Apple Watch, but that almost always took longer than unlocking with my finger.-Build Quality: This has always been a strong point for Surface devices, and the Surface Laptop 7 doesn't disappoint. The laptop can be opened easily with one hand, and the fit and finish is flawless. The same is true of the Macbook Air. I can't say whether one is better than the other. The Surface is designed to be easier to service, however, and you can actually replace the SSD, which is very nice. Additionally, the black finish on my Surface is more resistant to showing fingerprints than the dark blue on the Macbook Airs, which is a fingerprint magnet.-Performance: After owning an Apple Silicon laptop, I could never go back to using an x86/x64 processor. I used Windows 11 for ARM on my Macbook for two years virtualized in Paralells, so I knew what I was getting into. All of the applications I need work beautifully on the Surface, and it is so darn fast. Of course, there are more powerful processors out there using traditional x64 architecture, but I have never used a Windows laptop that is just so snappy for every day tasks. Office apps open in 1-2 seconds. Firefox, Chrome, and Edge open in less than a second. Using gestures to swipe through apps is super snappy, and the high refresh rate screen makes transitions look so smooth. This is the kind of performance I came to except from my Apple Silicon Macbook, and it's wonderful to finally see Windows operating just as responsively.Overall, the Surface feels like an upgrade over my Macbook Pro, and I personally am fine with the tradeoffs that come with the thinner, smaller, and lighter Surface over the more powerful Macbook Pro. It is an utterly fantastic laptop that, in my opinion, is currently the best thin-and-light laptop in the world.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic ARM laptop. Might not work with old hardware. Check drivers

I. · May 19, 2025

Let me preface by saying that I love surface laptops. Their keyboard and high res screens are amazing. This is the second time I try a ARM laptop after the Windows RT era. Love the battery life, ease of use as any other windows machine, and the experience of working with an ARM processor. Prism (windows version of Rosetta for mac) does an amazing job translating all those x86/x64 programs to ARM, no noticeable performance difference.However, beware of peripherals that do not have ARM specific drivers, as they won't work. Think old USB or network printers. Most modern era models will work out of the box, but there are many that will not. And this includes anything you attach to the computer that needs a driver.So far, I just love it. Got the 1TB version elite plus. Don't be blindsided by the Copilot AI feature. I still haven't used it and frankly, don't care.

Love this product and well packaged

R. · April 7, 2025

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Awesome product and was selling cheaper than in store during boxing week. Love that it was really nicely packaged and protected and given its a high value product they call you to get a code before leaving which is much appreciated. Great experience purchasing and unboxing! Love this laptop. Personally I love windows and can never get used to using a Mac despite having an iPhone, I love my excel shortcuts and having a touch screen so this was best choice at a reasonable price.

Excellent

S.k. · March 31, 2025

Excellent

Surprisingly fast

Y.B. · November 7, 2024

And it seem to run cooler than my old surface did which I didn't expect.The new battery charging management system is fine even if it had mewondering why it was stubbornly maintining a 74% max charge at first.

Defective Laptop Received – Won’t Start and Missing Parts

I. · April 21, 2025

I received the laptop approximately one hour ago, and I am extremely disappointed with its condition. The device is defective—it does not start properly and continuously displays a message saying “attempting repairs,” but never actually initiates.Additionally, I noticed that one of the rubber feet is missing, the box arrived scratched and damaged, and the seal was already broken. These signs strongly suggest that the laptop may have been used or returned previously.This is unacceptable, especially for what should have been a new product.

It's top of the line!

M.B. · December 30, 2024

A new model, time will tell, but it is fast and furious being a 2024 model.