Which Microsoft Surface Is Best for You?

The Microsoft Surface lineup of touchscreen computers includes different form factors of machines that they view may pave the way for the future of personal computing. Different designs within the Surface family include hybrid tablets, 2-in-1 notebooks, all-in-one convertible desktops, and more traditional clamshell laptops.

Surface Laptop 7th Edition

• Display: 13.8-inch 2304 x 1536 resolution, or 15-inch 2496 x 1664 resolution
• Processor: Snapdragon X Plus, Snapdragon X Elite (13.8-inch), or Snapdragon X Elite (15-inch)
• Memory: 16GB or 32GB LPDDR5x RAM
• Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB SSD
• Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno GPU
• Battery: Up to 20 hours of video (13.8-inch)/Up to 22 hours of video (15-inch)
• Weight: 2.96–3.67 pounds
• Release date: June 2024

The Surface Laptop 7th Edition is one of Microsoft's first Copilot+ laptops; other companies like Asus, HP, and Lenovo will also make these.

Copilot+ laptops use the latest Snapdragon processors to run their artificial intelligence-focused processes. Some of these include live captions on videos, almost real-time image generation, and the Replay function, which creates a virtual "timeline" of apps, documents, and other tasks you've been working on so you can return to them more quickly.

Notable Features:

• Color choices: Sapphire (blue), Dune (beige), Platinum (silver), black.
• Data safety: The SSD is completely removable, so you can keep your information safe by storing the drive elsewhere when needed.
• Ports: Two USB-C, One USB-A 3.1, Surface Connect port, 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroSDXC card reader (15-inch only)

Surface Pro 11th Edition

• Display: 13-inch OLED or LCD with 2880 x 1920 resolution
• Processor: Snapdragon X Plus/Snapdragon X Elite
• Memory: 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM
  
• Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB removable SSD
• Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno GPU
• Battery: Up to 14 hours of video
• Weight: 1.97 pounds
• Release date: June 2024

The Surface Pro 11th Edition is the second debut Copilot+ laptop from Microsoft. The Pro series are 2-in-1s, meaning they work as both a tablet and a laptop with a removable keyboard.

Speaking of keyboards, the 11th Edition's Flex Keyboard works whether it's attached to the screen or not, so you have more flexibility with how you use it.

The OLED screen is a first for the series, but whether you get that option or the LCD version, you still have features like adaptive color and contrast, 10-point multi-touch, and Dolby Vision IQ support. Both displays are made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Notable Features:

• Color choices: Sapphire (blue), Dune (beige), Platinum (silver), black.
• Data safety: The SSD is completely removable, so you can keep your information safe by storing the drive elsewhere when needed.
• Ports: Two USB-C, Surface Pro Keyboard port, Surface Connect port, NanoSIM

Surface Go 4

• Display: 10.5-inch 1920 x 1280 resolution
• Processor: Intel Processor N200
• Memory: 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM
• Storage: 64 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB
• Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
• Battery: Up to 12.5 hours
• Weight: 1.15 pounds
• Release date: October 2023

The Surface Go is small but durable. This 2-in-1 model works as a laptop or a tablet and has enough battery life to get through the whole day, so it's a great choice for in-office and mobile users.

The Microsoft Surface Go 4 is powerful enough to collaborate on projects and communicate remotely with its Full HD camera, but it does lack LTE. For that, you'd need to stick with the Surface Go 3.

Notable Features:

• Color choices: Platinum (silver)
• Ports: USB-C 3.1 (data, DisplayPort and charging), MicroSDXC card reader, 3.5 mm headphone jack, Surface Type Cover port, Surface Connect port
• Cameras: 1080p Full HD front-facing camera, 8 MP 1080p Full HD rear-facing camera, Windows Hello face authentication camera
  

Surface Studio 2+

• Display: 28-inch 4500x3000 resolution
• Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i7
• Memory: 32 GB of RAM
• Storage: 1 TB SSD
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
• Weight: 21 pounds
• Release date: October 2022

Microsoft's Surface Studio 2+ is a high-powered all-in-one desktop computer designed for creative professionals. With its large 28-inch PixelSense touchscreen display with excellent resolution, it's perfect for tasks like graphic design, photo editing, and illustration. The Zero Gravity Hinge allows the screen to lay almost flat, providing a natural drawing position.

Under the hood, you'll find an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB solid-state drive. This combination delivers exceptional performance to run demanding applications smoothly. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card makes the Surface Studio 2+ a capable machine for gaming or other graphics-intensive tasks.

While on the pricier side (it starts at $4,499.99), the Surface Studio 2+ is a versatile machine that combines a powerful PC with a creative-friendly design. It comes with a Surface Mouse, Keyboard, and Pen; most other models don't include the Pen in the box.

Notable Features:

• Ports: Three USB–C, native external display support (up to three 4K UHD 60Hz), two USB-A 3.1, 3.5 mm headphone jack, 1 Gbit Ethernet
• Windows Hello: Sign in to your PC with a glance of your face, thanks to the unit's front-facing 1080p camera.
• Surface Dial: On-screen support for the Microsoft Surface Dial accessory, allowing for physical control of the screen.

Surface Book 3

• Display: 13.5-inch 3000x2000 resolution or 15-inch 3240x2160 resolution
• Processor: Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7
• Memory: 8, 16, or 32 GB of RAM
• Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB SSD, or 2 TB PCIe SSD
• Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
• Battery: Up to 17.5 hours
• Weight: 3.38-3.62 pounds (13.5-inch model) or 4.2 pounds (15-inch model)
• Release date: May 2020

The Microsoft Surface Book lineup has the 2–in–1 detachable notebook form factor. A 13.5-inch or 15-inch notebook is instantly transformed with a button click, allowing the device's screen to be pulled off and used as a tablet. Users can also take advantage of docking the tablet into the keyboard in reverse position to take advantage of a longer battery life of up to 17.5 hours.

The Surface Book is one of Microsoft's heaviest portable devices at 4.2 pounds for the larger variation with the keyboard attachment. It has the most potent internal specifications of any of the Surface products. It's ideal for those who prefer the more typical laptop form factor with an option to turn it into a tablet or those who need the system's processing capabilities and VR-capable Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 or 1660 graphics processors.

Notable Features:

• Ports: One USB–C, two USB-A, 3.5 mm headphone jack, two Surface Connect ports (on base and tablet), full–size SDXC card reader
• Windows Hello: Sign in to your PC with a glance of your face, thanks to the unit's front-facing 5.0 MP 1080p camera. It also sports an 8.0 MP 1080p rear-facing camera with autofocus.
• Detachable dock: Easily switch between a notebook computer and a tablet with Microsoft's patented hinge solution.