After a decade of trying to make Arm-based Windows laptops a thing, Microsoft has finally created something fantastic.
Since Apple’s MacBooks switched to the company’s M-series chips, Windows users have been wondering when a similar revolution would happen with their computers. To Microsoft’s credit, it wasn’t for lack of trying. In 2012, the company released the Surface RT with an Arm-based processor that corresponds to the same architecture used in Apple’s silicon. Unfortunately, a small application library, slow performance and limited software compatibility have made using a full-time type frustrating. Then in 2017, Microsoft renewed its efforts with Windows on Snapdragon. This led to systems like the Surface Pro X, which had gorgeous hardware, once again compromised by lackluster processing power and patchy software support.
But as the old saying goes: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. And after more than a decade of launching and stumbling, Microsoft has done it. By combining the powerful Oryon cores of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon x Elite and X Plus chips with its new Prism emulator, Microsoft has transformed the Surface Laptop 7 (and its brother, the Surface Pro 11) into an almost ideal productivity machine.
Surface Laptop 7th Edition
A major breakthrough for Arm-based Windows laptops
While some applications still need additional support to run on Windows on Arm, the Surface Laptop 7 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon x Elite chip have become an almost ideal platform for everyday productivity.
Design and Display: Premium from top to bottom
While the Surface Laptop 7 (or 7th Edition, as Microsoft likes to call it) includes a new sophisticated silicon on the inside, little has changed on the outside. But I’m not complaining. It has a slim all-aluminum body with clean, minimalist lines, but does not look like a MacBook. Microsoft has also made some small improvements, such as the addition of rounded corners to the screen, a new haptic touchpad (similar to that of the Surface Laptop Studio 2) and a dedicated button for Copilot (more on that after).
As before, the Surface Laptop 7 is available in two sizes. The smaller one has a slightly larger 13.8-inch screen than before (up from 13.5), while the larger model has remained at 15 inches. There are also two USB 4 Type-C slots, a USB-A 3.1 socket, a microSD card reader and Microsoft’s magnetic Surface Connect port. So, nothing unusual, but more than enough connectivity to handle most situations. And with the 13-inch model weighing just under three pounds (2.96 pounds) and the 15-inch Option at 3.6 pounds, both versions don’t add much extra weight to your bag.
As for the display itself, the 15-inch PixelSense LCD screen in our Surface Laptop 7 review unit is top-notch. In addition to its 120 Hz refresh rate, it has been calibrated to provide accurate tints while offering excellent brightness (more than 600 Nits on an all-white screen) and 10-point touch support. It is even covered with Gorilla Glass 5 to prevent scratches and abrasions. I just wish there was the option to switch to an OLED panel like you can on the Surface Pro 11.
Performance and compatibility: new heights for Windows on Arm
The most impressive thing about the Surface Laptop 7 is how normal it feels. He is super responsive, has instant wake-up times and generally feels extremely fast. The best part, however, is that you often can’t even tell the difference between running native Arm software or the laptop using Microsoft’s Prism emulator in the background to seamlessly translate applications originally designed for x86 chips. It’s really so smooth.
In the Benchmarks, the Snapdragon x Elite chip meets Qualcomm’s high performance requirements. In Geekbench 6, for example, the Surface Laptop 7 achieved multicore scores of 14,400, which is higher than a similarly equipped Dell XPS 14 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155h chip (11,920). In fact, the x Elite of the Surface even managed to surpass the Core Ultra 9 processor of an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16, which peaked at 12,798.
