In-Depth Analysis of Microsoft’s Latest Innovation - The Surface Laptop 5: Expectations vs Reality

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 4 / 5 Very good

pros and cons

Pros

• Build quality remains excellent
• Windows Hello works quickly and reliably to unlock PC
• Replaceable SSD storage is much appreciated

Cons

• Display bezels make the entire unit look dated
• Webcam is still just 720p
• Surface Connect Port remains a mixed blessing

$1,095 at Walmart

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop line is essentially its direct competitor to Apple’s MacBooks . Unlike most MacBook-to-Windows comparisons, this one’s pretty apt. Both are made by the developers of their OS, both use premium internal components, and both feature unibody aluminum shells.

The Surface Laptop 5 is frustratingly close to being that universal leader among Windows portables Microsoft wants it to be.

As flagship laptops, you’d expect both lines to be aiming high in component selection, performance, and features. Apple usually integrates all three of those tentpoles into its new MacBook Pro releases . Microsoft, however, seems more complacent, and I think that fact is starting to hold back the Surface Laptop line.

All of the precision-machined cases and blazing-fast performance here couldn’t make me ignore the distractingly large bezels, nor could anything make me forget about its comically outdated webcam. That’s all very unfortunate because the Surface Laptop 5 is an excellent system, overall. Microsoft just made it hard to appreciate that by stubbornly retaining some components for this third-generation model.

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Specifications

How’s the build quality?

If you’re a fan of clean, minimalistic design, Microsoft’s got your back.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

Short answer: This is the best-built Windows laptop you can buy.

Longer answer: Microsoft nailed clean, minimalistic quality in a way that basically no one but Apple seems to replicate. From the softly reflective Windows logo to the sharp-looking (but not actually sharp) machining of the outer case, the Surface Laptop can match or beat any MacBook or Windows-based laptop on build.

Even aspects you’ll barely see, like the integrated cooling vents, show a level of precision I really appreciate.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

A note about materials: My review unit was the all-aluminum model. Microsoft offers configurations with Alcantara material on the keyboard deck. If you hate the feel of cold metal on your wrists, it could be a great option. But, I’d consider the trials and tribulations you put your laptop through, and how that material will hold up to them, before buying.

More: The best laptops: Does Apple take the crown?

Features and ports

That one on the top is the Surface Connect Port, not an SD card reader slot, which it so closely resembles.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

Microsoft’s port selection on the Surface Laptop 5 is very middle-of-the-road. That’s a good thing. It acknowledges that plenty of USB-A peripherals still exist, so it includes a single USB-A port.

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Likewise, you get one USB-C port, with Thunderbolt 4 support, meaning it can connect a whole slew of peripherals (such as storage, power, and displays) all on its own. It’s a sensible mix, if not a plentiful one.

One place Microsoft could have added USB ports was where its long-standing Surface Connect Port lives. This I/O, which has remained mostly unchanged since the first Surface, is the only one on the laptop’s right side. I have two issues with this port.

First, I’m almost never a fan of proprietary connectors, which this very much is. It’ll do a good job connecting Surface-branded docking stations, but USB-C could do just as well while being much more universal.

The tiny contacts on that fin protruding from the cord engage with the laptop using the help of hidden magnets.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

Second, I’ve seen Surface chargers like the one included with this laptop fail at a higher rate than standard barrel-type plugs, or other magnetic options, like Apple’s MagSafe chargers . Not only do the tiny contacts seem prone to corrosion, but the required magnets that hold the Surface Connect fin in place seem to lose strength over time. Luckily, there’s a second charging method we’ll discuss below.

One of the best examples of “Why doesn’t everyone do this?!” I’ve come across in laptop design.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

The charger did retain one thing I’m very pleased about: a USB-A port (seen above) that’s handy for charging just about anything you’d like. Still, I’d have preferred an extra USB-C port or two in place of the Surface Connect port. It’s only the first of the outdated components we’ll discuss here.

The width of the bezels was the first thing that struck me when I opened the Surface Laptop after unboxing it.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

For the next of those aged components, let’s talk about bezels. Those black spaces around a screen barely exist on modern smartphones, and nearly all laptop, monitor, and TV makers have shrunk theirs to a bare minimum. Microsoft saw this trend and said “…Nah.”

More: The best portable monitors: Work from anywhere

The 2,256 x 1,504 display does look very nice. It’s bright enough for outdoor use, well-saturated, and dense enough that individual pixels take some squinting to see. But, it’s all held back by the wasted space surrounding it. Maybe I’m being too fussy over this. If you look at Apple’s latest MacBook Pro or the equally premium Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 I recently reviewed , however, you’ll see displays tickling the physical edge of the lids they’re mounted on.

The tiny webcam and Windows Hello sensors can be seen embedded above the display.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

Squarely in the center of that oversized top bezel is the worst decision Microsoft made for this laptop: its webcam. I should note the Windows Hello support it offers is appreciated for its rapid logins. What isn’t appreciated is the outdated 720p resolution.

This was the best-case scenario for the webcam during my testing. Ample light and a light background.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

A Microsoft representative claimed during a recent presentation that the company’s customers were still satisfied with 720p quality and that Windows 11’s built-in software processing would make the camera look better. I’m doubtful of the first point and disagree completely with the second. It still just looks like a 720p webcam, period.

This noisy, blurry mess was the result of some backlighting from nearby windows.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

This might be forgivable in a budget model. But even the base config Surface Laptop 5 is $1,000 . The configuration I’m testing is $1,700. A few years ago, this rant would have been overblown. But with most of us spending multiple hours per week on Zoom or in video conferences, I can’t excuse mediocre webcams any longer.

More: The 10 best webcams: Join your next Zoom call in HD

Performance and battery life

Unlike on many other laptops I’ve tested recently, the keyboard deck remained entirely cool, no matter how hard I pushed the laptop.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

Back to a far more positive aspect of the review: performance. My review unit packed a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB SSD. With this configuration, the Surface Laptop 5 is a beast. It flew through heavy-duty Photoshop tasks, handled any number of Chrome tabs, and seamlessly streamed video during all of that. Better yet, it remained consistently whisper-quiet and cool to the touch, especially on the keyboard deck. I didn’t encounter the uncomfortably warm wrist rests that have been a pet peeve of mine on other laptops.

The passive drain of the Surface Laptop 5 while in sleep mode was among the smallest I’ve seen in a Windows laptop.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

One annoying quirk I ran into was the unwillingness of Windows 11 or the Surface Laptop 5 to provide a battery life estimate in hours and minutes. A stat that usually pops up in short order was just absent here. That left me to time the battery life the old-fashioned way. The result was an average of about 10 to 14 hours with mixed use. This included things like streaming video and audio, browsing the web, writing content, and other mundane workday tasks.

At the extremes, I could deplete the battery in about 7 hours if I tried to create a worst-case scenario, and I could eke out the full 18 hours that Microsoft rates the model at by sacrificing some screen brightness, volume, and performance.

Also: The 5 best portable power banks: Top up your mobile devices

Overall, I’d have no qualms about leaving my charger at home and expecting to get a full workday from this laptop, as long as I topped it up overnight. If you do need a charge and you left your proprietary charger at home, all is not lost. The included USB-C port can charge the Surface Laptop 5, too. A generic 65W charger I tested took the unit from nearly dead to full in about 2 hours.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 $1,095 at Walmart

Bottom line

I may seem like I had high standards for this review, and I did. This is a flagship laptop from the company that makes Windows, after all. While those resources and ability to optimize for its own OS did show in aspects like the Surface Laptop 5 ‘s consistently excellent build quality and performance, it faltered when it came to basic modern necessities like a decent webcam and a contemporary display layout.

If you never videoconference or if wasted space around your display doesn’t bother you, you’re looking at the best Windows laptop you could buy right now. Even if those things do irk a bit, I’d recommend balancing them against the exceptional performance, build, and aesthetics. The Surface Laptop 5 is frustratingly close to being that universal leader among Windows portables that Microsoft wants it to be. But, if Microsoft wants that crown, I hope it updates the components that held this generation back when it comes time to design the Surface Laptop 6.

Alternatives to consider

Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 $899 at Amazon

The ThinkPad Z16 shares a similar rigid, satisfying build, while adding a bit more creative detailing. It also features far smaller display bezels, and equal performance, though its webcam was equally disappointing.

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad Z16

Acer Swift Edge $1,500 at Acer

The Acer Swift Edge can’t match the Surface Laptop 5’s build quality. However, it offers a larger, 4K, OLED display and equal performance for $100 less. If you prioritize function over form, it’s a worthy consideration.

Review: Acer Swift Edge laptop

Dell XPS 13 Plus $1,999 at Amazon

Dell’s latest entry in the XPS 13 lineup looks like it comes from further down the timestream. It features equally precise design and build quality, but uses every millimeter of its body for display or keyboard. It also includes identical configuration options, but will cost more on a 1:1 configuration basis.

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