Surface Laptop review: Microsoft's best MacBook Air competitor yet

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/25/24185462/microsoft-surface-laptop-7th-edition-review

by neogodless • 2 years ago

14 18 2 years ago

ramesh31• 2 years ago

Sounds like a great Linux machine

glitchc• 2 years ago

If it's anything like the previous Surface machines, the BIOS will not have the option to turn Secure Boot off. That makes it much harder to get Linux on there, too hard for most people.

blumomo• 2 years ago

“Great Linux machine” was my first thought, too. But if we can install our favorite OS, then this machine isn’t worth anything to me.

e12e• 2 years ago

You mean the other arm surface devices? Linux boots a and runs quite well on the x86 ones?

Looks like someone has Linux booting on the 11 already:

https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/issues/1476

vundercind3• 2 years ago

The earlier ones had glowing reviews but when I finally got to try one (expecting it to be good!) around IIRC the third generation, it was awful.

This time, I’ll believe it when I feel it.

neogodless• 2 years ago

What did you find awful about the Surface Laptop (3rd generation)?

I believe this one is considered the "7th Edition".

vundercind3• 2 years ago

Bad ui responsiveness, inaccurate and janky touch controls, slow to launch programs. Miserable to use, felt more like a (relatively solid) competitor to netbook-class devices than serious laptops, or iPads.

[edit] oh and mediocre battery life as I recall.

rycomb• 2 years ago

Not sure about the SP3, but my SP4 (which, btw, had no problems running Linux) was afflicted by the so called "flickergate", and I didn't manage to replace it. Since then, I sworn off any Microsoft hardware. Their software and OS, I had sworn these off years before, which makes these devices even less appealing...

AstroJetson• 2 years ago

It's pretty amazing how almost any computer will work with 16GB of memory and a fast SSD. So I'm not surprised that they are getting higher points.

daft_pink• 2 years ago

the reason why we’re running mac’s is the software not the hardware though, and microsoft’s software is going downhill while macOS is on the up and up.

vundercind3• 2 years ago

If I had to run Linux as my main desktop again, for some reason, and it were an option, I would legit pay real money to have access to Apple’s various 1st party programs and tools on it. They’re so, so good.

kyriakos• 2 years ago

The reason I am not using a mac is the OS. If there was a fully working Linux for it the hardware is fantastic. I can only hope snapdragon x will get proper and official support cause many of the laptops with it I've seen tick most of the boxes in my wishlist.

deergomoo• 2 years ago

while macOS is on the up and up

Ehh I wouldn't go that far. I still vastly prefer it to Windows or desktop Linux, but I am growing very tired of the change-for-the-sake-of-change redesigns that are typically worse than what came before it. Half-baked changes that take years to be cleaned up, if they ever do. Though, that seems to be common across all software these days.

It also requires a lot of little utilities for stuff that should really be built into the system (window management until Sequoia arrives, making third-party mice usable).

The hardware is better than it's ever been though.

nwah1• 2 years ago

I like the powerful ARM chip, I like that the specs go very high, and that the RAM speed is maxxed out.

I like that it uses 120HZ and Gorilla Glass 5 for the screen.

I like that it offers the latest Wifi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4

On the downside, it looks like a mac, which I don't consider to be a positive.

Don't like that there is no USB-C charging port on the right side.

Expensive.

mcphage• 2 years ago

Expensive

It starts at $1k, which seems like a pretty reasonable price for a good machine.

politelemon• 2 years ago

In consistently surprised that bezels are still a topic of conversation. Dell has been literally years ahead of everyone else in this regard, with everyone else still playing catchup. Excellent screens quality and bezels that just get out of the way. Even now the best offerings I see feel like compromises. Perhaps a dream laptop might exist which is a combination of every manufacturers strengths in one.

robnado• 2 years ago

Last I checked, the XPS 13 inch was still a serious risk of burning your lap if used as an actual laptop.

dartharva• 2 years ago

Nice to see it didn't go the Macbook way of losing main ports over "sleekness". It still has less ports than I would prefer though (there's only one USB-A port and no HDMI ports), but not bad considering its size.

Surface Laptop review: Microsoft's best MacBook Air competitor yet

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