Best Microsoft Laptop (2026): Which Brand to Buy or Avoid

The polish of the laptop’s design and the quality of its hardware are what make it feel like Apple. You can get it with a 13.8- or 15-inch screen. The smaller version has a slightly larger display than the original (from 13.5 inches) with thinner bezels and rounded corners. It’s bright, too, and has a 120-Hz refresh rate display. The contents look nice and sharp, even outdoors during the day (but you have to shake them to dry them out in the sunlight).

What I like most about the screen is the amount of features. Because it’s 3:2 and not 16:10, the laptop has a tall screen that’s closer to square than a rectangle. This provides a free space for websites, spreadsheets, and apps. When choosing between the two parts, I always look at the 3:2 screen of the Surface Laptop, which is one of the few laptops that use it. The full HD (1080p) cameras, adjustable haptic trackpad, and fast keyboard all feel as powerful as on the MacBook Air.

None of that would matter if performance and battery life weren’t competitive, though. Fortunately, the Surface Laptop 13.8 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, with options for X Elite or X Plus. It was one of the first laptops to embrace these chips and has benefited from their exceptional battery life and excellent performance. I tested the Elite, and performance has been great, no matter how many windows, tabs, and apps are open. This is not a multi-tasking machine, such as editing videos or playing games, but it can power all the tasks that most people complete on a laptop.

A few months ago, the 7th Edition went up in price to $1,500, although in 2025, you can get it for less than $1,000. Although the configuration has been limited on Amazon, you can get a discount right now, like the 512-GB version. for $1,200.

It’s still a steal compared to the 2026 model, which starts at $1,600. The only changes to the new Surface Laptop 8th Edition are the options to get the Snapdragon X2 Plus or X2 Elite, along with other new models. If you’re buying today, the 2024 model is still available, I can’t imagine the upgrades are worth the price difference. Both are designed in the same way, with 512 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM. I have seen similar prices for other Snapdragon X2 Plus upgrade devices, such as Asus Zenbook A16. Although chips provide an important part of graphics processing, rising prices make hardware very expensive right now.

As long as the 2024 model is still available and on sale, it’s the one you should go buy today. How long it will last is anyone’s guess.

The Best 2-in-1 Laptop

The Surface Pro 13 is the best Surface tablet Microsoft has ever made. It uses the original Surface design, combining a 13-inch tablet (with a kickstand) with a detachable keyboard. You get two USB-C connectors as before, along with Microsoft’s Surface Connect port. It’s hard to use on your feet, but on the desk, new Flex Keyboard it’s a great (and expensive) upgrade – you can use the keyboard and Surface separately, allowing you to set things up a bit more.