Microsoft's New Surface Laptop Is Better Than The MacBook Air In These 4 Areas
The Washington-based company recently debuted the new Surface Laptop and it's packed with great features.
By John Lim — 09 May 2017, 06:11 PM
Tech giant Microsoft recently unveiled its latest device - the Surface Laptop
Microsoft announced its first ever clamshell notebook - the Surface Laptop at the #MicrosoftEDU event on Tuesday, 2 May.
It will be the first device to run on Windows 10 S - a streamlined and user-friendly version of the Windows operating system
Windows 10 S is Microsoft’s new lightweight operating system. It’s meant to be cheaper and less processor intensive than Windows 10 Home or Pro, the versions of the OS found on most laptops and desktops today.
With such sleek and compact design, the Surface Laptop is put in direct competition with the MacBook Air and the former certainly outperforms Apple's device in four areas:
NOTE: The comparisons below are made with the current iteration of the MacBook Air.
1. The Surface Laptop is more powerful than the MacBook Air
The Microsoft Surface Laptop features a 7th-generation Intel Core processor (i5 and i7 options available) with either 4GB or 8GB RAM.
You'll also find a dual-core Intel Core i5 or i7 on the MacBook Air. However, the processors used in the Apple device are 5th-generation Intel chips, as opposed to the much newer 7th generation processors used in the Surface Laptop. This means they're both less powerful and less efficient.
2. The Surface Laptop has a better screen than the MacBook Air
The Surface Laptop sports a 13.5-inch. 3.4 million PixelSense display with 2256 x 1504 resolution. It also uses the Intel HD 620 graphics in its least expensive model. Upgraded versions use Intel Iris Plus 640 technology.
As for the MacBook Air, it's equipped with a 13.3-inch LED-backlit screen featuring a 1440 x 900 resolution.
3. The Surface Laptop boasts an impressive 14.5 hours of battery life, as compared to the 12 hours from the MacBook Air
The company claims the Surface Laptop has a 14.5-hour battery life from a single charge, comparing to MacBook Air's 12-hour battery life.
Another thing to note is that the Surface Laptop barely uses any battery life when it's on standby mode.
4. The Surface Laptop is even more compact than the MacBook Air
Apple might have set the bar for compact laptops, but Microsoft just smashed it.
The MacBook Air sits at 1.7cm when closed, at its thickest point. Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop's thickness comes in at 1.45cm.
Microsoft’s machine is also lighter at 1.25kg, when compared to Apple’s 1.35kg MacBook Air.
Other features include touch screen capabilities, a headphone jack, and Dolby Audio Premium speakers
The laptop's touch-sensitive layer lets you scribble onscreen with Microsoft's Surface Pen which is sold separately.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop will be available for sale this June in the US first with a starting price of USD999 (RM4,340)
The Microsoft Surface laptop has different price tag depending on the variant chosen. The four different price tags are USD999 (RM4,340), USD1,299 (RM5,645), USD1,599 (RM6,948), and USD2,199 (RM9,555).
On the other hand, the MacBook Air starts at RM4,199 for the base model while the 256GB option comes in at RM4,999.
Malaysian pricing has not yet been announced, but we reckon it won't be too far off from the converted prices.