Microsoft\u2019s Surface laptop for consumers is back, faster and with longer battery life and a hefty price increase because of the high cost of memory and chips.<\/p>\n
The Surface Laptop 8 is a straight replacement for the seventh edition from 2024, which was the first of Microsoft\u2019s new generation of ARM-based, Qualcomm-powered PCs designed to better rival Apple\u2019s MacBook Air and other thin and light machines.<\/p>\n
The new machine comes with a choice of Qualcomm\u2019s latest Snapdragon X2 Plus or Elite chips but starts at \u00a31,449 (\u20ac1,699; $1,600; A$2,799) \u2013 \u00a3400 or equivalent more than the launch price of the previous edition because of RAMageddon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other than some new colours, of which the jade green is very fetching, the outside of the new edition is more or less the same as its predecessor. That includes a solid aluminium body, a satisfying keyboard and a crisp, 120Hz LCD screen in a choice of 13.8in (as reviewed) or 15in versions.<\/p>\n The excellent, colour-matched keyboard and trackpad sit in a solid aluminium deck. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs\/The Guardian<\/p>\n It is one of the first machines to support Window 11\u2019s excellent new haptic signals feature with its generous haptic touchpad. You can feel little taps on your finger through the trackpad for interactions such as mousing over the close (X) button at the top of windows or snapping a window to the side of the screen, which helps bring the on-screen elements alive.<\/p>\n The display is bright and high quality with HDR and Dolby Vision<\/a> support but the gloss coating is prone to glare from overhead lights in an office. The speakers are good for a laptop. They lack bass but avoid being tinny and are clear even at high volumes.<\/p>\n The Windows Hello webcam with facial recognition makes logging into the laptop effortless and is excellent for video calls. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs\/The GuardianSpecifications<\/p>\n Screen: 13.8in LCD 2304 x 1536 (201 PPI) 120Hz<\/p>\n Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (10 core) or X2 Elite (12-core)<\/p>\n RAM: 16, 24, 32GB<\/p>\n Storage: 256, 512GB, 1 or 2TB<\/p>\n Operating system: Windows 11<\/a> Home<\/p>\n Camera: 1080P front-facing<\/p>\n Connectivity: wifi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, USB-A, 2xUSB4\/C, Surface Connect, headphones<\/p>\n Dimensions: 301 x 220 x 17.5mm<\/p>\n Weight: 1.36kg<\/p>\n Snappy performance with long battery lifeThe headphones, USB ports are in the left side of the machine. A full charge via either of the USB-C ports using a 100W charger (not included) took about 100 minutes. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs\/The Guardian<\/p>\n The Surface Laptop 8 comes with a choice of Qualcomm ARM chips, starting with the Snapdragon X2 Plus<\/a> with a more powerful X2 Elite<\/a> (as tested) available. Microsoft also sells higher-priced versions with traditional Intel chips for business.<\/p>\n The X2 Elite version is between 16% and 20% faster in single core processor performance with about 10% faster graphics than the previous generation in testing, which isn\u2019t a big leap.<\/p>\n It feels very snappy in operation with plenty of power for most things you might want to do on a thin and light laptop, including some light gaming. But it still lags rivals such as Apple\u2019s M5 MacBook Air<\/a>. It also runs silently most of the time with the fans only audible when pushed to the limit, which cannot be said of the hotter-running Intel versions.<\/p>\n Battery life is equally good, which is the primary reason to buy one of the Qualcomm-powered Windows machines. The Surface Laptop 8 managed just shy of 14 hours of work using at least 15 tabs in Chrome, Evernote, a text editor, chat apps and several hours of photo editing in Affinity. Most will manage about two days of light use before needing the charger or at least a day using more demanding programs, which is very good for a Windows PC.<\/p>\n The Surface Laptop 8 has two USB-C ports, a USB-A port, a headphones port and Microsoft\u2019s proprietary Surface Connect port. But since the machine doesn\u2019t come with a charger in the UK and EU, the Surface Connect port is essentially useless unless you buy Microsoft\u2019s \u00a380 power supply.<\/a><\/p>\n Windows 11 and ARM app compatibilityClick to Do uses AI to analyse what is on screen to allow direct interaction with text, images and other information. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs\/The Guardian<\/p>\n The Surface Laptop 8 runs Windows 11 for ARM<\/a>, which lacks any of the unnecessary trials and other bits of software typically found from third-party manufacturers. As a result it is generally a trouble-free and good Windows 11 experience, and includes various Microsoft AI tools, of which most aren\u2019t worth bothering with.<\/p>\n One of the best, though, is the Click to Do feature<\/a>, which is a shortcut to doing things with images and text elements on screen. Hold the Windows button to change the cursor to a dot and then click on an area to copy text, images, perform searches, access AI tools and other quick actions.<\/p>\n The majority of apps run just fine on the ARM chip, either natively or via the built-in Prism emulation layer<\/a>, which works transparently in the background, allowing standard Windows x64 programs written for Intel or AMD chips to run. Emulated apps such as the note-taking app Evernote can be a bit slow, and while many emulated games will work at lower graphics settings, some multiplayer titles that require anti-cheat programs may not run. Recent updates have allowed Fortnite<\/a> and other popular games to run, so the situation is improving.<\/p>\n SustainabilityThe Surface Laptop 8\u2019s top-notch build and attractive colour options make it a very high-quality machine. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs\/The Guardian<\/p>\n The laptop is generally repairable with a replaceable SSD<\/a> and service guides available<\/a>. Adaptive charging and battery capacity limits<\/a> help extend the longevity of the battery. The machine contains recycled aluminium, cobalt, copper, gold, rare-earth metals and tin. Microsoft operates trade-in and recycling schemes<\/a> and publishes out-of-warranty repair costs<\/a> and product environmental impact reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Price<\/p>\n The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8in (8th edition) costs from \u00a31,449 (\u20ac1,699\/$1,599.99<\/a>\/A$2,799<\/a>) with a Snapdragon X2 Plus chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Snapdragon X2 Elite models start at \u00a31,549 (\u20ac1,799\/$1,699.99\/A$2,899).<\/p>\n Verdict<\/p>\n The Surface Laptop 8 is another excellent premium PC from Microsoft.<\/p>\n It may not be much different from its predecessor but it looks and feels great, the screen is really good, and the keyboard and trackpad are some of the best you can get on a PC. The Snapdragon X2 chips are fast and stay cool, even when pushed, which helps the Surface remain silent most of the time without irritating fan noise. But the biggest benefit of the ARM chip is practical battery life long enough you don\u2019t have to worry about bringing a charger with you.<\/p>\n Windows on ARM has far fewer compatibility problems than before, which means that unless you know you need an x86 Intel or AMD chip for certain apps or games, you probably won\u2019t notice the difference. Windows 11 on the Surface Laptop 8 is clutter and trouble-free, which can\u2019t always be said of competitors, while the new haptic signals feature brings a touch of class.<\/p>\n