The Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 is a premium PC that offers a blend of performance, portability, and style. It's a solid choice for those seeking a high-quality laptop, but it's not without its flaws. Here's a detailed breakdown of what you need to know.
Performance and Battery Life
The Surface Laptop 8 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Plus or X2 Elite chips, which provide snappy performance and long battery life. The X2 Elite is 16-20% faster in single-core performance and 10% faster in graphics compared to the previous generation, but it still lags behind rivals like the Apple M5 MacBook Air. The laptop runs silently most of the time, with fans only audible when pushed to the limit.
Battery life is a standout feature, with the Surface Laptop 8 managing just shy of 14 hours of work on a single charge. This is very good for a Windows PC, and it's one of the primary reasons to buy a Qualcomm-powered Windows machine.
Display and Keyboard
The 13.8-inch LCD screen is crisp and bright, with HDR and Dolby Vision support. However, the gloss coating can be prone to glare from overhead lights in an office. The keyboard and trackpad are among the best you can get on a PC, providing a satisfying typing experience.
Haptic Signals Feature
One of the standout features of the Surface Laptop 8 is its generous haptic touchpad, which supports Windows 11's new haptic signals feature. This allows you to feel little taps on your finger for interactions like mousing over the close (X) button or snapping a window to the side of the screen.
Windows 11 and ARM App Compatibility
The Surface Laptop 8 runs Windows 11 for ARM, which is generally trouble-free and includes various Microsoft AI tools. The Click to Do feature is particularly useful for quickly accessing AI tools and performing actions with images and text elements on screen.
Most apps run just fine on the ARM chip, either natively or via the built-in Prism emulation layer. However, some apps, like Evernote, can be slow, and some multiplayer games may not run due to compatibility issues.
Sustainability
The laptop is generally repairable, with replaceable SSDs and service guides available. Adaptive charging and battery capacity limits help extend the battery's longevity. The machine contains recycled materials, and Microsoft operates trade-in and recycling schemes.
Price and Verdict
The Surface Laptop 8 is expensive, with prices starting at £1,449 for the Snapdragon X2 Plus model. While it offers a high-quality PC experience, the price increase due to RAMageddon is a significant drawback. The laptop doesn't try to do too much, but it provides an all-round quality PC experience that few rivals can truly match.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Long battery life
- Great performance
- Good screen
- First-class keyboard and trackpad
- Excellent haptic signals feature
- Good speakers and mics
- Windows Hello facial recognition and good webcam
Cons:
- Expensive
- Limited port selection
- Not a big upgrade
- Some compatibility issues with Windows on ARM
- Surface Connect port requires an additional charger or adapter in the UK or EU
