We compare Microsoft’s latest Surface device with Apple’s MacBook to help you decide which laptop is best for you.
By
Jim Martin | 34 mins ago
12″ MacBook:
£1,249 (256GB model) and £1,549 (512GB model) , US$1,299 (256GB model) and $1,599 (512GB model)
Microsoft Surface Laptop:
From £979, From US$999
Price comparision from, and manufacturers
The Surface Laptop is beautiful, but it’s also a little confusing. It’s aimed at students, but it’s expensive. It runs a cut-down version of Windows 10, but has powerful components.
Its price and design appear to compete with Google’s Chromebook Pixel, but that’s no longer on sale. But there is a similar laptop that we can sensibly compare it to: the 2016 MacBook.
We’ve also compared the Surface Laptop and Surface Book, in case you’re choosing between those.
This thin-and-light notebook was launched last year and weighs less than a kilo. Its 12in screen is smaller than the 13.5in Surface Laptop, though, and as with all Macs, doesn’ t have a touchscreen.
As prices depend on the specification you opt for, we’ ve summarised them in the table below
Core specs
Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop
Core i5,4GB, 128GB storage
£979 / US$999
Core i5,8GB, 256GB storage
£1249 / US$1299
Core i7,8GB, 256GB storage
£1549 / US$1599
Core i7,16GB, 512GB storage
£2149 / US$2199
Apple MacBook
Core m3,8GB, 256GB storage
£1249 / US$1299
Core m5,8GB, 512GB storage
£1549 / US$1599
You can pre-order a Surface Laptop from Microsoft’s online store, and buy a MacBook directly from Apple .
Both laptops are high-end models with great design and precision manufacturing. They’ re built using premium materials, all of which helps to explain – and justify – their high prices.
Each is offered in four different colours, with Apple offering Rose Gold in addition to the familiar Silver, Gold and Space Grey.
Microsoft has chosen similar hues Platinum (silver) and Graphite Gold, with Burgundy and Cobalt Blue for the other two.
In the UK only Platinum is currently available, but if you’ re in the US and want a different colour, you can currently only pre-order the Core i5 / 8GB / 256GB model for $1299.
The MacBook has an all-aluminium chassis and the design is hard to fault. We can easily criticise the lack of ports – a single USB-C is not going to be enough for a lot of people and although adaptors are readily available, these add cost and are inconvenient.
But in terms of build and how it looks, we do love the MacBook.
Microsoft has clearly taken some inspiration from it for the Surface Laptop. It was keen to point out at its launch that the joins are seamless and that “you won’ t find a single screw or fastener… anywhere”.
Some have bemoaned the fact Alcantara has been used as the cover for the keyboard deck. A material more commonly associated with car seats, it’s soft and good quality but does mark easily and will likely become grubby since you’ re resting your palms on it, if not your fingertips.
Here’s how the two laptops compare on their main specifications:
Microsoft Surface Laptop
Apple MacBook
Operating system
Windows 10 S
macOS Sierra
Display
13.5in, 2256 x 1504,201ppi
12in, 2305 x 1440 pixels, 226ppi
Touchscreen
Yes
No
Processor
Intel Core i5 / Core i7
Intel Core m3 or Core m5
GPU
Intel HD 620 (i5) or Iris Plus Graphics 640 (i7)
Intel HD Graphics 515
RAM
4,8 or 16GB
8GB
Storage
128GB, 256GB, or 512GB
256GB or 512GB
Colours
Burgundy, Platinum, Cobalt Blue, Graphite Gold
Rose Gold, Space Grey, Gold, Silver
Connectivity
USB 3.0,3.5mm jack, mini DisplayPort, SurfaceConnect
USB-C, 3.5mm jack
Wireless
802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Battery
Non-removable. Up to 14.5 hours
Non-removable. Up to 11 hours
Dimensions
308 x 223.2 x 14.5 mm
280.5 x 196.5 x 13.1mm
Weight
1.25kg
0.92kg
Clearly, the main difference is that the MacBook is powered by last-generation Core m processors. Although Intel has muddied the waters by renaming these ‘Core i’ chips in the latest seventh generation, thankfully the Surface Laptop doesn’ t use these ultra-low-power Y-series models.
Instead it sensibly opts for the U-series CPUs, which are the ‘real’ Core i5 and i7. And yes, it’s i5 and i7, not i3 and i5. This means there should be plenty of performance for whatever you need to do.
And while you may already be aware that Windows 10 S allows you to install apps solely from the Windows Store, you’ ve always got the option to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. This is free until 31 December 2017, and will cost £50 after that.
The MacBook runs macOS Sierra and while this means it can’ t run any Windows apps, there are of course many popular apps available on both platforms.
Add in web-based services and macOS is really only limited in the choice of games compared to Windows. And neither of these is really designed for gaming.
We’ ll have to wait until we can benchmark the Core i7 Surface Laptop, but it does benefit from Iris Plus Graphics 640, which could well be able to handle some of the latest titles, albeit not at the screen’s native resolution we suspect.
Which operating system you prefer is down to you, and which apps you need to run.
Microsoft said at the Surface Laptop’s launch that the Core i5 version was 50 percent faster than the Core i7 MacBook Air, and it’s likely to be an even bigger percentage quicker than the Core m3-equipped MacBook.
Both laptops have backlit keyboards, but Apple doesn’t offer a UK layout. Traditionally, Microsoft has offered different layouts for different regions and languages, with specific UK layout keyboards for Surface Pro tablets. We’ve not had confirmation that the Surface Laptop will be the same, but we’d be surprised if it wasn’t the same.
The MacBook has its clever Force Touch trackpad which lets you use different amounts of pressure depending on what you’re trying to achieve. Plus, multi-finger gestures let you zoom and scroll just like on a touchscreen.
One of the biggest differences aside from performance is the display. The MacBook has a 12in IPS screen which makes it smaller than the 13.5in Surface Laptop. Resolutions are similar, though, which means the Surface has a slightly lower pixel density.
