The new Surface Laptop 7 is an impressive machine, but how does it fare against the early 2023 MacBook Pro? Let’s put them to the test and find out.
When it comes to top-tier productivity laptops, few names can stand in the same company as the MacBook Pro. But what if you don’t like macOS and are a dedicated Windows user? Many great laptops run on Windows, but not many can claim to give the MacBook Pro a run for its money like the Surface Laptop 7 can. The new Surface Laptop 7 introduces some much-needed updates to Microsoft’s Surface line, bringing it closer to offering a MacBook-like experience on a Windows machine.
We’ve already compared the Surface Laptop 7 and the M3 MacBook Pro. In that comparison, we concluded that while the MacBook was technically better, its steep price put it out of reach for many users. A more even comparison would be between the Surface Laptop 7 and the MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro and Max versions (which also came out in 2023, like the M3 model). Below, we’ll compare and contrast these laptops side-by-side to determine which is the better buy in 2024. Price, specs, and availability
Apple released two MacBook Pro updates last year. The M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro hit the market in the first half of the year, and were followed up by the newer M3 MacBook Pro in the second half of 2023. The early 2023 MacBook Pro was available at launch with a 14-inch or 16-inch display, and the M2 Pro or M2 Max system-on-chip. Retail pricing starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch M2 Pro model. Although Apple has recently discontinued the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models, they’re still available at retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy.
Microsoft revealed its new Surface Laptop 7 (officially dubbed the «7th Edition») in May alongside the Surface Pro 11, as part of its Copilot+ PC ecosystem. The Surface Laptop 7 runs on the new Snapdragon X SoC, and Microsoft is leaning hard into the AI PC trend with this machine. Like the MacBook Pro, it’s available in two sizes, 13 and 15 inches, and offers two Snapdragon CPU options. Retail pricing starts at $1,000, and it’s available for order from the Microsoft store and major third-party retailers. Design Microsoft is doing its best Apple impression
It doesn’t take a magnifying glass to see the similarities between the Surface Laptop 7 and MacBook Pro. Microsoft took some cues from Apple’s design language with the Surface Laptop, which sports a sleek, minimalist aesthetic and metallic finish. They’re not twins, but if you like one, you’ll probably like the other. For the 7th generation Surface Laptop, Microsoft made some much-needed refinements, such as trimmed-down bezels that allow the 13-inch model to sport a slightly larger display than the previous iteration.
The 13-inch Surface Laptop 7 and 14-inch MacBook Pro are similar in size, with the Microsoft laptop being a bit less long and wide but slightly thicker. However, the size difference between the 15-inch Surface Laptop and the 16-inch MacBook is more significant. The plus-sized Pro is an inch wider than the 15-inch Surface Laptop 7, but that coincides with its one-inch larger display. The MacBook Pro is also noticeably heavier, particularly the 16-inch model.
Neither the MacBook Pro nor the Surface Laptop 7 pack a vast array of ports, but Apple offers more with an additional USB-C port, SD card slot, 3.
