Specs Appeal: Comparing the new Surface Laptop 7 with Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Laptop 5

The seventh-generation Surface Laptop is a very interesting and attractive computer. It is the first traditional-shaped laptop from Microsoft to come exclusively with ARM processors from Qualcomm. Microsoft is so confident in these chips that it decided to leave Intel processors only for the business-focused Surface Laptop 6. And, of course, there is still the Surface Laptop 5, which is available with big discounts and 12th-gen Intel processors.

If you want a new laptop, specifically one of Microsoft"s Surface Laptop models, the question arises: What generation should you go for? The new Surface Laptop 7, the not-so-new-anymore Surface Laptop 6 for Business, or the good-old Surface Laptop 5? This Specs Appeal article compares all three generations with their pros and cons and compares each spec side-by-side.

Surface Laptop 7	Surface Laptop 6	Surface Laptop 5
Pros: Very efficient chips Haptic trackpad 120Hz display Bigger 13.8-inch display with rounded corners Recall and other AI features Better battery life Relatively affordable Wi-Fi 7 Cons: App compatibility is questionable 32GB of RAM max No Surface Pen support No Thunderbolt 4	Pros: Traditional processors without compatibility issues Up to 64GB of RAM Business-focused features Thunderbolt 4 Cons: Less efficient chips Smaller batteries Fewer ports More expensive "Regular" trackpad Does not support new AI features	Pros: Much more affordable The green color is nice Thunderbolt 4 Still has plenty of power for daily tasks Cons: Older Intel processors with worse efficiency Miserable 8GB of RAM in the base configuration 720p webcam "Regular" trackpad Does not support new AI features
Who is it for: Surface Laptop 7 is for customers who want an all-around great laptop with amazing battery life, no fan whine, and a solid display. Also, it"s a good pick if you want to try Windows 11"s latest AI features, which are not available on "traditional" PCs.	Who is it for: Surface Laptop 6 is for business customers (it"s in the name) as well as those who have specific requirements for apps and are not ready to experiment with emulation or wait for developers to catch up. Safe option for those who do not want to beta-test the first generation of Copilot+ AI PCs with ARM chips.	Who is it for: Surface Laptop 5 is a solid pick if you can find it with a big discount (or a used one). Although its chips are not the latest, they still have enough power for daily tasks.

Surface Laptop 7

Surface Laptop 6

Surface Laptop 5

Pros:

Very efficient chips
Haptic trackpad
120Hz display
Bigger 13.8-inch display with rounded corners
Recall and other AI features
Better battery life
Relatively affordable
Wi-Fi 7

Cons:

App compatibility is questionable
32GB of RAM max
No Surface Pen support
No Thunderbolt 4

Pros:

Traditional processors without compatibility issues
Up to 64GB of RAM
Business-focused features
Thunderbolt 4

Cons:

Less efficient chips
Smaller batteries
Fewer ports
More expensive
"Regular" trackpad
Does not support new AI features

Pros:

Much more affordable
The green color is nice
Thunderbolt 4
Still has plenty of power for daily tasks

Cons:

Older Intel processors with worse efficiency
Miserable 8GB of RAM in the base configuration
720p webcam
"Regular" trackpad
Does not support new AI features

Who is it for:

Surface Laptop 7 is for customers who want an all-around great laptop with amazing battery life, no fan whine, and a solid display.

Also, it"s a good pick if you want to try Windows 11"s latest AI features, which are not available on "traditional" PCs.

Who is it for:

Surface Laptop 6 is for business customers (it"s in the name) as well as those who have specific requirements for apps and are not ready to experiment with emulation or wait for developers to catch up.

Safe option for those who do not want to beta-test the first generation of Copilot+ AI PCs with ARM chips.

Who is it for:

Surface Laptop 5 is a solid pick if you can find it with a big discount (or a used one). Although its chips are not the latest, they still have enough power for daily tasks.

Here is the detailed spec-by-spec comparison:

	Surface Laptop 7	Surface Laptop 6	Surface Laptop 5
Chassis	13.8-inch: 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69", 2.96 lbs 301 x 220 x 17.5 mm, 1.34 kg	13.5-inch: 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.66", 3.06 lbs 308 x 223 x 16.7 mm, 1.38kg	13.5-inch: 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.57", 2.86 lbs 308 x 223 x 14.5 mm, 1.27 kg
Chassis	15-inch: 12.96 x 9.41 x 0.72", 3.67 lbs 329 x 239 x 18.29, 1.66 kg	15-inch: 13.4 x 9.6 x 0.67", 3.7 lbs 340 x 244 x 16.9 mm, 1.68 kg	15-inch: 13.4" x 9.6" x 0.58", 3.44 lbs 340 x 244 x 14.7 mm, 1.56 kg
Colors	Sapphire, Dune, Black, Platinum	Platinum, Black	Platinum, Sage, Matte Black, Sandstone
Display	13.8-inch: 2304 x 1536 (201 ppi) 1400:1 contrast ratio 120Hz 10-point multi-touch	13.5-inch: 256 x 1504 (201 ppi) 1300:1 contrast ratio 60Hz 10-point multi-touch Surface Pen support	13.5-inch: 2256 x 1504 (201 ppi) Dolby Vision IQ 10-point multi-touch Surface Pen support
Display	15-inch: 2496 x 1664 (201 ppi) 1300:1 contrast ratio 120Hz 10-point multi-touch	15-inch: 2496 x 1664 (201 ppi) 1300:1 contrast ratio 60Hz 10-point multi-touch Surface Pen support	15-inch: 2496 x 1664 (201 ppi) Dolby Vision IQ 10-point multi-touch Surface Pen support
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite	Intel Core Ultra 5 135H Intel Core Ultra 7 165H	Intel Core i5-1235U Intel Core i7-1255U
Memory	16GB, 32GB LPDDR5x	8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB LPDDR5x	8GB, 16GB, 32GB LPDDR5x
Storage	User-removable PCIe 4 SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1TB		User-removable SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1 TB
Security	Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0 Windows Hello face sign-in Windows 11 Secured-core PC	TPM 2.0 Chip Windows Hello face sign-in Windows 11 Secured-core PC Optional smart card reader	TPM 2.0 Chip Windows Hello face sign-in Windows 11 Secured-core PC
Network	Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.1
Battery	13.8-inch: 54Wh	47Wh	13.5-inch: Up to 18 hours of typical use
Battery	15-inch: 66Wh	47Wh	15-inch: Up to 17 hours of typical use
Camera	1080p front-facing camera with Windows Hello face sign-in		720p HD front-facing camera with Windows Hello face sign-in
Ports	13.8-inch: 2x USB-C/USB4 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect	13.5-inch: 1x USB-C/USB4 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect	1x Thunderbolt 4/USB-C 4.0 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect
Ports	15-inch: 2x USB-C/USB4 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect microSDXC reader	15-inch: 2x USB-C/USB4 1x USB-A 3.1 3.5 mm headphone jack Surface Connect Smart Card Reader
Launch Price	$999+ $1,299+	$1,199+ $1,399+	$999+ $1,299+

The Surface Laptop 7 is now available for preorder in the Microsoft Store. Shipments begin in the second half of June.

Tags