Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5" Touchscreen AMD Ryzen 5 4680U 8GB 256GB SSD WIN11

Don't get any of these MIcrosoft surface devices unless you're only intending it for light usage and you need a touch-screen device. Stay away from these if you intend to use them for processing-intensive work. POOR BUILD. They maybe thin and look pretty, but are very poorly built and tend to overheat. I got a brand new Surface Laptop 4 that gives me mild electric shocks every time it's plugged in, and I Googled how to fix it and it turns out it's a known issue with most surface devices (and Microsoft Customer service itself acknowledged it), and I just have to live with it. It also regularly emits a buzzing static sound from its body and it's as distracting as having a wasp flying around your ear. None of the other laptops I've worked with have this issue. MEDIOCRE ... MoreDon't get any of these MIcrosoft surface devices unless you're only intending it for light usage and you need a touch-screen device. Stay away from these if you intend to use them for processing-intensive work. POOR BUILD. They maybe thin and look pretty, but are very poorly built and tend to overheat. I got a brand new Surface Laptop 4 that gives me mild electric shocks every time it's plugged in, and I Googled how to fix it and it turns out it's a known issue with most surface devices (and Microsoft Customer service itself acknowledged it), and I just have to live with it. It also regularly emits a buzzing static sound from its body and it's as distracting as having a wasp flying around your ear. None of the other laptops I've worked with have this issue. MEDIOCRE PERFORMANCE Not very fast performance either despite having i5 and 8GB RAM. My 4-yr old HP laptop with the same specs still outperforms it, especially during multitasking. Most people at work also have brand new surface devices because it's what our company gives us, and the complaints about device performance are endless. NOT ENOUGH PORTS A lot of my colleagues had to buy separate docks and monitor cables to make it work with their current setup at home because come on, who has a monitor with a USB-C connecting cable? Everyone has HDMI and this device has no HDMI port! To make matters worse, it only has one USB port, and if you connect a mouse to that, you can't connect anything else. BATTERY SUCKS 17 hours? Maybe 17 hours of typing on notepad while not connected to the internet. I'd consider myself lucky if I get 6 hours worth of work done when I'm using this unplugged. But I can't use it when it's plugged because I get mild electric shocks. The Lenovo laptop I had in my previous workplace easily gives me 10 hours of battery doing the same things I do on Surface, and my HP laptop gives me 8. Maybe because those laptops don't have a touchscreen, but really, what can you do with a touchscreen that you can't do with a mouse and a regular screen? CONCLUSION : Get yourselves a proper laptop and don't waste your money on a Surface if you're planning to use this as your main work device.

Former Mac user turned PC

I’ve been using MacBooks for 15 years and got tired of where macOS is going and all the issues I was having. I have a 2017 MacBook Pro with the infamous butterfly keyboard problem. So after 15 years I decided to give a PC a chance and I am surprisingly happy with this Microsoft Surface 4 Laptop. I got it on sale after the Surface 5 was announced. I use windows at work (WFH) so it is more compatible in that aspect. I love the thin and sleek design. It feels very premium and the matte black looks amazing even though I plan to put a fishskyn skin on the top and bottom lol I love the pure windows experience without all the bloatware you get from other manufacturers. So far it has been able to handle what I throw at it. After 15 years of macOS I forgot how free it was on ... MoreI’ve been using MacBooks for 15 years and got tired of where macOS is going and all the issues I was having. I have a 2017 MacBook Pro with the infamous butterfly keyboard problem. So after 15 years I decided to give a PC a chance and I am surprisingly happy with this Microsoft Surface 4 Laptop. I got it on sale after the Surface 5 was announced. I use windows at work (WFH) so it is more compatible in that aspect. I love the thin and sleek design. It feels very premium and the matte black looks amazing even though I plan to put a fishskyn skin on the top and bottom lol I love the pure windows experience without all the bloatware you get from other manufacturers. So far it has been able to handle what I throw at it. After 15 years of macOS I forgot how free it was on windows. You can do what you want and not what apple says you can do. I refuse to get locked in apples ecosystem especially after being burned with the butterfly keyboard issue and other issues I’ve had with MacBooks recently.

Great laptop with aging design and specs

A great little laptop but a few things really holding it back.It is a very well built laptop with a beautiful screen but it has huge bezels and has the same glossy super reflective screen for several years. Would like to see much smaller bezels and an anti-reflective coating. An Oled display option would also be nice.The processor is good and bad. It was great a couple years ago but with 12th gen intel out and 6th gen Ryzen it is showing it's age. Speed feels fine but in a couple of years I am worried. Microsoft needs to deliver better internals for this price. Too much competition that is better.The build quality and design are top notch. The design aesthetic that Microsoft uses is one of the cleanest and best looking designs out there but as I said before it ... MoreA great little laptop but a few things really holding it back.It is a very well built laptop with a beautiful screen but it has huge bezels and has the same glossy super reflective screen for several years. Would like to see much smaller bezels and an anti-reflective coating. An Oled display option would also be nice.The processor is good and bad. It was great a couple years ago but with 12th gen intel out and 6th gen Ryzen it is showing it's age. Speed feels fine but in a couple of years I am worried. Microsoft needs to deliver better internals for this price. Too much competition that is better.The build quality and design are top notch. The design aesthetic that Microsoft uses is one of the cleanest and best looking designs out there but as I said before it needs modernization of a few areas.The speakers are excellent and I love them.The keyboard is excellent. Trackpad is one of the best.The battery life is decent but this is another area improvement needs to be made.Ports are just pitiful. At least you get a usb a but I would like to see hdmi or at least sd card support.SSD sizes are really skimpy for the cost. Double the size across the line is needed.A little more heavy duty mag charging port like a braided cable would be really nice but I like the overall design.The pure Windows experience is one of the main draws to these devices and the optimization Microsoft puts into the OS for these machines. Even on older hardware with meager specs you never feel the device is slow.Overall the all aluminum models are a thing of art and the screen is beautiful and the speakers are good. The 3/2 screen format is also excellent. They just need to keep up with up to date internals and refine the design and add a port or too and extend battery life and I would fully recommend this device.As it is now there are too many nagging issues to fully say 5 stars. It is certainly above average and a great device but for me I like to be current on specs if I am going to shell out premium price.There hopefully will be a redesign and after the release a while when they go on sale I might just pick a model like this again.

Hardware not durable or long lasting

I was excited to purchase my Surface Laptop 4 in 2021. One of the key features was the keyboard. Within a year the N has rubbed off. I didn't think it would be something covered over warranty and when I got around to trying to find a solution it was out of warranty and the expense to fix was astronomical. Another issue is the charging cable. There is issues with the connection, so at random times, it won't connect and charge. Microsoft forces you to use their special technology that does not work as well as the old USB-C charging. Again when trying to fix I was told had to buy $700 refurbished. The final challenge is the difficulty in even getting attention and service from microsoft. My other laptops have been Asus and Lenova. They are longer lasting, better ... MoreI was excited to purchase my Surface Laptop 4 in 2021. One of the key features was the keyboard. Within a year the N has rubbed off. I didn't think it would be something covered over warranty and when I got around to trying to find a solution it was out of warranty and the expense to fix was astronomical. Another issue is the charging cable. There is issues with the connection, so at random times, it won't connect and charge. Microsoft forces you to use their special technology that does not work as well as the old USB-C charging. Again when trying to fix I was told had to buy $700 refurbished. The final challenge is the difficulty in even getting attention and service from microsoft. My other laptops have been Asus and Lenova. They are longer lasting, better quality and the customer service is easily reachable and they work to find a solution. In the third year of my Asus, with no warranty there was an issue with the hinges. They fixed for free. A very different experience than I have had with microsoft. Overall I have not found the hardware to be durable or long lasting and the customer service from microsoft, if you can even reach them, is subpar.

Light and Great for day-to-day applications

Feature Overview:• Sleek design, thin, lightweight, powerful and portable for day to day use. Great touch display with max resolution of 2256 x 1504 and amazing graphics/picture quality and sound effects for watching movies. Have it connected to two 32inch monitors via a USB C docking station which also charges my laptop.• Can be charged with the standard MS charger that comes with the laptop or via the USB C connector using a PD charger or docking station.• Amazing battery life, used it for 14+ hrs without having to charge it.• 11th Gen Intel Quad Core/ core i5 processor with 8GB memory is great for day to day work/school use. Didn’t have issues running Teams meetings and multitasking with other tools (Visio, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) running in the ... MoreFeature Overview:• Sleek design, thin, lightweight, powerful and portable for day to day use. Great touch display with max resolution of 2256 x 1504 and amazing graphics/picture quality and sound effects for watching movies. Have it connected to two 32inch monitors via a USB C docking station which also charges my laptop.• Can be charged with the standard MS charger that comes with the laptop or via the USB C connector using a PD charger or docking station.• Amazing battery life, used it for 14+ hrs without having to charge it.• 11th Gen Intel Quad Core/ core i5 processor with 8GB memory is great for day to day work/school use. Didn’t have issues running Teams meetings and multitasking with other tools (Visio, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) running in the background. This is not designed for extreme gaming, was a little slow in responding when I tested it on a multi user network game, which is expected from this laptop as this is primarily targeted for productivity and mobility.• 512 GB solid state drive sufficient enough for day to day use as I primarily have all my files on cloud. Boots up pretty fast, took less than 50 seconds during hard reboot and less than 10 seconds from sleep mode.• Light weight good responsive backlit keyboard with large trackpad. Has an headphone jack and an additional USB A port which I used to connect to an external webcam.• Touch screen is very responsive and I used my stylus to edit CAD files.It’s a great entry level laptop for someone who is focused on productivity and portability for day-to-day use. This is my 5th Microsoft Surface/Surface Pro laptop and Microsoft never failed to impress with their next gen laptops. This is a perfect laptop to run school and work applications and is super light for travel, with amazing battery life!Good job Microsoft!

Low brightness and subpar keyboard (returned)

I was greatly disappointed in the Surface Laptop 4. As a college student, whenever I buy a laptop I always test out the ergonomics before the specs. I've watched and read many reviews claiming that this laptop boasts a really good keyboard and a bright display. I was wrong. And this is why I returned it.As someone whose owned two HP laptops and one Surface Pro in the past, HP keyboards will always reign supreme because of their good key travel and comfortable typing experience. My old Surface Pro had good key travel because of the detachable alcantara keyboard. I thought the same would work for the Aluminum chassis on the Surface 4. Unfortunately, this device's keyboard is poorly built. If you scrub your fingers on the keys before pressing them, you can hear how ... MoreI was greatly disappointed in the Surface Laptop 4. As a college student, whenever I buy a laptop I always test out the ergonomics before the specs. I've watched and read many reviews claiming that this laptop boasts a really good keyboard and a bright display. I was wrong. And this is why I returned it.As someone whose owned two HP laptops and one Surface Pro in the past, HP keyboards will always reign supreme because of their good key travel and comfortable typing experience. My old Surface Pro had good key travel because of the detachable alcantara keyboard. I thought the same would work for the Aluminum chassis on the Surface 4. Unfortunately, this device's keyboard is poorly built. If you scrub your fingers on the keys before pressing them, you can hear how clickety and loose they are. Furthermore, typing on this thing was a chore. As someone whose used to typing on rectangular HP Envy 13.3 inches and a Lenovo 13 inches, this 13.5 inch square device has its keys spaced out too much, so my usual finger placements were thrown off and I kept hitting the wrong keys. Lastly, the keys themselves are shallow and requires a bit more finger force to type on compared to HP and Lenovo ThinkPad/Yoga laptops. So in addition to the weird key spacing, my fingers were also straining at each key punch. Which is why I would avoid the Surface Laptop lineups for a clamshell typing experience, and maybe consider the Surface Pro 7 instead.As for the display, it is not good. I currently own the HP Envy x360 (a mid-range laptop) and its display brightness easily reaches 400 nits at max. The surface laptop 4 only reaches 349 nits. At max brightness, I compared this device to my x360 and there was a substantial difference in brightness levels. Moreover, the colors in the Surface Laptop 4 looked a bit more washed out in my opinion.In terms of weight and portability. This device is not recommended for on-the-go. The aluminum chassis and the 13.5 inch square build made this device feel like this heavy square metal slab that could crack at the first drop, or dent at the next bump. It wasn't something you can easily take out of the bag and rapidly set on the table during lectures. Even for the 13.5 inch variant, it's still a hefty metal square slab that's better off left at home. If you still want a Microsoft device but don't mind the 2 in 1 touchscreen experience, just get a Surface Pro 7. If you just want that clamshell laptop design but with good typing experience, Go for an HP Envy or a Lenovo ThinkPad.

Microsoft Surface Excellent For "Analog" People

The Microsoft Surface is excellent. I majored in philosophy and literature and have had mostly "analog" jobs in life. As a 44 year old non-digital native, this product does EVERYTHING I need and more! It has a clear, easy to use screen to zoom in to important images and data for my job as a CEO. I can easily use Zoom with no stress for all my many meetings. I love the peripheral keyboard for my broad hands. The amount of data storage is plentiful and the camera works wonderfully. All in all, for a dude who runs a company with 200+ spectacular people in it, there's no other product for me besides the Microsoft Surface! It came recommended by a friend and I admit... at first I resisted... but technology is about learning and growth. This product was one of the easiest ... MoreThe Microsoft Surface is excellent. I majored in philosophy and literature and have had mostly "analog" jobs in life. As a 44 year old non-digital native, this product does EVERYTHING I need and more! It has a clear, easy to use screen to zoom in to important images and data for my job as a CEO. I can easily use Zoom with no stress for all my many meetings. I love the peripheral keyboard for my broad hands. The amount of data storage is plentiful and the camera works wonderfully. All in all, for a dude who runs a company with 200+ spectacular people in it, there's no other product for me besides the Microsoft Surface! It came recommended by a friend and I admit... at first I resisted... but technology is about learning and growth. This product was one of the easiest to learn and its made my job as an executive more fun, easier and ... the best part... my colleagues no longer chuckle at my pads of paper and notes posted everywhere! P.S. I used to teach high school for 15 years. The Microsoft Surface should be in every classroom! Students would seriously benefit from the easy to use interface. Notes could be easily shared and appropriate video content would be smooth and simple to deploy for everyone. Grade: A+++! Thanks Microcenter for this "wicked awesome" product!

Perfect Windows Experience

When looking for thin & lite laptop that had high end productivity features, I researched many different models with me settling on the M$ Surface Laptop 4 due to it being more than capable on fulfilling my needs for a portable workstation. This AMD model of the Surface Laptop 4 13.5 is a good alternative to the Intel Ultrabook’s with some strong key advantages: More affordable, better battery life on a Windows device (Yes, I know the MacBook Air is still the king on battery life), and the multi-core CPU performance is superior to the most expensive Intel option, even on the entry-level model. So why this one over the others? I work at home doing multiple video calls (Zoom, Teams & Skype) while connected to a Voyager 4310 Bluetooth headset. I also usually have two ... MoreWhen looking for thin & lite laptop that had high end productivity features, I researched many different models with me settling on the M$ Surface Laptop 4 due to it being more than capable on fulfilling my needs for a portable workstation. This AMD model of the Surface Laptop 4 13.5 is a good alternative to the Intel Ultrabook’s with some strong key advantages: More affordable, better battery life on a Windows device (Yes, I know the MacBook Air is still the king on battery life), and the multi-core CPU performance is superior to the most expensive Intel option, even on the entry-level model. So why this one over the others? I work at home doing multiple video calls (Zoom, Teams & Skype) while connected to a Voyager 4310 Bluetooth headset. I also usually have two browsers open with over 20 in each & connected to a corporate VPN. With that also have multiple spreadsheets, documents & do light video/presentation work. Not only does this handle all of that at the same time the experience is trouble free thanks the seamless integration of Windows 11 & the hardware. Everything is just better than other laptops when it comes to Windows. No need to use a 3rd party app for software upgrades as just updating which works automatically BTW if put device in hibernation (just close the lid) instead of shutting down the power. Windows Hello logs you instantly & I have not encountered any bugs with everything just working very well. This is essentially a Windows Mac Book. The 3.2 display aspect ratio is a definite plus with more screen real estate to work with. Negatives: The glossy screen on is very reflective in direct sunlight outside. Ratings with 5 being the highest Quality Control: 5 out of 5 No flex anywhere on laptop, built with good & quality materials Display: 4 out of 5 Bright, sharp & vibrate display with color just slightly being off Keyboard: 5 out of 5 One of the best typing experiences on a Windows Laptop Trackpad 5 out of 5 Very accurate & precise so another homerun for the M$ design team Speakers: 4 out of 5 Sound is decent but not spectacular “sound comes through the keyboard” Performance: Single Task: 4 out of 5 Decent enough for most Multitasking 4 out of 5 Outstanding! Battery Life 4 out of 5 Getting over 7 hours with display brightness set to 75%, keyboard backlight on low, Bluetooth headset connected & power settings on Better Performance on battery on heavy days. On lighter days get close to 9 hours but no were near the advertised 17 hours with my usage. Geeky Stuff Note: Windows 11 Home 21H2 /w Windows Features Experience Pack 1000.22000.856.0 All Cumulative Updates for Windows 11 has been updated as of 08/21/2022 before tests. Battery Benchmarks Cinebench R23 / Single Core 872 pts (To compare an Intel Core i5-1135G7 gets around 1200 pts) Cinebench R23 / Multi-Core 6122 pts PCMark 10 Productivity: 6641 Digital Content Creation: 5055 pts Processor AMD Ryzen 5 4680U 6 x 2.2 - 4 GHz, 44 W PL2 / Short Burst, 23 W PL1 / Sustained, Renoir (Zen 2) Graphics adapter AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 Memory 16 GB , LPDDR4X-4266, Dual-Channel, onboard Display 13.50 inch 3:2, 2256 x 1504 pixel 201 PPI, capacitive, LQ135P1JX51, IPS, 60 Hz Mainboard AMD Promontory/Bixby FCH Storage Samsung PM991 MZ9LQ256HBJQ, 256 GB, 197 GB free Weight 2.79 pounds), Power Supply: 10.79 oz Battery 47.4 Wh

Screen cracked after 1 yr 1 mo

This was a great laptop when I had it, it had all the specs I wanted for work, nice color, build, battery life, and portability. The only one on the market with a 3:2 screen so it was perfect for productivity. Unfortunately, I have to report that the screen just cracked in 1 year 1 month after owning it, conveniently out of the manufacturer's warranty. This is an issue that has persisted from the previous Surface Laptop 3, where screens were brittle and cracked to the point where Microsoft was offering free replacements. This time they're asking for $400 to repair, which is pretty much half of the cost of this machine. I must add that I baby this product, it lives on a desk and doesn't experience any type of activity that would induce this trauma. Buyer beware, if ... MoreThis was a great laptop when I had it, it had all the specs I wanted for work, nice color, build, battery life, and portability. The only one on the market with a 3:2 screen so it was perfect for productivity. Unfortunately, I have to report that the screen just cracked in 1 year 1 month after owning it, conveniently out of the manufacturer's warranty. This is an issue that has persisted from the previous Surface Laptop 3, where screens were brittle and cracked to the point where Microsoft was offering free replacements. This time they're asking for $400 to repair, which is pretty much half of the cost of this machine. I must add that I baby this product, it lives on a desk and doesn't experience any type of activity that would induce this trauma. Buyer beware, if you're okay with 6-8 hairline cracks suddenly appearing, then this is a great device. Otherwise, do what you can -- screen protector, insurance, etc. because it will happen to you.

Very good Windows laptop without added bloatware

I was looking for a Windows laptop with solid performance for everyday tasks. I was also looking for something without a bunch of bloatware (AKA the predownloaded apps a bunch of manufacturers include) because i just end up deleting those anyway. I figured the Surface laptop was a solid choice for a genuine Windows experience as envisioned by Microsoft themselves. And i really like the laptop, but even at the sale price I snagged this on, its a bit expensive for what it is. There’s a bit of body creaking, the keybaord is solid but I wish it had more travel, the trackpad is okay but somehow I inadvertantly right click while trying to click and vice versa, and the backlit keyboard could be brighter. Overall though, I’m happy the laptop is virtually silent, and the ... MoreI was looking for a Windows laptop with solid performance for everyday tasks. I was also looking for something without a bunch of bloatware (AKA the predownloaded apps a bunch of manufacturers include) because i just end up deleting those anyway. I figured the Surface laptop was a solid choice for a genuine Windows experience as envisioned by Microsoft themselves. And i really like the laptop, but even at the sale price I snagged this on, its a bit expensive for what it is. There’s a bit of body creaking, the keybaord is solid but I wish it had more travel, the trackpad is okay but somehow I inadvertantly right click while trying to click and vice versa, and the backlit keyboard could be brighter. Overall though, I’m happy the laptop is virtually silent, and the battery is seriously impressive for a Windows machine. Not quite M1 standards, but still great compared to laptops of Windows past.