Amazing Laptop!
I purchased the Surface Laptop 4 with a Ryzen 7, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It was listed as being in “Satisfactory” condition, so I was expecting cosmetic issues and maybe the charger to be missing. I had purchased an “excellent” condition laptop that did not have the charger in the box, so I was expecting some issues. This laptop is in beautiful condition. I can find no scuffs, scratches, dings, blemishes or even fingerprints on this device. It looks like a brand-new laptop and the charger was in the box. Even though I did not have the fun of a full unboxing experience, I am amazed that I was able to pick this unit up for a third of what mint would have cost. I’m glad I took the gamble. My first impression was this is a beautiful device. The matte black ... MoreI purchased the Surface Laptop 4 with a Ryzen 7, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It was listed as being in “Satisfactory” condition, so I was expecting cosmetic issues and maybe the charger to be missing. I had purchased an “excellent” condition laptop that did not have the charger in the box, so I was expecting some issues. This laptop is in beautiful condition. I can find no scuffs, scratches, dings, blemishes or even fingerprints on this device. It looks like a brand-new laptop and the charger was in the box. Even though I did not have the fun of a full unboxing experience, I am amazed that I was able to pick this unit up for a third of what mint would have cost. I’m glad I took the gamble. My first impression was this is a beautiful device. The matte black finish and urban design give it a premium look and feel. It feels well balanced and light for its’ size. The screen lid lifts with one finger revealing a backlit keyboard with three (four if you count no light) levels of brightness. The keys are ever so slightly cupped with a shallow but satisfying amount of travel and the angled base provides a comfortable landing space for my wrists when typing. Something that is annoying about this laptop is how the ports are located on the lower body. The way the bevel is makes it difficult to connect to all the limited ports. Even the charging port is a struggle. I find that I need to tilt the laptop up so I can get things to connect. The PixelSense touch screen is bright and slightly reflective. It works with my finger and the three generations of Surface pens that I have. There are magnets in the lids right and left corners so my Slim pen lives there. I have brightness set at 50% and can easily view everything in a normal light. The colors are vibrant and crisp on either light or dark mode. The camera is very nice and can be used for Windows Hello. This option allows the laptop to unlock in a heartbeat and is something Apple should and to their models. The screen bezels are thick when compared to other laptop screens at the normal price point and the only thing that detracts from the viewing experience. Even with the thick bezels there is plenty of viewing room on this 15" screen. The Ryzen 7 is snappy and even with only 8GB of RAM it has been able to handle the programs (Photoshop, Sketchup, and the Microsoft suite) I need to use for my workflow. After my initial device set up there were 474GB available for storage. The storage uses NVMe SSD and I do not see lag when working. I would say that I was the winner on this purchase. So far my expectations have been exceeded and I would say that Best Buy surpassed the quality standards that described this laptop. This would be a great laptop for a student or businessperson. I would recommend it and would encourage checking out even laptops listed as “Satisfactory”. You might be pleasantly surprised.... Show more
Kmiku604
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Compact Powerhouse, Faster Than Gaming Laptops!
This newly updated Microsoft Surface 4 laptop is a superb combination of technology and functionality which will outperform almost all existing laptops thanks to its incorporation of a new 8 core AMD Ryzen 7 processor with integrated Radeon RX Vega 8 graphic processing unit in a very compact form. Visually, the Surface 4 is an elegant, minimalist design with a very slim, beautiful matt black brushed aluminum body. The excellent full-size keyboard has white backlighting. The 15.1” touch screen seems larger because it incorporates a classic 6:4 format. The solid-state hard drive and low power needs of the LED display, CPU and GPU make possible up to 17.5 hours of silent operation. The audio quality of the Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos sound processing is ... MoreThis newly updated Microsoft Surface 4 laptop is a superb combination of technology and functionality which will outperform almost all existing laptops thanks to its incorporation of a new 8 core AMD Ryzen 7 processor with integrated Radeon RX Vega 8 graphic processing unit in a very compact form. Visually, the Surface 4 is an elegant, minimalist design with a very slim, beautiful matt black brushed aluminum body. The excellent full-size keyboard has white backlighting. The 15.1” touch screen seems larger because it incorporates a classic 6:4 format. The solid-state hard drive and low power needs of the LED display, CPU and GPU make possible up to 17.5 hours of silent operation. The audio quality of the Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos sound processing is amazing. Overall, the impression is very sophisticated and high tech. Microsoft introduced the Surface product line in 2012 as a Windows tablet. It was the company’s first product which incorporated the Windows operating system and their own hardware. The first products ran tablet-only Windows RT. The early models were somewhat under-powered with limited storage and poor battery life. The next generation added a supplemental keyboard and more processing power, becoming 2-in-1 tablet/laptops. In 2015 the Surface 3 models were the first to run the full Windows operating system and standard programs. That Surface 3 lineup included the first true laptop. But not until the latest version, the Surface 4, did the product finally achieve parity in power and functionality with competitive laptops by incorporating bigger displays, very fast microprocessors, large SSD storage and superior battery life. Consider this outstanding combination of features: • Microsoft Surface 4 Laptop (Model 5W6-00024) • AMD Ryzen 7 4980U CPU 8 core/16 thread, 15w max power load • 8 core/16 hyper-thread processor runs at speeds from 2.0 to 4.4 GHz • 64 bit Windows 10 Home 20H2 operating system • Integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 GPU uses shared system memory • 8 GB DDR4 high efficiency RAM primary memory • 512 GB SK-Hynix SSD fast hard drive • 15.1” IPS LED-backlit PixelSense touch-screen display with 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI) resolution • Windows ink workspace/Surface Pen support • Omnisonic full-range stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos audio processing • 720 HD f2.0 Webcam with dual far field microphones • 3D IR Camera for Windows Hello facial and gesture recognition • Intel AX200 wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (WiFi 6 support), WPA3 security • Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity • USB-C video output • 1 USB 3.1 Type C (up to 5 GBps) • 1 USB 3.0 Type A • 40 pin Surface Connect port for charging and accessory connections • Headphone out/Microphone in 3.5 mm port • 45.82 Watt-Hour Lithium Ion battery – 17.5 hour operating life • 65 watt/15.0 volt/4.0 amp charging unit with USB Type A 5.0 volt/1.0 amp charging port and 101” cord length • Very slim and compact: 13.4” wide x 9.6” deep x 0.6” thick • Lightweight: only 3.4 pounds • One year warranty on parts and labor So how does this laptop perform? Flawlessly! It seemed very fast when I was using it, so I ran two well-regarded benchmark programs (Novabench and PC Mark 10) on both it and four of my other computers to determine their relative performance. These tests measure both CPU (general processing) and GPU (graphics processing) so they give a good overall measure of a computer’s speed. The first was a base model office desktop with an AMD A6 (A6-7310) CPU (comparable in speed to an Intel i3 CPU), no separate GPU and 8 GB RAM. The next was a nicely-equipped all-in-one computer with a 6th generation Intel i5 (6400T), Intel 530 GPU and 12 GB RAM. The third was a 2018-era gaming laptop with an 8th generation Intel i5 (8300H), Nvidia 1050Ti GPU and 8 GB RAM. The fourth was a 2019-era two-in-one laptop/tablet with AMD’s Ryzen 5 and Radeon Vega 8 GPU and 8 GB RAM. Finally, I ran the same tests on the Microsoft Surface 4 laptop. All computers were well-maintained, running identical Windows 10 versions with no other programs active. Here are the results (higher is faster): Novabench Results: Office desktop (AMD A6, 8 GB ram): 636 (Base case) All-in-One (i5-6400, 12 GB ram): 858 (35% faster than base) Gaming laptop (i5-8300H, 8 GB ram)): 2028 (219% faster than base) Two-in-One tablet/laptop (AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, 8 GB ram): 1425 (124% faster than base) Microsoft Surface 4 (AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, 8 GB ram): 2981 (369% faster than base) PC Mark 10 Results: Office desktop (AMD A6, 8 GB ram): 1451 (Base case) All-in-One (i5-6400, 12 GB ram): 2300 (59% faster than base) Gaming laptop (i5-8300H, 8 GB ram)): 4603 (217% faster than base) Two-in-One tablet/laptop (AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, 8 GB ram): 3698 (155% faster than base) Microsoft Surface 4 (AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, 8 GB ram): 5096 (251% faster than base) OK, that’s a lot of numbers and technical jargon but the bottom line is that you will find this slim Surface 4 capable of out-performing anything you currently own (unless you have a really geeked-out special system) and very smooth in running any games or software you may ever buy. Put this elegant notebook to work on most business software and it will never even break a sweat. Use it for photo or video editing and it will calmly do whatever you want, no drama. And you need not hesitate to fire up a graphics-intensive game because it has the power to handle even that chore easily. It is certainly faster than most dedicated gaming laptops made prior to 2020! The Omnisonic speakers and Atmos sound system on this laptop are surprisingly good. I listened to some of my favorite albums from Spotify and the speakers (although tiny) were much better than typical for laptops. They are mounted at the hinge, have decent volume and good stereo separation – certainly good enough for watching Netflix or YouTube videos. A major plus for this Surface 4 device is the outstanding battery life. I always test laptops by streaming Netflix series on battery power with a bright screen and high speaker volume. The combination of modem usage, video rendering, screen lighting and speaker volume usually drains most laptop batteries in less than two hours. But this Microsoft lasted almost twelve hours before exhausting the charge! That is long enough for five full movies and certainly would suffice a traveler for even the longest international flights. You can thank the ultra-efficient and power-miser AMD CPU and GPU for that amazing performance. Another advantage for travelers is the compact size (less than 14” wide and 0.6” thick) and very light weight – about 3.4 pounds. The power cube is small (about 3” x 2” x 1”) so it won’t take up much precious space or weight in your briefcase/backpack. The notebook is nicely balanced with a great lighted keyboard and big touchpad, so those who like to literally use their laptop on their lap will be pleased. The Intel wireless LAN is compatible with the latest WiFi 6 standard and provides excellent, high speed connection to your network. Similarly, the Bluetooth 5.0 gave a stable connection at up to 35 feet. The 3.5 mm audio port is convenient if you like to use wired headsets or earbuds. The 15.1” touchscreen display has superb resolution, high speed video rendering and HDR content support with very good color saturation. The 6:4 screen ratio is taller than the 16:9 or 16:10 ratios seen on many laptops and actually offers considerably more screen area (about 19% more) than the 16:9 screens. This is an advantage when working with Word documents or spreadsheets. It also supports the Surface Pen for graphic editing, although I don’t think that a laptop is the best vehicle for that function. The Microsoft Hello facial recognition and Cortana both work well, as does the webcam and built-in microphones. I suggest that you turn off the setting which requires entering a password when waking from sleep (but I suggest that change for all Windows PCs!) What are the possible weak points or purchase issues to consider? • I would have preferred at least two Type A and two Type C USB ports. I prefer to use a mouse rather than a trackpad and often need to use a flash drive so having only one USB port is an issue. (I solved it by buying a very nice Microsoft Bluetooth mouse from Best Buy for just $15. See photo.) • While the keyboard is excellent, it does not have a separate numeric keypad. However, that would have required a somewhat wider unit or reducing the size of the other key, so its absence is understandable. • It would have been nice to have a form-fitting cloth carrying case included (as many other notebook brands provide.) • When you set up your new Surface 4 laptop you will need to download some software (e.g., Open GL, Dolby Atmos) and update the drivers. There are several free software suites which will take care of those tasks for you. • Some might feel that the 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD could be larger but the performance results I noted above show that the RAM is adequate. The hard drive is big enough for most purposes and can be supplemented by an external hard drive plugged into the USB Type C port. • The optional Intel 11th generation Core i7 microprocessor allows a larger RAM and SSD configuration and may be a bit faster but at a considerably larger cost and much less battery life. But these are really just minor quibbles. When you consider all of its power and functionality you will agree that the price is very reasonable. I can enthusiastically recommend the new Microsoft Surface 4 laptop for both serious stay-at-home power users and for those who need a perfect travel companion.... Show more
JimC
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Great Laptop with Desktop Power.
I've been using the Windows Surface 4 for about a week, and I have enjoyed it from the moment it came out of the box. I'm going to break my review down into sections with a label at the beginning of each, so you can quickly find the information you find most pertinent. Packaging: The unit arrived securely packed in a cardboard packing box with generous air cushioning. I really liked this, because everything is easily recyclable. The retail packaging was a plastic wrapped stiff and sturdy cardboard box, and the plastic wrap had a tab glued to it so that it could be opened without a knife or scissors. Inside, the computer was protected by a thin wrap to prevent scratches and scuffs, and another piece of thin padding was placed between the keyboard and the screen. ... MoreI've been using the Windows Surface 4 for about a week, and I have enjoyed it from the moment it came out of the box. I'm going to break my review down into sections with a label at the beginning of each, so you can quickly find the information you find most pertinent. Packaging: The unit arrived securely packed in a cardboard packing box with generous air cushioning. I really liked this, because everything is easily recyclable. The retail packaging was a plastic wrapped stiff and sturdy cardboard box, and the plastic wrap had a tab glued to it so that it could be opened without a knife or scissors. Inside, the computer was protected by a thin wrap to prevent scratches and scuffs, and another piece of thin padding was placed between the keyboard and the screen. below the computer, the quick start guide and charging transformer and cords were secured in additional boxes. All in all, it was nicely presented and very secure. Appearance and quality: The computer case is machined from aluminum, and has a quality, solid feel. It is finished in a matte black color with a shiny black windows logo centered on the lid. The lid is attached with a nearly full-length hinge that feels very solid, and is stiff enough that the screen stays where you put it. Overall it seems solidly built even though it is also very light for a 15 inch laptop. Connectivity: The connections offered are few, but all the bases are covered. On the right side is the "Surface Connect Port," a magnetic power port which, unlike other magnetic designs, has a plug that fits into a narrow slot, which serves to keep it aligned, and prevents it from twisting and losing contact. It seems like a good design. On the left there is a USB-A, USB-C, and 3.5 mm headphone jack. I'm really grateful for the USB-A jack, as I still own quite a few peripherals which use that standard. Other manufacturers seem to be more interested in selling adapters than making things convenient for the customer. Setup: As soon as I opened the lid, the computer booted in seconds, and I was greeted by Cortana, Microsoft's virtual assistant. I was then given the choice to use my voice to answer the setup questions, or by simply clicking the microphone icon, revert to the keyboard. I used the voice guided setup and found Cortana to be quite competent in understanding me and selecting the correct option. The computer connected to WiFi and downloaded a few updates, which took a few minutes, but not an inordinate amount of time. Overall, the setup process was much more quick and simple than I recall Windows setup being in the past. Initial impressions: I really like the weight of this laptop. It is very light for a 15" machine. I also like the feel of the keyboard and trackpad. My previous laptop was a MacBook Air, so I've had to get used to the different feel of the trackpad. I was also very happy to find MS Office and Spotify pre-loaded. I setup my personal Yahoo email in the Mail app, and my work Exchange account and personal iCloud accounts in outlook. Setup in both apps was quick and easy, and all my iCloud mail, contacts, and calendars synced with Outlook without issue. I was disappointed that my iCloud calendars didn't retain the same color code as on my MacBook, but since all the data came over flawlessly, that's a small thing. Video: The 2496 x 1664 display isn't quite 4K, but it is sharp and detailed. The brightness range is excellent, getting bright enough to see well outdoors or in a room with lots of sunlight as well as dim enough to work well in a dark room. Colors are vibrant and beautiful. In watching live action, there was no apparent ghosting, judder, or other artifacts. The display is very nice. Audio: Listening to Spotify, I found the speakers to have nice mid and treble production and adequate bass, which is really something for such tiny little speakers. Stereo imaging is excellent. Unfortunately, I am travelling, and I don't have any good headphones with me, so I can't comment on what headphones might sound like plugger into the 3.5 mm jack, but my Bluetooth earbuds were great! Processing: To see how the computer handled high processor workloads, I listened to Spotify while playing a movie and working with complex 3D drawings in Autodesk Fusion. The processor handled all I could throw at it without missing a beat. Normally, the drawings I had open would cause my MacBook Air to grind to a halt all by themselves, simply by rotating the objects, so I was impressed. I'm sure there are processing tasks that would slow this machine down, 3D modelling is pretty demanding, an it didn't miss a beat. Overall, this is a great PC for most people, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any of my friends. I hope my review was helpful!... Show more
NoNameNick
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Lightweight powerhouse
I have been using the Surface Laptop 4 for less than a week and have been blown away. I got this laptop to replace one that was definitely not aging well. The sleek and thin design is lightweight and portable. But the lightness belies the power this thing packs under the hood. With a 512 GB SSD, there's plenty of space for all my files and startup takes less than 20 seconds. The AMD Ryzen 7 sports 8 cores and plenty of speed for multitasking. I have had as many as 12 programs running at once and have seen no performance degradation. The only port options are single USB-C (which also allows for charging), USB-A, Surface port, and a headphone jack. I'd like to see at least one more of each of the USB ports since I tend to connect several peripherals and why Microsoft ... MoreI have been using the Surface Laptop 4 for less than a week and have been blown away. I got this laptop to replace one that was definitely not aging well. The sleek and thin design is lightweight and portable. But the lightness belies the power this thing packs under the hood. With a 512 GB SSD, there's plenty of space for all my files and startup takes less than 20 seconds. The AMD Ryzen 7 sports 8 cores and plenty of speed for multitasking. I have had as many as 12 programs running at once and have seen no performance degradation. The only port options are single USB-C (which also allows for charging), USB-A, Surface port, and a headphone jack. I'd like to see at least one more of each of the USB ports since I tend to connect several peripherals and why Microsoft won't go on to a Thunderbolt port is beyond me. I understand the lack of ports helps keep things thinner, but connectivity is a necessity. Luckily, I have a couple of hubs that help fill the void. Besides having only 8GB of RAM, that's really the only complaint I have about the Surface Laptop 4. The backlit keyboard is comfortable, even on long typing sessions, and has a satisfying "click" to the keys with plenty of travel. The touchpad is responsive and impressively large. The keyboard deck is also sufficiently large to rest your palms without feeling like they are falling off the edge all the time. The screen is bright and crisp and the touchscreen is stylus friendly. Also impressive is the built-in webcam, a feature I never would have even thought about a year or so ago. The high definition camera (although only a 720p) makes sure I look as good as possible in my numerous video calls. The sound quality is above average as well and the Dolby Atmos support helps it sound richer than any of my prior laptops. There's plenty of bass and crisp highs, which was definitely not something I was expecting. I tend to get about 14 hours of battery life before having to plug in (which is less than the 17.5 hours advertised, but still plenty for my purposes). At less than 3.5 pounds, this unit is truly an "ultraportable." It runs cool and quiet, no matter how hard you are running it. Overall, I have been very impressed with this machine and would highly recommend it to anyone.... Show more
Chadwick
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Microsoft—who knew?
Bought this back in April when my old laptop died my first day on a new job. I would normally prefer more memory (at least 16 GB) and storage (at least 1 TB), but for work purposes, the 8 GB of RAM and the 512 GB SSD are plenty. As with Apple computers, there's something to be said for the same company making both the hardware and the software. This Surface laptop performs smoothly, with none of the problems you'd expect to encounter when the OS has to accommodate a zillion different possible configurations of hardware and software. Good keyboard action, too—and excellent battery life. The inclusion of both USB-A and USB-C ports (one each) is a nice touch—no need for an adaptor to use existing backup drives. I would suggest three minor improvements, though: 1. Oddly ... MoreBought this back in April when my old laptop died my first day on a new job. I would normally prefer more memory (at least 16 GB) and storage (at least 1 TB), but for work purposes, the 8 GB of RAM and the 512 GB SSD are plenty. As with Apple computers, there's something to be said for the same company making both the hardware and the software. This Surface laptop performs smoothly, with none of the problems you'd expect to encounter when the OS has to accommodate a zillion different possible configurations of hardware and software. Good keyboard action, too—and excellent battery life. The inclusion of both USB-A and USB-C ports (one each) is a nice touch—no need for an adaptor to use existing backup drives. I would suggest three minor improvements, though: 1. Oddly enough, now that Apple has switched to USB-C charging, Microsoft has implemented something similar to Apple's old MagSafe charger. It's not as sturdy, though. Whereas Apple's MagSafe required considerable force to accidentally disconnect, it seems the slightest movement will disconnect Microsoft's charger. That's probably a good thing insofar as it protects the cable from damage, but it can be inconvenient if you're working away under the assumption that your battery is charging when you've really got only 15% left. 2. The lack of an indent at the front of the computer, combined with the Windows/Surface logo being four squares, makes it harder to tell where to open the lid. 3. A keyboard backlight would be helpful. Microsoft—who knew?... Show more
GhostElvis
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Most Unreliable Computer I’ve Owned
First impressions were great. It’s a nicely constructed thin and light laptop with decent performance. The trackpad is amazing and the keyboard is excellent. For the first week or so of ownership I had absolutely zero issues with this laptop. Battery life was excellent, screen was great, was pretty snappy and it seemed perfectly reliable until today. Today it got a random blue screen so I installed blue screen view to read the dump file and there wasn’t one. Ran an sfc scan and a dism scan health operation and nothing was wrong. Used the laptop a bit more then put it to sleep. An hour later I heard the Windows 11 bootup chime and low and behold, the laptop crashed in sleep mode and rebooted. I figured maybe an update bricked the OS so I attempted to reinstall ... MoreFirst impressions were great. It’s a nicely constructed thin and light laptop with decent performance. The trackpad is amazing and the keyboard is excellent. For the first week or so of ownership I had absolutely zero issues with this laptop. Battery life was excellent, screen was great, was pretty snappy and it seemed perfectly reliable until today. Today it got a random blue screen so I installed blue screen view to read the dump file and there wasn’t one. Ran an sfc scan and a dism scan health operation and nothing was wrong. Used the laptop a bit more then put it to sleep. An hour later I heard the Windows 11 bootup chime and low and behold, the laptop crashed in sleep mode and rebooted. I figured maybe an update bricked the OS so I attempted to reinstall windows via the built in reset. I chose the cloud reinstall option because I assumed it would give me the latest stable fresh Windows 11 build. It crashed again 40% through the download. No biggie, I’ll just reboot to recovery, enter my bitlocker recovery key, and choose cloud reinstall again. Nope. So I resorted to a local reinstall. Fully cleaned the drive, setup the Surface again, signed into my WiFi, my Microsoft account, chose to restore settings and files from OneDrive, installed an update and then got to the desktop. Boom! Immediate BSOD and again no dump file after restart. I wanted to give Microsoft a chance after I had horrible experiences with my corporate issued Surface Pro 3 from ages ago. But it seems several years later, Microsoft can’t cut it being a first party manufacturer for THEIR OWN OPERATING SYSTEM! It’s honestly pathetic. I will be returning this laptop promptly and getting a refund. At least my Xbox Series S and X work fine.... Show more
BlueberryEggroll
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Premium Laptop, Strong Performance, Great Battery
/////////// First Impressions and Features /////////// The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” is definitely a premium laptop. It is one of the rare laptops where its hardware and software come from under the same roof. It shares the look and feel of its predecessor, and I have no issues with that at all. This is my first Surface Laptop (I currently own a Surface Pro 3, still kicking!). It is equipped with a Ryzen 7 8 core/16 thread APU, 512GB SSD and 8GB DDR4 RAM. The unit feels premium and sturdy, the hinge that holds the screen upright is very strong, and the backlit keyboard is probably one of the best keyboards I’ve ever typed on in a portable laptop. The cool metal feels smooth on your palms as you type and the touchpad registers all single and multi-touch gestures ... More/////////// First Impressions and Features /////////// The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” is definitely a premium laptop. It is one of the rare laptops where its hardware and software come from under the same roof. It shares the look and feel of its predecessor, and I have no issues with that at all. This is my first Surface Laptop (I currently own a Surface Pro 3, still kicking!). It is equipped with a Ryzen 7 8 core/16 thread APU, 512GB SSD and 8GB DDR4 RAM. The unit feels premium and sturdy, the hinge that holds the screen upright is very strong, and the backlit keyboard is probably one of the best keyboards I’ve ever typed on in a portable laptop. The cool metal feels smooth on your palms as you type and the touchpad registers all single and multi-touch gestures without a hitch. The panel is a touchscreen and I feel that it won’t be utilized very much, but it does become very handy when you need it. Trying to buy that elusive gpu online before everyone else? With a touchscreen, you are now the fastest ‘add-to-cart’ online shopper this side of the Mississippi! Contrary to what most others say about the thick bezels, I actually appreciate them. Where else are you going to hold the screen to open it up or make tilt adjustments without touching the panel itself? It’s one of those things that we take for granted as we prioritize looks over functionality. Ok, maybe they can be shrunk down a tad...but it doesn't bother me. One of the most satisfying aspects of the Surface Book is the display’s 3:2 aspect ratio, with a resolution of 2496x1664. From a general use and productivity standpoint, the vertical real estate gained allows the natural viewing of websites, documents and the like. Think about it. Most physical documents are printed in portrait, so there is a welcoming familiarity once you begin using the laptop. It is most definitely refreshing. The I/O is sparse on the laptop, having only a single USB-C, USB-A and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The only other means of connectivity is the Microsoft proprietary charge port that can also double as an I/O port with their proprietary dock. The limited amount of I/O helps keep the laptop thin, as evident in other laptops designed today, and the only way to expand I/O is to purchase a separate docking station or USB hub. The USB-C can also double as a charge port as well if you have a means of charging it that way. I own a monitor with a USB-C connection that acts as both a 65W charger and hub. This is a perfect complement to the Surface Laptop 4. /////////// Processing Performance /////////// A big omission is the use of the newest Ryzen 5000 Series mobile processors for this latest generation of Surface Laptop. This is an automatic star deduction in my book. Microsoft pinned the last generation’s Ryzen with the latest silicon to come from Intel. That being said, the Ryzen 7 4000 Surface Edition mobile processor is still a great everyday mobile APU. It is an 8 core/16 thread 7nm that should satisfy most users and their processing needs. The CPU core speeds will behave differently on battery versus when plugged in, and I’ve provided a table of the tests I ran for each power mode using Cinebench R23: <<- On Battery, 4 Modes ->> Battery Saver (Single 2GHz, Multi 1.4GHz) Recommended (Single 2GHz, Multi 1.6GHz) Better Performance (Single 2.9GHz, Multi 2.4GHz) Best Performance (Single 4.2GHz, Multi 2.9GHz) <<- Plugged In, 3 Modes ->> Recommended (Single 3.95GHz, Multi 2.5GHz) Better Performance (Single 4.3GHz, Multi 2.4GHz) (dipped as low as 1.5GHz in Multi, thermal throttling?) Best Performance (Single 4.3GHz, Multi 2.7GHz) (dipped as low as 1.3GHz in Multi, thermal throttling?) A couple of things to note. Maybe I’m stating the obvious here, but if you’re looking for top performance out of this laptop, you’re going to have to plug it in. When plugged in, the base single core speeds are increased almost by 100%. The laptop does not need to worry about battery conservation and can allow the cores to run full blast. The other thing I noticed is that when plugged in and running multi-core tests, the speeds start off strong but begin to taper off. I took note of the temps during testing and the core temps held under 70 degrees C, so I don’t know if it’s thermally throttling or something else relating to its TDP. When running off the battery, the speeds and performance are expected; the APU is intentionally limited to conserve battery. Still at Best Performance, you can squeeze out a single core speed of about 4GHz, which is impressive. /////////// Graphics Performance /////////// The Ryzen 7 Mobile is baked in with Radeon graphics. The graphics had no trouble running games like Roblox. I had my daughter give it a test run (she plays on my desktop PC with a dedicated GPU, for reference) and she gave it two thumbs up. I know, Roblox isn’t a demanding game, but it’s nice to know she can Roblox on-the-go on a PC rather than on a smartphone. So I took it to the other extreme and installed Shadow of the Tomb Raider for another test run. Running the in-game benchmark tool, I was able to squeeze out 13fps. This is with all graphics settings set to the lowest setting. During the benchmark, the APU shot up 91 degrees C! Terrifying. For my last test, I decided on a middle ground with Halo MCC. This was actually playable! Frame rates were around 30-40fps and the APU temps were hovering around 67 degrees C. Not bad at all. I had the laptop plugged in while gaming and did notice that the laptop became warm to the touch with the fans quietly spooled up, but nothing to be alarmed about. /////////// Battery Performance /////////// Ultimately if you decide to go with the Ryzen APU, you reap the benefits of the 7nm process which equates to lower power consumption and ultimately longer run times. This will be evident as you begin to configure your Laptop 4 with either Intel or AMD. If you go Intel, your battery times are reduced by as much as two hours. Intel Tiger Lake uses a 10nm process on their mobile chips which results in more power use. The Intel chips are fast in both processing and integrated graphics and may have advances in their silicon process, but you lose out in runtime. And it costs more, too. From the standpoint of costs and battery life, Ryzen would be the way to go. Just something to think about. Speaking of battery life, Microsoft states a battery life on this 15” Ryzen model to about 17.5 hours. We don’t know how they arrived at that number, but my regular use brought about 11-13 hours with the battery set to Recommended mode. That’s essentially a full day before reaching for the wall charger. You can easily mitigate battery usage by reducing screen brightness as well as disabling keyboard backlighting and turning off Bluetooth if you’re not already using it. Also, the more applications you have running in the background, the more battery will be consumed. /////////// Summary /////////// At its price point, it will have to trade blows with Dell, Lenovo and even the upcoming Samsung for ultra portable PC laptops, and many may find the other brands more visually appealing if we consider all their models comparably equipped. It boils down to preference and what is value priced at the moment. But again, there is something to be said about a company that designs both the hardware and the software of a device and even collaborates with chip makers like AMD to make a premium product, and so I recommend the Surface Laptop 4 15” Ryzen Edition as a buy. It’s a shame that Microsoft didn’t go with the nextgen of Ryzen processors. Apple is at the forefront of hardware and software, with their new M1 chip being all the rave at the moment, and is another alternative to the Surface Laptop 4 if you don’t mind running MacOS. Another avenue would be gaming laptops that offer much more performance at the same price point, but are larger, heavier and will need to be plugged in most of the time. I recommend that you think about your daily use cases and make a decision on a certain type of laptop from there.... Show more
softwareEngineer
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Really pleased with my experience so far
For some context: I have used many surface products in the past and have been pleased with all of them. In my opinion this is the slam dunk of the bunch for many reasons. Pros: + The 15inch screen is amazing + The Battery life has been stellar + I love the keyboard and trackpad +Touch screen + The internals and the overall design Cons: - Bezels (they are not intrusive but still) - Trackpad (i have it as a pro as well...more on this in the review) - No USB-C Thunderbolt support - Limited ports (#donglelife) I will start with the good and let me just say, this thing is fantastic. I absolutely love my Surface Laptop 4 15" in the two days that I have used it (extensively for work), I am just blown away at how great of a product Microsoft has put out. The battery life ... MoreFor some context: I have used many surface products in the past and have been pleased with all of them. In my opinion this is the slam dunk of the bunch for many reasons. Pros: + The 15inch screen is amazing + The Battery life has been stellar + I love the keyboard and trackpad +Touch screen + The internals and the overall design Cons: - Bezels (they are not intrusive but still) - Trackpad (i have it as a pro as well...more on this in the review) - No USB-C Thunderbolt support - Limited ports (#donglelife) I will start with the good and let me just say, this thing is fantastic. I absolutely love my Surface Laptop 4 15" in the two days that I have used it (extensively for work), I am just blown away at how great of a product Microsoft has put out. The battery life has been fantastic, I can't really gauge how many hours I am getting but it is more then 10 and plenty of battery left to go. The Ryzen 7 processor is fantastic and I am pleasantly surprised. I was unsure how it would preform and while I don't use programs to really push the CPU it has preformed great. The keyboard is a delight to type on and the track pad is great as well (I will cover my gripe with the trackpad below). The 3:2 aspect ratio on this 15" screen is incredible. I have never owned a 15" inch laptop and frankly I don't think I would want to go to a 13" inch again. Viewing spreadsheets or emails is an absolute delight. This laptop has absolutely won the award to be my daily driver. The very few cons that I have are minutia and frankly things that don't bother me or my performance on the laptop, however, they are still worth noting. This thing has bezels, albeit not large but they are still there. They don't bother me and I don't notice them unless my eye starts to wonder but in 2021 they really shouldn't be here. What should be here, however, is USB-C thunderbolt support and more ports...This has the charging port on the right hand side (which is mag-safe and fantastic), 1 USB-C and 1 USB 3.0 (if I am not mistaken). For me its fine but again, 2021. The trackpad is nice and big but it is more of a square and not a rectangle. Given the amount of space that is on the laptop, I think they could of optimized more of it. My thought behind them not doing it is because your palms, hands and arms have a perfect place to rest when typing....so its a trade off that makes sense to me. Overall, I am really enjoying this laptop. Frankly, I love it so much that I recommended it to our IT department for use with the sales team. Its a great product that isn't heavy and gets the job done. Buy it, you won't regret it.... Show more
Matt
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Surface Laptop 4 is wonderful!!
I’ve had the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 for about a week now. This is a great laptop, looks and performance-wise. In the box, you obviously get the beautiful laptop. You also get a power brick, that is about average size and has a single USB port on it to charge other devices without using another port. The power cord to your outlet is standard, but the power cord to the laptop is proprietary (similar to other surface branded computing products). From unbox to a functioning/usable laptop takes a few minutes but there are always system updates needed. Those updates took another 30 minutes to complete. Windows Hello (microsoft’s facial recognition software) works very, very well. Once it’s set up, during initial set up, logging into your new laptop is incredibly fast ... MoreI’ve had the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 for about a week now. This is a great laptop, looks and performance-wise. In the box, you obviously get the beautiful laptop. You also get a power brick, that is about average size and has a single USB port on it to charge other devices without using another port. The power cord to your outlet is standard, but the power cord to the laptop is proprietary (similar to other surface branded computing products). From unbox to a functioning/usable laptop takes a few minutes but there are always system updates needed. Those updates took another 30 minutes to complete. Windows Hello (microsoft’s facial recognition software) works very, very well. Once it’s set up, during initial set up, logging into your new laptop is incredibly fast and simple, without needed to remember another password. It made the reboots easier to tolerate while the computer was updating. Part of the reason this works so well is due to a great camera, which is really nice for Zoom. Unwrapping the Surface Laptop 4 unveils a sharp looking, super thin laptop. While the laptop is really thin, it is deceptively heavy considering how thin it is. I got the Matte Black version and it’s stunning to look at. My configuration is the 15” touchscreen with the AMD Ryzen processor. In the week that I’ve been using this computer for Zoom calls, working in Microsoft productivity products (like excel and word), and playing a little xbox (thru the dedicated Microsoft xbox app and thru the cloud beta) and I haven’t heard/noticed the fan once. If it is coming on, it’s insanely quiet and laptop stays very cool to the touch (this is a laptop after all). The laptop plays very nice with surface earbuds and Bluetooth capable xbox controllers. Setting those devices up was a breeze. Connecting your phone, no matter the brand, is simple as well through the USB or USB-C port on the left side of the laptop. There is also a headphone jack for connecting wired headphones, if you still use them. Battery life seems very good. Microsoft quotes 17.5 hours for my configuration and I’ve seen right around that depending on the day’s activity. I will say that Zoom can be a pretty big battery suck though. Thanks to the multitasking power, the Surface Laptop 4 can handle any of the work requirements I throw at it without any slowdown. And after work, since my 3 year old can hog the TV screen from time to time, I’m free to have my own screen for entertainment/content consumption. Xbox games play wonderfully on this device and shows/movies look great. This is a really, really nice machine. Bravo to Microsoft for a high quality product worthy of the Microsoft name.... Show more
tre91396
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Very Good Thin Windows Laptop
I wanted a lightweight and thin laptop for traveling and use at work while still having power, but I’m not much of an Apple fan. Thus, I liked the idea of Microsoft tailoring a product to Windows to make it more efficient, and I was happy to give the Surface Laptop 4 a try. Microsoft has taken a few pages out of Apple’s playbook when it comes to the experience you get when unpacking this laptop. This was the most satisfying unboxing experience I’ve had with a Windows-based product. The laptop is very thin and light, but feels very sturdy. I like how Microsoft chose to still include a USB-A port since many devices are still transitioning to USB-C ports. I would have, however, liked for Microsoft to include another USB-C port on the other side as well as a micro-SD ... MoreI wanted a lightweight and thin laptop for traveling and use at work while still having power, but I’m not much of an Apple fan. Thus, I liked the idea of Microsoft tailoring a product to Windows to make it more efficient, and I was happy to give the Surface Laptop 4 a try. Microsoft has taken a few pages out of Apple’s playbook when it comes to the experience you get when unpacking this laptop. This was the most satisfying unboxing experience I’ve had with a Windows-based product. The laptop is very thin and light, but feels very sturdy. I like how Microsoft chose to still include a USB-A port since many devices are still transitioning to USB-C ports. I would have, however, liked for Microsoft to include another USB-C port on the other side as well as a micro-SD card slot. Setup was typical for a normal Windows computer, but it seemed quicker. I thought the speed was more than adequate for daily use, but was surprised that this laptop came with an older AMD chipset. The touchscreen is a great feature to use while at work, and the keyboard was nice to use. I did find that the lack of a number pad made certain aspects of my job a little slower. Pros Lightweight Decent speed Touchscreen Large responsive trackpad Backwards compatible with USB-A port Cons 1 USB-C port No micro-SD card slot Older AMD chip Lacks number pad Overall, I would recommend this laptop. Though this laptop may be missing a few luxuries, they did a great job at making a thin, yet powerful, laptop.... Show more
cinsteadofak
originally posted on bestbuy.com