The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a premium Windows ultraportable available in a 13.5-inch or a 15-inch size. You can configure it with an Intel Core i5-1235U or Core i7-1255U CPU and up to 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage. It has a 3:2, touch-sensitive display, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6. Its port selection includes one USB-A, a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, and a proprietary Surface Connect charging port. Both sizes—13.5-inch and 15-inch—have the same 46Wh battery capacity. It's available in five colors: Platinum (with Alcantara deck), Sage, Sandstone, Platinum (with metal deck), and Matte Black.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is good for school use. It feels incredibly well-built and is easy to carry around. It has a sharp and bright display, a spacious and tactile keyboard, and a large and responsive touchpad. The Intel CPU can handle most student workloads like text processing and web browsing, but it isn't ideal for demanding tasks like 3D graphics. The battery lasts around eight hours of light use, so depending on your workload, you may need to plug it in for a quick charge to get through the day.
- Thin and light design.
- Exceptionally sturdy build.
- Sharp, bright display.
- Comfortable keyboard; responsive touchpad.
- Excellent webcam.
- Battery lasts only eight hours of light use.
- Poor reflection handling.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is inadequate for gaming. It's only available with low-power processors with integrated graphics, which aren't powerful enough to handle graphically intensive games. Also, the CPU's performance drops significantly when performing demanding tasks for an extended period. Its display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, has a slow response time, causing noticeable ghosting, and doesn't support variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing.
- Doesn't get too hot or loud under load.
- CPU and GPU can't handle demanding workloads.
- CPU throttles significantly under load.
- 60Hz display with slow response time.
- Poor serviceability.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is good for media consumption. It's very portable, thanks to its thin and light design, and its battery life is fair at around five hours of video playback. It has a sharp and exceptionally well-calibrated display, although its taller 3:2 aspect ratio means you'll have black bars at the top and bottom in most content. The speakers sound clear but slightly muffled, and while they get reasonably loud, they sound a little harsh at max volume.
- Thin and light design.
- Sharp, bright display.
- Superb display accuracy out of the box.
- Flicker-free backlight.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
- Speakers sound slightly muffled and lack bass.
- Poor reflection handling.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is okay for use as a workstation. The Intel 12th Gen. CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks and not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. It also has a very limited port selection, with only one USB-A and a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port. On the upside, it has a great keyboard, and it doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- Comfortable keyboard; responsive touchpad.
- Doesn't get too hot or loud under load.
- Superb display accuracy out of the box.
- CPU and GPU can't handle demanding workloads.
- CPU throttles significantly under load.
- Poor serviceability.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is good for business use. It's available in a 13.5-inch or 15-inch size, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. Both models are very portable and feel incredibly well-built. The display is sharp, the keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and the touchpad is very responsive. The Intel CPU performs well and can handle most productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. The battery lasts around eight hours of light use, so you may need to plug it in for a quick charge, depending on your usage.
- Thin and light design.
- Exceptionally sturdy build.
- Sharp, bright display.
- Comfortable keyboard; responsive touchpad.
- Excellent webcam.
- Battery lasts only eight hours of light use.
- Poor reflection handling.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 28, 2024: Added mention of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) as an alternative with full DCI P3 coverage in the Color Gamut section.
- Updated Jun 13, 2024: Added mention of the Framework Laptop 16 (2023) as an alternative with greater port selection in the Ports section.
- Updated Mar 08, 2024: We've updated the review for clarity and readability.
- Updated Feb 01, 2024: Added mention of the Framework Laptop 13 (2023) as an alternative with better serviceability in the Serviceability section.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 15-inch with an Intel Core i7-1255U CPU, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. You can also get this laptop in a 13.5-inch size. The CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; the available options are in the table below.
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See our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is one of the best premium Windows ultraportables on the market. It stands out for its exceptional build quality, as well as for its sharp, well-calibrated 3:2 display. Its keyboard, touchpad, and webcam are also among the best.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best laptops, the best laptops for college, and the best business laptops.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2022) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022) are both premium ultraportable laptops. The XPS 13 Plus is only available in a 13.5-inch size, while the Surface Laptop 5 is available in a 13.5-inch or 15-inch size. The Surface Laptop 5 is slightly better, as it has a more comfortable keyboard, a more responsive touchpad, and a much better webcam. However, the XPS 13 Plus has more display options, including a 3.5K OLED panel with full Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage, making it a better choice for media consumption and color work like photo and video editing.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) is a newer version of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022). The main difference between the two devices is that the 7th Edition sports an ARM SoC. This chip performs better than the older model's Intel 12th Gen CPU, but you need to ensure that the apps you use are compatible with Windows on ARM. As for the user experience, the newer model is better overall, sporting a brighter and more colorful 120Hz display, a better haptic touchpad, a higher-resolution webcam, and a wider port selection. It also has significantly longer battery life, lasting twice as long as the Surface Laptop 5.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022) is a newer version of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019). They're identical in almost every aspect; the only differences are that the Surface Laptop 5 has newer Intel 12th Gen. CPUs, longer battery life, and Thunderbolt 4 support.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022) and the Dell XPS 13 (2021) are very similar premium ultraportable laptops. However, there are some small differences. The Surface Laptop 5 has a sturdier build and a better webcam, while the XPS 13 has a brighter display, better reflection handling, and a longer battery life. The Surface Laptop 5 is a newer device and is available with faster Intel 12th Gen. CPUs, although there's a more recent version of the XPS 13 with Intel 12th Gen. processors as well.
Test Results
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