The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024), also known as the Microsoft Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC, is a 15-inch Windows ultraportable laptop. This model replaces the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022) since the Surface Laptop 6 is only available to business customers, and it's the first Surface Laptop to sport an ARM SoC, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. RAM and storage max out at 64GB and TB, respectively. It has a 2496 x 1664 IPS display, a 1080p webcam, an IR facial recognition camera, and Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity. Ports include one USB-A, two USB-Cs, a MicroSD card reader, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Surface Connect charging port.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is great for general productivity. It feels remarkably well-built and is very compact for a 15-inch laptop, and its battery lasts around 17 hours of light use, making it an amazing choice if you travel often. You get a sharp, bright display that's big enough for split-screen multitasking, a comfortable keyboard, a large, easy-to-use haptic touchpad, and an excellent 1080p webcam. Like previous Surface devices, you also get a facial recognition camera for quick logins, which is great if you want to avoid typing in your password in public areas. Its Snapdragon SoC can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and video playback. However, since it's an ARM processor, you need to ensure that the apps you use have a native ARM version or run well enough through emulation.
- Sturdy build, compact design.
- Battery lasts around 16 to 17 hours of light use or video playback.
- Sharp, bright display.
- Comfortable keyboard, easy to use haptic touchpad.
- Excellent 1080p webcam.
Display doesn't handle bright reflections well.
- Some apps might not work or perform poorly through emulation.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is excellent for media consumption. It's very portable for a 15-inch laptop, thanks to its compact design, and its battery life is amazing, lasting around 16 hours of video playback. Its sharp, well-calibrated display gets bright enough to combat glare; however, it doesn't handle reflections all that well, and its taller 3:2 aspect ratio means you'll have black bars at the top and bottom in most content. Also, since it's an IPS panel with a relatively low contrast ratio, blacks will look gray in dim settings. The speakers get very loud with minimal compression, and while they sound clear and natural, they have very little bass.
- Sturdy build, compact design.
- Battery lasts around 16 to 17 hours of light use or video playback.
- Sharp, bright display.
- Speakers get very loud with minimal compression.
- Speakers lack bass.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
Display doesn't handle bright reflections well.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 isn't designed for gaming. While the CPU portion of its Snapdragon SoC is quite capable, its weak integrated GPU can't handle graphically demanding AAA games. Also, most games don't run natively on an ARM processor, so performance will vary significantly from one game to another, or they won't run at all. As for the display, it has a 120Hz refresh rate, which improves motion smoothness and input responsiveness, but its slow response time causes visible ghosting, and it doesn't support VRR to reduce screen tearing.
- 120Hz display.
- Quiet fans under load.
- User-replaceable SSD.
- Integrated GPU can't handle demanding games.
- Performance varies since most games don't run natively on ARM.
- Display's slow response time causes visible ghosting.
- No VRR support.
While the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 isn't designed for use as a workstation, it can handle some CPU-intensive tasks, as its Snapdragon SoC is quite capable. However, its weak integrated GPU isn't suitable for graphically demanding workloads like 3D graphics, and it's only available with up to 64GB of RAM, which might not be enough for highly complex tasks. Also, most programs lack native support for Windows on ARM, so you'll have to ensure that the apps you use can run well enough through emulation to get your work done. The display is well-suited for color work, as it has full DCI-P3 coverage and excellent factory calibration. The keyboard deck gets a bit toasty under load, but thankfully, the fan is quiet.
- Snapdragon SoC can handle some CPU-intensive tasks.
- Display is suitable for color-critical work.
- Quiet fans under load.
- User-replaceable SSD.
- Integrated GPU can't handle demanding workloads.
- Some apps might not work or perform poorly through emulation.
- Soldered RAM.
Changelog
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Updated Nov 27, 2025:
Added mention of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) as an alternative with better performance in the GPU section.
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Updated Oct 30, 2025:
We've updated text throughout the review after converting to Test Bench 0.9.
- Updated Oct 30, 2025: We've updated the review to Test Bench 0.9, which adds several test boxes in the performance section, including CPU/RAM Performance, Low Tier Graphics, High Tier Graphics, Professional 3D (GPU accelerated), CPU-Intensive Game Performance, GPU-Intensive Game Performance, and Ray Tracing Performance. See the 0.9 changelog here.
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Updated Jun 09, 2025:
Added mention of the ASUS Zenbook A14 UX3407 (2025) as an alternative with a longer battery life in the Battery section.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite SoC, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Only the memory, storage, and color 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 7 is among the best ultraportable laptops on the market. It feels remarkably well-built and provides an amazing user experience with one of the brightest displays and the longest battery life we've seen so far. It also stands out for the quality of its keyboard, touchpad, and webcam. The biggest concern is app compatibility, as most programs don't run natively on an ARM processor, so you need to ensure that the apps you use have a native ARM version or run well enough through emulation to get your work done.
See our recommendations for the best Windows laptops, the best business laptops, and the best laptops for college.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) are premium ultraportables offering class-leading user experiences. They both come with excellent haptic touchpads and bright displays. The typing experience isn't as good on the Air (it has very short key travel combined with a rigid deck that can feel harsh), while the speakers aren't quite as good on the Surface. Regarding performance, both are solid and are capable of performing some intensive tasks. App compatibility is much better on the Air; the Snapdragon SoC still faces compatibility issues on Windows, so you should ensure all your apps are compatible before buying one. However, the Surface is the better offering if you prioritize battery life. It lasts almost 18 hours on a single charge for general productivity tasks (while the Air is good for about 12).
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) are both premium ultraportables designed for general productivity. The choice comes down to what you care about most. The Surface Laptop has a brighter 120Hz display, a wider port selection, and longer battery life, while the MacBook Air has a larger touchpad and better-sounding speakers. If you're considering the Surface Laptop, know that it uses an ARM-based SoC, meaning some programs might not work or run poorly through emulation. Apple transitioned to its in-house SoC sooner, so app compatibility is typically better on the MacBook Air.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) are both premium Windows ultraportables that deliver a similar user experience overall. The main difference between these two models is that the ThinkPad uses an x86 Intel SoC, while the Surface Laptop uses an AMR-based Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. This likely won't affect you if you only perform light productivity tasks, but if you use any third-party program, it's best to check for compatibility first, as many apps don't run on the Surface's Arm-based chip or will perform poorly via emulation. Another significant difference is the display type; the ThinkPad's OLED panel is visually more pleasing because it can produce deeper blacks, but unlike the Surface's IPS panel, it's susceptible to permanent burn-in, and its 480Hz flicker can bother some people, causing eye strain.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) is better than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) in most uses. The MacBook Pro has a significantly brighter Mini LED, better-sounding speakers, and more ports. It also has a lot more processing power to handle more demanding workloads, like programming, AI models, and video editing. The Surface Laptop isn't a bad device either; just remember that it runs on an ARM-based SoC, so make sure you check for app compatibility first, as many x86 programs might not run properly.
Test Results
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