Dell 16 Plus (2025) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024): Which Laptop Is Better?

Although both are general productivity laptops, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) is a higher-end model than the Dell 16 Plus (2025) with a more premium build. The Surfave Laptop also has a brighter display, an easier-to-use haptic touchpad, a higher-quality webcam, and longer battery life. That said, unlike the Dell 16 Plus, the Surface Laptop is an ARM-based device with a Qualcomm processor, which means that some programs may run poorly or not at all.

Variants

Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZYT-00026) (Black - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/1TB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZHH-00026) (Black - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/512GB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZHQ-00026) (Black - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/512GB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZHI-00001) (Black - Snapdragon X Elite/32GB/1TB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZYT-00001) (Platinum - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/1TB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZYU-00001) (Platinum - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/1TB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZHG-00001) (Platinum - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/256GB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZHQ-00001) (Platinum - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/256GB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZHP-00001) (Platinum - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/256GB)
Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (ZHH-00001) (Platinum - Snapdragon X Elite/16GB/512GB)

16 Plus (‎LDB16250-7562BLU-PUS) (Ice Blue - 2.5K/Ultra 7 256V/16GB/1TB)
16 Plus (LDB16250) (Ice Blue - 2.5K/Ultra 9 288V/32GB/1TB)
16 Plus (LDB16250-9555BLU-PUS) (Ice Blue - 2.5K/Ultra 9 288V/32GB/2TB)
16 Plus (LDB16250-9052BLU-PUS) (Ice Blue - WUXGA/Touch/Ultra 9 288V/32GB/1TB)
16 Plus (LDB16250-9052BLU-PUS) (Ice Blue - WUXGA/Touch/Ultra 9 288V/32GB/2TB)

Review

See Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) Review

See Dell 16 Plus (2025) Review

Check Price

Notice: Two or more of the products being compared have been tested with different test methodologies. Some of the results aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our laptops test methodology.

Threshold

0.10

School

7.9

No major differences between these laptops for school. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

School

7.9

General Productivity

8.5

7.8

Multimedia

8.6

6.9

Gaming

5.4

7.4

Workstation

6.0

8.5

Design

Style

Style Photo

Compare High-Res

Form Factor

Traditional (Clamshell)

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Build Quality

9.5

8.0

Build Quality Photo

Compare High-Res

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Hinge

9.1

8.4

Hinge Photo

Compare High-Res

Range

135°

190°

Stability

Good

Decent

One Finger Lift

Yes

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Portability

8.3

7.7

Dimensions Photo

Compare High-Res

Size

15"

16"

Thickness

0.7" (1.8 cm)

0.8" (1.9 cm)

Width

13.0" (33.1 cm)

14.9" (37.8 cm)

Depth

9.4" (24.0 cm)

9.9" (25.1 cm)

Volume

87.3 in³ (1,429.9 cm³)

111.2 in³ (1,821.7 cm³)

Weight

3.6 lbs (1.6 kg)

4.0 lbs (1.8 kg)

Charger Size

7.1 in³ (116.0 cm³)

9.9 in³ (163.0 cm³)

Charger Weight

0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)

0.6 lbs (0.3 kg)

Serviceability

5.8

6.3

Internals Photo

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Ease Of Access

7.5

RAM Slots

Storage Slots

Replaceable Battery

Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter

Yes

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In The Box

In The Box Photo

Compare High-Res

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Display

Screen Specs

Display Photo

Compare High-Res

Resolution

2496 x 1664

2560 x 1600

Aspect Ratio

3:2

16:10

Pixel Density

200 PPI

188 PPI

Panel Type

IPS

Touch Screen

Yes

Screen-To-Body Ratio

88%

87%

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Refresh Rate

8.7

7.7

Motion Blur

Compare High-Res

Refresh Rate

120 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate

Dynamic Refresh Rate

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Contrast

7.5

7.6

Contrast Photo

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Native Contrast

1,404 : 1

1,521 : 1

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Brightness

9.1

6.7

Maximum Brightness

601 cd/m²

278 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness

3 cd/m²

21 cd/m²

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Reflections

6.3

6.2

Reflections Photo Off

Compare High-Res

Dell 16 Plus (2025) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max

Compare High-Res

Dell 16 Plus (2025) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish

Glossy

Matte

Total Reflections

5.79%

7.94%

Indirect Reflections

0.53%

6.52%

Calculated Direct Reflections

5.26%

1.42%

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Black Uniformity

8.0

4.4

Black Uniformity Photo

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Dell 16 Plus (2025) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.)

0.864%

2.955%

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy

8.7

5.2

White Balance Screencap

Compare High-Res

Dell 16 Plus (2025) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap

Compare High-Res

Dell 16 Plus (2025) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap

Compare High-Res

Avg. White Balance dE

2.81

5.72

Avg. Gamma

2.14

2.28

Avg. Color dE

1.58

3.81

Avg. Color Temperature

6,411.9 K

6,301.9 K

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Color Gamut

8.3

8.8

Gamut SDR

Compare High-Res

sRGB xy

98.35%

99.91%

sRGB uv

98.9%

99.65%

Adobe RGB xy

72.95%

82.13%

Adobe RGB uv

84.98%

91.31%

Gamut HDR

Compare High-Res

DCI-P3 xy

73.15%

83.41%

DCI-P3 uv

79.9%

86.9%

Rec. 2020 xy

52.48%

59.99%

Rec. 2020 uv

58.23%

63.87%

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Flicker

Flicker Graph

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Flicker-Free

Yes

Flicker Frequency

No Flicker

Flicker Active Below

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Interface

Keyboard

8.5

7.4

Keyboard Photo

Compare High-Res

Typing Quality

8.5

7.0

Numpad

Yes

Backlighting

Adjustable

Key Switch Actuation Graph

See details

Operating Force

64 gf

68 gf

Actuation Force

31 gf

37 gf

Pre-Travel

0.96 mm

Total Travel

1.37 mm

1.40 mm

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Touchpad

8.8

7.8

Touchpad Photo

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Tracking Quality

9.0

7.5

Size

14.9 in² (96.0 cm²)

18.6 in² (120.2 cm²)

Material

Glass

Plastic

Dedicated Buttons

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Speakers

8.7

7.5

Frequency Response Plot

See details

Max Volume

82 dB SPL

76 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)

5.0 dB

6.0 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)

-1.4

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)

334 Hz

298 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)

16 kHz

17 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.

0.7 dB

0.9 dB

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Webcam & Microphone

8.7

7.0

Webcam Video Sample

Video Quality

9.0

6.5

Resolution

1080p

Position

Top Center

Privacy Cover

Yes

Face Unlock

Yes

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Connectivity

Ports

6.5

8.0

Ports Photo

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USB-A Ports

USB-C Ports

Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt 4

USB-C Charging

Yes

USB-C Display Out

Yes

HDMI

2.0

DisplayPort

3.5mm Jack

Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader

MicroSD UHS 2

Ethernet

Proprietary Port

Surface Connect

Security Lock

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Wireless Communication

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)

Bluetooth

5.4

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Configuration

CPU

Brand

Qualcomm

Intel

Model

Snapdragon X Elite X1E80100

Core Ultra 7 258V

Core Count

Thread Count

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GPU

Brand

Qualcomm

Intel

Model

Adreno GPU X1E80100

Arc 140V GPU

Dedicated/Integrated

Integrated

VRAM Size

N/A

GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)

N/A

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RAM

Capacity

16 GB

32 GB

Modules

1 (Soldered)

8 (Soldered)

Type

LP-DDR5x

Speed

8,448 MHz

8,533 MHz

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Storage

Advertised Capacity

512 GB

1,000 GB

Usable Capacity

452 GB

902 GB

Drive 1

WD SDDPTQD-512G-1124

Samsung BMC91

Drive 1 Type

SSD

Drive 2

No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type

No 2nd Drive

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Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)

9.2

Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread

1,950 points

CPU Multi-Thread

9,682 points

GPU Compute

29,706 points

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CPU/RAM Performance

7.8

Cinebench 2024 - Single Core

126 points

Cinebench 2024 - Multi Core

939 points

Geekbench 6 - Single Core

2,778

Geekbench 6 - Multi Core

14,239

Blender - CPU (Avg)

90 samples/min

PassMark PT - CPU Mark

26,637

PassMark PT - Memory Mark

4,301

PassMark PT - Memory Mark (Android)

N/A

Mozilla Kraken

398 ms

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)

9.7

Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread

1,911 points

Multi-Thread

9,010 points

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Low Tier Graphics

7.4

Geekbench 6 - GPU Compute

27,488

Basemark Web 3.0

1,746

PassMark PT - 2D Mark

424

PassMark PT - 2D Mark (Android)

N/A

PassMark PT - 3D Mark

3,519

PassMark PT - 3D Mark (Android)

N/A

Novabench 5 - GPU

164.0

mprep - Stress My GPU

23,046

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Blender (3D Rendering)

7.9

Blender Image

CPU Render Time

4.3 min

GPU Render Time

N/A

GPU Render Time (Optix)

N/A

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High Tier Graphics

4.5

3DMark - Steel Nomad (DX12)

499

3DMark - Steel Nomad (Vulkan/Metal)

447

Basemark GPU (DX12)

30,820

Basemark GPU (Vulkan/Metal)

N/A

GFXBench - High Level Test (Vulkan/Metal)

3,637 Frames

Basemark GPU (Game Scene)

7.2

Basemark Image

Overall Score

41,701

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Professional 3D (GPU Accelerated)

0.0

Blender - GPU (Avg)

N/A

Cinebench 2024 - GPU

N/A

CPU-Intensive Game Performance

4.3

Civilization VII - AI

N/A

Civilization VII - Graphics (Avg)

N/A

Civilization VII - Graphics (1% Low)

N/A

Total War: Warhammer III (Avg)

14.5 fps

Baldur's Gate 3 (Avg)

21.9 fps

Baldur's Gate 3 (1% Low)

14.0 fps

Previous Methodology Score

4.0

Previous Methodology Score Converted

3.5

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GPU-Intensive Game Performance

2.5

Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)

12.3 fps

Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)

9.9 fps

Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)

N/A

Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)

N/A

GTA V (Avg)

26.4 fps

GTA V (1% Low)

17.8 fps

Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)

5 fps

Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)

5 fps

Resident Evil 4 (Avg)

12.1 fps

Resident Evil 4 (1% Low)

9.7 fps

Previous Methodology Score

3.4

Previous Methodology Score Converted

1.3

Borderlands 3

4.3

Borderlands 3 Graph

See details

Avg. FPS

33 fps

1% Low

16 fps

0.1% Low

6 fps

1% Low Delta

32 ms

0.1% Low Delta

128 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low

67 fps

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Ray Tracing Performance

0.0

Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)

N/A

Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)

N/A

Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)

N/A

Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)

N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)

N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)

N/A

Civilization VI

6.6

Civilization VI Graph

See details

Avg. FPS

58 fps

1% Low

37 fps

0.1% Low

27 fps

1% Low Delta

10 ms

0.1% Low Delta

20 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum

195 fps

Avg. Turn Time

7.72 s

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Storage Drive Performance

9.0

9.2

Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed

1,363.6 MB/s

1,556.9 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed

2,680.7 MB/s

2,319.3 MB/s

Random Write Speed

78.0 MB/s

85.7 MB/s

Random Read Speed

39.6 MB/s

46.3 MB/s

Battery

9.7

8.9

Capacity

66 Wh

64 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing)

17.0 hrs

11.2 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback)

16.4 hrs

9.8 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming)

3.5 hrs

2.5 hrs

Charge Time

2.1 hrs

2.0 hrs

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Counter-Strike 2

6.6

CS2 Graph

See details

Avg. FPS

76fps

1% Low

39fps

0.1% Low

24fps

1% Low Delta

13 ms

0.1% Low Delta

29 ms

Avg. FPS On Low

132fps

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Thermals And Noise

7.4

7.8

Keyboard Temps Picture

Compare High-Res

Dell 16 Plus (2025) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle

29 °C (84 °F)

35 °C (95 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load

49 °C (121 °F)

44 °C (110 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle

25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load

39.5 dBA

40.9 dBA

Power & Fan Control App

Yes

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Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

4.8

SOTTR Graph

See details

Avg. FPS

42 fps

1% Low

16 fps

0.1% Low

14 fps

1% Low Delta

37 ms

0.1% Low Delta

50 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest

59 fps

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Performance Over Time

0.0

Performance Over Time Graph

See details

CPU Temp (Cinebench)

N/A

73 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)

N/A

0% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven)

N/A

77 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)

N/A

0% loss

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Additional Features And Software

Software

Operating System

Windows 11

Additional Software

None

Yes

Show Text

Extra Features

Biometrics

Face Recognition

Face Recognition and Fingerprint Sensor

RGB Illumination

Touch Pen Support

No Stylus Support

Secondary Display

Show Text

Check Price

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024)

Dell 16 Plus (2025)

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) vs Dell 16 Plus (2025)

Which Laptop Is Better?

Products

Our Verdict

Variants

Review

Check Price

Main Differences for School

Threshold

School

Full Comparison

School

General Productivity

Multimedia

Gaming

Workstation

Style

Style Photo

Form Factor

Build Quality

Build Quality Photo

Hinge

Hinge Photo

Range

Stability

One Finger Lift

Portability

Dimensions Photo

Size

Thickness

Width

Depth

Volume

Weight

Charger Size

Charger Weight

Serviceability

Internals Photo

Ease Of Access

RAM Slots

Storage Slots

Replaceable Battery

Replaceable Wireless Adapter

In The Box

In The Box Photo

Screen Specs

Display Photo

Resolution

Aspect Ratio

Pixel Density

Panel Type

Touch Screen

Screen-To-Body Ratio

Refresh Rate

Motion Blur

Refresh Rate

Variable Refresh Rate

Contrast

Contrast Photo

Native Contrast

Brightness

Maximum Brightness

Minimum Brightness

Reflections

Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish

Total Reflections

Indirect Reflections

Calculated Direct Reflections

Black Uniformity

Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.)

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy

White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE

Avg. Gamma

Avg. Color dE

Main Differences for

School