If you’re looking for that intersection of portability and power, you can’t do much better than either the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch. And even though both fit the bill quite well and are generally among the best laptops available right now, they’re quite different.
The most obvious is the fact that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is a Windows-powered laptop, while the Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch uses the company’s own operating system, MacOS. Because of that, they offer some very different options when it comes to AI as I’ll touch on later. But, you’ll probably care quite a bit more about whether you want to stick with one OS or the other based on what you’re used to.
The Apple model adds some other interesting features that might persuade, namely the centerstage camera and the optional nano-texture screen that makes using the laptop outside an actual possibility. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, on the other hand, is a somewhat more straightforward affair that happens to be more attractive if price is a concern.
Despite the fact that they’re quite different, they also have quite a bit in common. They’re both powered by ARM-based CPUs, which provide impressive performance for the slim laptop form factor, not to mention the fact that these CPUs are quite efficient resulting in very long battery lives.
You’ll probably be happy with either laptop (unless you have a definite preference between Windows and MacOS), but they’re different enough that one will be a much better fit than the other.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
With snappy performance, great battery life, and affordable price, not to mention a nice keyboard, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 offers quite the Ultrabook experience, especially for those that want to stay in the Windows ecosystem. Of course, the touchpad needs a little tinkering and it’s missing some important ports.
For
- Incredible performance
- Excellent battery life
- Great display and keyboard
- Priced well
Against
- Port selection is not great
- No OLED display options
- Touchpad has some sensitivity issues
Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch
Apple seems to have raised the bar again with the Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch thanks in part to the new M4 CPU and the increase in performance and battery life it offers. The optional Nano-texture screen is a game-changer for those that go outside. And the centerstage camera sets the standard for video conferencing. Unfortunately, there’s no Wi-Fi 7 or real design updates.
For
- Updated M4 CPU
- Nano-texture screen
- Centerstage camera
- Excellent design
Against
- No design updates
- No Wi-Fi 7
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 vs. Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch: Price
Considering that the base configuration of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 starts at $999.99 / £1,049.99 / AU$1,899 and the Apple MacBook Pro m4 14-inch’s cheapest configuration goes for $1,599 / £2,149 / AU$3,199, the former looks like the much better deal.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 at its most expensive with RAM upgraded from 16GB to 32GB and an SSD upgrade from 256GB to 1TB (compared to the base configuration) is $1,599.99 / £1,449 incl. VAT / AU$3,399 incl. GST.
The MacBook Pro M4 offers 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD for that same price at its most basic configuration. Worse, Apple tends to charge quite a bit for each upgrade. If you want the maxed out 14-inch MacBook Pro with the more powerful M4 Max CPU, it’s going to start at $2,399 / £2,399 / AU$3,999 and that’s with 24GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. And there are still upgrades available for that model for both RAM, SSD, and a version of the M4 Pro Max that unlocks those higher configurations.
Plus, if you want the nano-texture screen that our reviewer loved during their testing, it’s an optional add-on of $150 / £150 / AU$230. Now, if budget is a constraint and you still want to go Apple, there’s always the MacBook Air M4 13-inch, which goes for around the same price as the Surface Laptop 7.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 vs. Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch: Design
Both laptops here are pretty portable. But the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 has the slight edge, given its weight of 2.96 lbs (1.34kg) compared to the Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch’s weight of 3.4 lbs (1.54kg) or 3.5 lbs if you upgrade the SSD.
Strangely, the MacBook Pro M4 is slightly thinner, measuring 0.61 inches in width when closed in comparison to the Laptop 7’s width of 0.69 inches. It’s not a big difference, but it’s worth noting.
A bigger difference worth considering, especially if you care about aesthetics, is the fact that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 comes in Platinum, Sapphire, Black, and Dune, while the Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch comes in Silver and Space Black. If you want some color in your gadgets, you won’t find it with Apple’s more Pro-level products.
Taking a look at the screen, the Apple MacBook Pro M4 is the clear winner. Even discounting the optional nano-texture screen that greatly minimizes glare, the Apple laptop has a larger screen with better specs in almost every way, namely it’s a 14.2 inch screen with a resolution of 3024 x 1964p that, because of its mini-LED tech, gets a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7’s smaller 13.8-inch display with 2304x1536p resolution and 1400:1 contrast ratio is certainly very good, but not quite up to the MacBook Pro’s standards. The Surface Laptop 7 does two things that the MacBook Pro does not, however, and that’s that it’s a touch screen and can get up to 120Hz refresh rate. The MacBook Pro is capped at 60Hz normally with ProMotion tech boosting the adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz.
As far as the keyboards go, both offer a wonderful and responsive experience. The touchpad on the Surface Laptop 7 requires a little bit of finetuning regarding its sensitivity. But the MacBook Pro’s almost six-inch (measured diagonally) touchpad is snappy and responsive out of the gate.
When it comes to port selection, the MacBook Pro comes out ahead again. It comes with three Thunderbolt 4 USB type-C, an HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, and, of course, the MagSafe 3 charging port. Maybe one could wish for an ethernet port, which is also missing from the Surface Laptop 7. This Windows computer is a bit more limited in this department with its two USB 4 Type-C, USB Type-A, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the Surface connect port, which is still good enough for most people.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 vs. Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch: Features
While both laptops come with 1080p webcams, the one equipped on the Apple MacBook Pro M4 is a 12MP centerstage camera that will keep the camera focused on you if you move around when in a video conferencing call.
However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 comes ahead in a few different areas. It has slightly faster and more forward-thinking connectivity with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, whereas the Apple MacBook Pro M4 has Wi-Fi6e and Bluetooth 5.3.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 also has AI functionality, specifically with its Co-Pilot+ support. It, of course, comes with the dedicated key on the keyboard to call the app up. And the app is fully functional, existing somewhere between a “Siri” type assistant and ChatGPT.
It also has CoCreator, which lets you turn your drawings into an AI-generated image, and Image Creator, which generates images from prompts, though it comes with a credit system giving it an artificial ceiling.
Though Apple Intelligence is a thing, and affects a small number of apps in the MacOS ecosystem, it’s not nearly fully available so there aren’t any functionalities that work similarly to Co-Pilot+ available to the end-user at the time of writing.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 vs. Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch: Performance
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is quite the snappy laptop for anyone wanting to do the usual day-to-day tasks. The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (or Pro in the basic configuration) is powerful and efficient, but not really meant for demanding tasks, at least not without dedicated discrete graphics and this laptop comes with the integrated Adreno graphics.
The Apple MacBook Pro M4 is on another level. While the Apple Silicon M4 Chip also does double duty taking care of the graphics, it’s not only fast in day-to-day work but can handle photo and video editing quite well. It can even run graphically intense games.
The capabilities of the individual ARM-based CPUs doesn’t just stop at performance. Both have fantastic battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 got up to an impressive 15 hours and almost 45 minutes in the Web Surfing (Battery Informant) benchmark, while the Apple MacBook Pro M4 somehow tops that with an even more incredible 18 hours and 31 minutes in the same benchmark. Both are great, but the Apple laptop is better.
Which Ultrabook is right for you?
The Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch is the clearly better laptop. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the right one for you. Maybe you want all the power AI has to offer in laptop form right now. Or, if you’re used to a Windows ecosystem, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is going to be the easier one to use and more familiar in every way. It’s also a much cheaper machine and that’s a big consideration for a number of people in these tumultuous times.
The Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch is worth its price thanks to its fantastic power and battery life, but it is expensive. It has some nice features like the centerstage camera and optional nano-texture screen add-on, but those aren’t necessarily make-it-or-break-it considerations. It does have a slightly nicer screen as well.
Essentially, it boils down to this: the Surface Laptop 7 is good but cheaper, Apple’s MacBook Pro M4 14-inch is better but more expensive.
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space2occupy@gmail.com (James Holland)
