Tech review: Microsoft Surface Laptop – great design, good price and a pleasure to use
Hitting many of the right notes for both casual and work users, Microsoft’s latest device is definitely one to get the competition worried
Microsoft makes original equipment manufacturers nervous with every new PC device it releases, and the Surface Laptop is likely to do the same. Although Microsoft says the device is geared towards students, its highly desirable blend of price, design and useability means that many people will be tempted to get one for work.
Design and hardware
At first glance, the Surface Laptop looks like an Apple device. Weighing 1.25kg, it has a 13.5-inch touch screen display and a premium feel with its blend of sculpted outer aluminium chassis and plush Alcantara material on the palm rest.
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Colour options include burgundy, cobalt blue and graphite gold, though none of these are available in Hong Kong, where only platinum is offered.
The main complaint about the design will likely be the absence of a USB-C port, with only a single USB 3.0 port included for peripherals. The SD card reader found in the Surface Pro and Surface Book has also gone, which is sad news for avid photographers. However, users who have bought into the Surface ecosystem and have the Surface Dock or spare charger will be glad that the Surface Laptop retained the Surface Connect plug.
Much as it has done for the rest of the Surface family, Microsoft has not compromised with the keyboard. It has given it a generous 1.5mm of key travel – a measure of how much each key depresses – that feels great to a touch typist like me. The unconventional use of Alcantara on the palm rest proves that laptops don’t all have to be cold and hard.