One step forward and two steps back. Surface Laptop 5 is a device full of contradictions [TOPtech]

+ DESIGN

Surface Laptop 5 is definitely premium equipment. This is evidenced by the housing made entirely of aluminum, which impresses with its minimalism and elegance. The laptop looks great both in the black color version and in the platinum variant.

Importantly, although the computer has a large 15-inch screen, it is light and slim at the same time. Its weight is only one and a half kg.

– PORT AVAILABILITY

When it comes to the design of the device itself, I have only one reservation here, and it is too few available ports. The laptop has single USB-A and USB-C ports, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a Surface Connect charging connector.

So if you would like to connect this equipment to Ethernet or to a monitor with an HDMI connector, you will have to additionally equip yourself with appropriate adapters or a docking station.

+ SCREEN

Surface screens have always been in a class of their own. It is no different in the case of the latest Microsoft laptop, which has been equipped with a PixelSense touch display with QHD resolution and 3: 2 aspect ratio.

This panel is characterized by high contrast and excellent blacks. Importantly, Microsoft has also worked on the maximum brightness, which is now much better than in the case of the Surface Laptop 4 model.

Another novelty worth mentioning is support for the new Dolby Vision IQ standard, which guarantees better color reproduction in compatible video materials.

– LOW REFRESH RATE

It is a pity, however, that Microsoft did not follow the blow and did not put on a screen with a higher refresh rate, as was the case with the Surface Laptop Studio model. In the case of Surface Laptop 5, we are still “doomed” to the standard 60 Hz.

– KEYBOARD

Surface Laptop 5 has one of the best keyboards I’ve ever come across when testing portable computers. Typing on it is very comfortable, and the keys are characterized by a comfortable spacing and appropriate pitch for the fingers. Of course, there was also a three-stage backlight.

I will not say a bad word about the trackpad either. So far, the only laptops to which I did not connect the mouse were MacBooks. Now a new Microsoft laptop has joined this group.

– PERFORMANCE

Surface Laptop 5 is equipped with a 12th generation Intel i7 chip. It is a dual-core low-voltage processor that, although it provides high work culture, is not a speed demon.

Suffice it to say that in the Cinebench R23 benchmark, in the multi-core test, the “five” scores worse than the Surface Laptop 4 model with the AMD Ryzen 4980U system.

And although in the single-core test, Intel’s processor is already superior to its older rival, the results achieved should still be treated as a slight disappointment.

Don’t get me wrong. Surface Laptop 5 is a multi-tasking laptop that can easily handle most typical office tasks, such as Office, web browsing and photo editing. I must admit, however, that I was counting on a solid jump in performance here. And in this regard, unfortunately, I miscalculated.

The integrated Intel Iris Xe chip also does not improve the situation. While we can easily run older and less demanding games on a Microsoft laptop, we can forget about playing with newer productions.

+ SOUND QUALITY

The tested device was equipped with two Omnisonic stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos sound system. I rarely praise laptop audio systems, but in this case I have to make an exception. The new Surface sounds really great.

The sound is clear and balanced, and when needed, these two speakers hidden in the housing can also deliver a slightly stronger hit.

– BATTERY

Surface Laptop 5, like its predecessor, has a battery with a capacity of just over 47 watt hours. So in theory, it should work for about 12-13 hours on a single charge.

In practice, however, the working time is shorter by up to two hours, which translates into about 10 hours of using the device.

SUMMARY

Surface Laptop 5 is a piece of solid equipment. It impresses with its design and sound quality coming from the speakers. It also has an excellent screen and a comfortable keyboard, and the built-in USB-C port finally supports the Thunderbolt 4 standard.

On the other hand, the Redmond company failed to improve two key aspects – performance and battery life. Quite the opposite happened – taking a step forward, Microsoft took two steps back.

So if you want to buy a device from the Surface family, it may be worth taking an interest in the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 model with the AMD Ryzen system. It offers performance comparable to the “five”, longer operation time on a single charge, and a lower price.

An interesting alternative may also be the previously mentioned Surface Laptop Studio with a 120 Hz screen.