If gaming is your main thing, however, we have a running list of excellent gaming laptops under $999 you should consult. But if you're after a 13-inch laptop with power typically reserved for machines 15-inches and up, or if you're a fan of the OG Surface Book or its successor and have specific need for the extra power offered here, the Surface Book 3 is a delight. Still, as good as a laptop as it is, it's prohibitively expensive for those of you who are simply looking for a laptop to send emails, create spreadsheets and watch Netflix on. Surface Book 3 15 on base: Up to 17.5 hours of battery life based on typical Surface device usage. And, least sexy but perhaps most important, it's an excellent clamshell laptop, with a particularly comfortable keyboard and a beautiful display. It provides welcomeĪnd video processing power that's unusual for a laptop of this size. A detachable screen makes it both a laptop and a tablet, particularly helpful for creatives when paired with the Surface Pen (which disappointingly isn't included, it's an extra $99). Available in 13.5- and 15-inch sizes, the major difference from the Surface Laptop 4 is the move to Intel's 12th-gen Core processors, specifically a choice of an i5-1235U or i7-1255U for consumers. The previous model we reviewed was last year's 15-inch. But though it asks a lot from you, it gives a lot too. Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13-inch) We tested the top 1,700 13-inch model - in the new Sage green - with the i7, 16GB and 512GB SSD.

Surface book 5