Our Rating:
4.8
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 Review
Ranked #2 (Runner-up)
for Best Laptop of 2025!
Authors: Paige L, Joan T, Tommy G, Shaun D
Introduction
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 came out ahead in our search for the best laptop of the year as the second-best laptop of 2025!
After spending time with this device, it became clear that Microsoft crafted a very stand-out laptop, which we haven't seen in years! It’s a near-perfect fusion of minimalist design, groundbreaking performance, and thoughtful user-centric features that collectively create an experience that is second to none.
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What we found most compelling about the Surface Laptop 7 is it's stunningly vibrant 120Hz touchscreen display, the all-day battery life, and the powerful AI-driven performance of its Snapdragon X Elite chip!
Design & Build Quality
Microsoft has elevated its renowned minimalist design philosophy to near perfection with the Surface Laptop 7.
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Anodized Aluminum Chassis: The unibody aluminum construction feels incredibly rigid, durable, and flawlessly assembled, rivaling the build quality of any top-tier laptop available today. The bezels are thin with rounded corners giving the laptop a more modern look. Our hands-on experience with the device day in and day out confirms that it is built to an exacting standard, feeling just as solid and premium as it looks.
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Color Options: Alongside the classic Platinum and Black, Microsoft has introduced two gorgeous new finishes: Sapphire and Dune. The deep, rich blue of the Sapphire model is particularly stunning, offering a touch of personality without being ostentatious. Furthermore, the Black model now features a new anti-fingerprint coating that we found resists smudges and oils better than previous windows laptops we tested.
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Portability: Despite its robust, all-metal construction, the laptop remains remarkably portable at just 2.96 pounds for the 13.8-inch model. It strikes an excellent balance between a reassuring sturdiness and a lightweight profile which can be appreciated for any professional and student on the move.
Display
The screen on the Surface Laptop 7 is, without exaggeration, one of the best displays ever put into a laptop of this class.
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PixelSense Flow Display: The 3:2 aspect ratio is a standout feature for productivity, providing more vertical screen real estate for viewing documents, websites, and timelines. We found this extra space to be a significant quality-of-life improvement in our daily workflow.
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Dynamic 120Hz Refresh Rate: This is a game-changing feature that sets the Surface Laptop 7 apart. Animations, scrolling through web pages, and even simple cursor movements are rendered with a level of fluidity and smoothness that standard 60Hz screens simply cannot match. It makes the entire user experience feel more responsive and instantaneous.
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Vibrant and Bright Visuals: With a peak brightness of 600 nits and support for HDR content via Dolby Vision IQ, the display is exceptionally vibrant and bright. Colors are rich and accurate, making it a spectacular canvas for everything from photo editing to watching movies. In our use, it remained perfectly legible and impactful even in brightly lit rooms or near a window.
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Touchscreen: Built into both the 13.8-inch and 15-inch is a 10-point multi-touch touchscreen which allows for gestures and scrolling that feels smooth, especially when paired with the 120Hz refresh rate.
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Glossy Finish and lack of OLED: It is worth noting that the display has a glossy finish. While this contributes to the vibrancy of the colors, it can produce reflections in environments with direct overhead lighting. However, the screen's impressive brightness does an excellent job of counteracting most glare.
Furthermore, while the LCD panel is of exceptional quality, the absence of an OLED option (which would offer perfect blacks and superior contrast) is a notable omission, especially when compared to other devices in the premium space. Still, the color richness and vibrancy were strong enough that we didn't miss it too much.
Performance
Powered by the new Snapdragon X platform, the Surface Laptop 7 delivers a transformative leap in performance and efficiency for Windows.
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Snapdragon's Marathon Stamina: This laptop is FAST. In our daily use, applications launched instantaneously, heavy multitasking with dozens of browser tabs and multiple apps was handled without a hint of lag, and the entire system felt incredibly responsive. This is the first time a Windows on Arm device has achieved true performance parity with its top competitors, and the result is spectacular.
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Silent, Cool Operation: One of the most remarkable benefits of the new processor is its incredible efficiency. In our extensive use, the laptop stayed cool to the touch and the internal fan remained mostly inaudible during our most demanding tasks. This is because the snapdragon processor is so efficient that the fan rarely spins up to cool down the CPU. This ability to work in silence, free from distracting fan noise, is a luxury that enhances focus and is a defining characteristic of this machine.
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AI-Enhanced Experiences: Both processor options are equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that accelerates AI-powered features within Windows 11 without affecting CPU performance. It's a dedicated brain for AI that operates at an incredible 45 trillion operations per second! This allows for features such as enhanced background blur in video calls and real-time transcription, adding a layer of intelligence that streamlines everyday tasks.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Compared to others in its class, the Surface Laptop 7 delivers a refined experience in the crucial area of keyboard and trackpad interaction.
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A Superb Typing Experience: The keyboard is a dream to type on. The keys are perfectly sized and spaced, offering a satisfyingly snappy and responsive feel with just the right amount of travel. It’s quiet enough for use in a library or a silent office, yet tactile enough to make long-form writing a comfortable and enjoyable task.
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The Best Trackpad on Windows: This is not an exaggeration. The new larger haptic trackpad is incredibly smooth, perfectly precise, and has software that allows for customizable haptic feedback. The haptic feedback engine replicates the sensation of a physical click with uncanny accuracy that allows you can click anywhere on the surface with the same consistent feel.
Battery Life and Connectivity
The Surface Laptop 7 combines the freedom of true all-day battery life with a practical and modern selection of ports.
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All-Day Endurance: The efficiency of the Snapdragon processor translates directly into phenomenal battery life. During our real-world testing, which involved a mix of web Browse, video conferencing, document editing, and streaming, we consistently and easily got through a full workday with plenty of power left over for the evening (average of 16 hours on a single charge).
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Dedicated Charging: The magnetic Surface Connect port is also a welcome feature, freeing up the other ports while charging. We also loved being able to cap the battery at 80% charge when plugged in to charge all night long, a thoughtful feature for battery longevity.
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Modern Connectivity: With support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, the Surface Laptop 7 is equipped with the latest in wireless technology. This ensures a faster, more reliable connection with lower latency, especially on congested networks, making the device thoroughly future-proof.
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Port Layout: You get 2 modern high-speed USB-C ports for connecting everything from external displays to fast storage. There is also the classic USB-A port allowing you to connect legacy devices without needing a dongle. You also get a 3.5mm jack, and a dedicated magnetic charging port that safely detaches if it is accidentally snagged. The only thing missing? HDMI—but a USB-C adapter fixes that quickly.
Audio and Webcam
​The Surface Laptop 7 delivers a surprisingly powerful and polished audiovisual package that elevates everything from video calls to movie watching.
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Omnisonic speakers: For such a thin device, the audio quality is astonishingly good. The speakers, cleverly hidden beneath the keyboard, fire sound upwards, creating a wide, immersive soundstage. The audio is loud, clear, and rich, with a surprising amount of bass. With support for Dolby Atmos, watching movies becomes a genuinely cinematic experience, and video calls are crystal clear.
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Dual Far-field Studio Mics: The dual studio microphones, enhanced with AI-powered Voice Focus, do an excellent job of isolating your voice and suppressing background noise. In our test calls from a busy coffee shop, our voice came through loud and clear, with the surrounding chatter effectively minimized.
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Full HD Webcam: The 1080p Full HD webcam produces a crisp, clear, and well-lit image that is a significant step up from many laptop cameras. Its true strength is unlocked by the NPU, which powers Windows Studio Effects. Features like Automatic Framing, which keeps you perfectly centered, and Portrait Blur, which blurs your background, made our team’s daily video meetings feel more professional.
Conclusion: The Runner Up
The Surface Laptop 7 is a clear signal that Microsoft is embarking towards a new era of laptops. It's a beautifully designed laptop with all day battery life, a luxurious haptic trackpad, a stunning 120 Hz display, and the silent confidence of Snapdragon silicon chips!
While the Surface Laptop 7 makes an incredibly powerful case and earns its runner-up position, it was not able to dethrone the MacBook Air M4, which secured our rank #1 spot for 2025 (see directory below)!
But still, it's hard not to love the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7! If you are to choose a windows laptop, the Surface Laptop 7 would be the best pick for 2025! 🎉🎉🎉