14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Surface lineup has always been about innovation and new product categories, with the company going all-in on detachable keyboards and touch screens from the very beginning.
At the same time, Apple downplayed this struggle for stepping beyond the traditional laptop form factor, pledging to stick with the current design for its MacBook lineup.
With the Surface Laptop, Microsoft has finally introduced a more conventional laptop, though touch screens are still offered, but while the Surface Book wasn’t considered by everyone a rival to the MacBook, the new device gets closer to this.
So between the Surface Laptop and the MacBook (not the Pro, but the standard model), which one should you buy? When comparing the entry-level configurations of the two, they’re both winning when the other one is losing.
The hardware comparison
The Surface Laptop comes with a 13.5-inch display with a resolution of 2256x1504 pixels (with touch capabilities), while the MacBook’s screen is smaller at 12 inches and 2304x1440 pixels. On the other hand, Apple is offering 226 PPI on its Retina display, while Microsoft’s PixelSense tech features only 201 PPI.
As for CPU, Microsoft is offering the entry-level Surface Laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor, while Apple’s configuration is a little bit slower and is an Intel Core m3 dual-core chip clocked at 1.1 GHz. Apple is betting big on software optimizations, so the macOS + this chip model offers good performance.
The Surface Laptop features 4GB RAM, while the MacBook has twice more, and when it comes to GPU, Microsoft picked the Intel HD 620 over Apple’s Intel HD 515.
In terms of storage, the MacBook is the better choice because it comes by default with 256GB, while the Surface Laptop offers only 128GB. Microsoft comes back in pole-position when it comes to ports, as the Surface Laptop ships with a USB 3.0 port, miniDisplay, Surface Connector, headphone jack, and microSD card. Apple only offers USB Type-C and a headphone jack.
And last but not least, it’s the price. The Surface Laptop is a more affordable device at $999, while the MacBook costs $1,299 in the entry-level configuration. And obviously, the Surface Laptop can run Windows 10 Pro, while the MacBook is powered by macOS.