Laptops are not for Russia. Laptops not for Russia Touchscreen and Surface Pen

Recently, Microsoft has expanded its line of laptops with a new model - Microsoft Surface Laptop. A version worth $ 1,300 (85,250 rubles) equipped with Intel processor Core i5-7200U 8GB random access memory and a 256GB SSD.

Microsoft is positioning the Surface Laptop as a laptop for schoolchildren and students, as well as for office work. Let's take a look at what features the device offers and whether it is worth considering for a purchase.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Design

Surface Laptop is available in four color options- burgundy, platinum, cobalt blue (the color of the reviewed model) and graphite gold. The all-metal body feels solid and has slightly rounded edges. Build quality in fact high level.

The area around the keyboard and between the keys is covered with Alcantra, which gives the device a pleasant touch and attractive look. The Dell XPS 13 has a similar coating approach, only using carbon fiber instead of Alcantara. I love this trend as it makes opening a laptop much easier and more fun to use.

The dimensions of the case are 308.1 x 223.27 x 14.48 mm, and the weight is 1.25 kg. In general, the case is not the most practical here, but it is definitely one of the most stylish.

Connectors and ports

The Microsoft Surface Laptop is not a small laptop, however, it has minimal connectivity. There is one USB port 3.0, mini DisplayPort and 3.5 headphone jack. Variants wireless communication include Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0.

Above the display is a 720p webcam with face recognition with using Windows Hello.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Microsoft Surface Laptop uses an island-style backlit keyboard. The keys are well spaced and feel good when pressed.

Typing on a laptop is quite convenient. The backlight is standard here and with several levels of brightness.

The Surface Laptop's touchpad is less impressive. It's a Windows compatible precision touchpad that just gets the job done. I would like to see a more responsive and large touchpad here. Considering that competitors like Apple and HP have found a way to establish much larger touch panels into their laptops without sacrificing their quality.

Fortunately, there is one large touch surface here - the screen. I haven't used it too often, but it's nice to know that it is there and is compatible with both Pen and Dial stylus.

Windows 10 S operating system

Microsoft Surface Laptop runs on Windows 10 S, it can only run applications from Windows Store which at the moment have a limited set of features, and this is a big problem. You will not be able to run the usual Google chrome, Firefox, Steam, Discord, or the full version of Photoshop.

Microsoft justifies installing Windows 10 S by being easier to manage and great for academics and businesses. Any organization that manages hundreds, perhaps thousands, of devices will love that Surface Laptop cannot access pirate sites and download malware.

However, for a user looking to buy a Surface Laptop for themselves - Windows 10 S - it's a complete disappointment.

You cannot use familiar applications, regedit or command line, which makes some features unavailable.

Bright display

The Microsoft Surface Laptop has a custom 13.5-inch display with a 3: 2 aspect ratio that looks much larger than the numbers on paper show. The resolution is 2256 x 1504 or 201 pixels per inch (PPI). This is high enough to provide satisfactory sharpness, but below y. MacBook Pro 13 with 220 PPI, as well as 267 PPI for the Surface Pro.

However, in addition to the number of pixels, color and contrast are also important. The PixelSense screen delivers up to 1020: 1 contrast ratios, beating every competitor except Apple's MacBook Pro 13, which reaches 1200: 1. However, the Surface Laptop's display is very bright and has a near-perfect color gamut.

Good sound

Sound quality from the Surface Laptop speakers is above average, with a good balance between low and high frequencies... The speakers are located right under the keyboard, they provide an acceptable volume level, which is quite enough for listening to music or watching movies. But, I recommend using headphones.

Performance and benchmarks

The new Microsoft Surface Laptop comes with a Core i5 or Core i7 processor. The hero of my review is equipped with a Core i5-7200U chip and 8 GB of RAM. Such hardware does not provide premium performance, although it is common among laptops. high class and strikes a good balance between performance and battery life.

In Geekbench 4, the tested Surface Laptop achieved 3681 points in single-core and 7373 in multi-core test.

These figures are standard among most modern notebooks with Core processor i5-7200U that I tested.

Slow SSD

The version of Microsoft Surface Laptop that I am reviewing has a 256GB solid state drive. Although the SSD uses the latest connectivity standards here, it doesn't deliver the performance you expect. Competitors like the MacBook Pro 13, XPS 13 and Specter x360 have more than double the speed of storage.

The problem is that according to the Toshiba catalog, the SSD in the Surface Laptop (model THNSN0256GTYA) ranks among the slowest M.2 drives.

Device in games

Microsoft's Surface Laptop isn't for gamers, and that's no surprise. In the test, this laptop with a Core i5-7200U processor and Intel graphics The HD 620 outperforms some competitors by only a small margin. This means that 3D games will run smoothly, but the experience will become imperfect.

Civilization VI at 1080p and low settings reached an average speed of just 17 FPS.

Battery life

The built-in 47Wh battery provides good battery life for the Surface Laptop. Microsoft claims that a single battery charge is enough for 14.5 hours of loop video playback. In the PCMark 8 Home test with a brightness of 200 cd / m2, the laptop lasted 6 hours. Under average load and with automatic brightness control, you can expect 8 hours of operation.

In terms of alternatives, the Dell XPS 13 looks slimmer, offers better storage performance and superior display options.

The HP Specter x360 is roughly equal in size but lacks autonomy, but it is 2-in-1 and can be bought with a 4K display.

The $ 700 Asus ZenBook UX330UA is also a great option. Despite the 1080p display, it gets a newer version of the same processor, this kind of SSD, the same amount of RAM and similar connectivity despite being slightly lighter and thinner.

Apple's MacBook Pro 13 is another good alternative with faster storage, better display, and more ports.

Outcome

I believed, given past successes, that the Microsoft Surface Laptop would become better alternative in its segment. Still, the company found a way to make things more difficult by installing Windows 10 S, and by depriving the device in such key areas as screen quality and performance. solid state drive.

Should you buy?

No. On the surface, the Surface Laptop is an impressive device in almost every way, but it also has quite a few drawbacks. With a little more money, you can buy better equipment.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Benefits

• Great keyboard.
• High-quality display.
• Alcantara work surface finish.
• High processor performance.

Just a few days with Microsoft's flagship Surface Laptop 3 was enough for me to find something to start clinging to. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Surface Laptop 3 has something to grab your attention.

Microsoft made a lot of wise decisions early in the development of Surface Laptop 3. Someone at the company finally came to the conclusion that a Windows laptop should be practical first and foremost. We already have Surface Book and Surface Pro for compactness or transformation. The line of Microsoft laptops is primarily a workhorse for schoolchildren, students, working people, or those in business. This is a classic workstation.

It was decided to get rid of the Alcantara trims when the focus was on improving the trackpad, keyboard and display. The processor of the new Surface Laptop has also received a lot of attention. For the first time, we do not have publicly available integrated hardware, but a specially designed AMD chip from the Ryzen family. All this to make the updated computer as practical as possible, because the Laptop 3 has very serious opponents. Specifically, Huawei's Matebook X Pro is a laptop that is close to ideal in my opinion. Should I change it to Surface?

The monitored equipment was equipped with a 15-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 2496 × 1664 pixels (3: 2 ratio, 201 PPI, with stylus support). Responsible for performance is a 14nm Ryzen 5 Raven Ridge processor with integrated Radeon RX Vega 9 graphics and 8GB of DDR4 RAM, jointly developed by AMD and Microsoft. The memory in my version is represented by a 256 GB SSD from Hitachi. The laptop runs on Windows 10 Home.

When it comes to available ports, we have one USB-C, a USB-A port, a headphone jack, and Surface Connect. The computer also has a TPM and a Windows Hello compatible camera.

Design and minimalism

Design and beauty is a very individual matter. However, I can't help but mention that I really love the minimalism of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3. A consistent, simple design that doesn't even have speaker holes. I have to admit, this type suits me very much, it reminds me of my once beloved ThinkPad notebooks.

Simplicity does not mean rashness. Surface Laptop 3 is light, thin and perfectly balanced. The device weighs just over 1.2 kg, which is not bad for its size. I didn’t feel it in my backpack, even when I had the opportunity to make a short trip with it. The construction seems durable - no doubt high quality materials and precise manufacturing processes were used in its production. It is a very mobile machine despite its size.

Unfortunately, the first caveat is also about minimalism. It's great that Microsoft's Surface line of laptops is finally getting a USB-C port. It's a pity that one, and without Thunderbolt 3. Add to this the second normal USB and that's it. I don't consider Surface Connect because the connector requires very specific accessories.

Such a small number of ports on a 15 "laptop is hard to forgive a well-known manufacturer. In addition, their placement is not the best, and Surface Connect has a hard time inserting a cable, even though the port is magnetic - I never did it without looking.

Laptop display

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 uses a 3: 2 display aspect ratio. For most applications, especially Microsoft software, a display with these aspect ratios is much better than 16: 9 or 16:10. The quality of the panel is consistently high, it is bright with excellent contrast. The colors are natural, although they could be better.

Competitors, including Microsoft partners, have already learned how to produce displays with very thin bezels. The Surface Laptop 3 is a bit dated in this regard. The laptop case could be reduced while maintaining the same display diagonal.

Excellent keyboard and trackpad

Typing on the Surface Laptop 3's keyboard is a real pleasure. In any case, this does not surprise anyone - Microsoft has been famous for the highest quality keyboards since time immemorial. Installed in Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, it maintains the highest standards. The height, elasticity and placement of the buttons are close to perfect.

The support platform, devoid of Alcantara, is very comfortable, it fully provides rest for the hands. Surprisingly, the button presses are pleasantly deep - unthinkable given the thickness of the laptop.

I have a lot of good things to say about the glass trackpad as well. The panel is huge, pleasant to the touch. All gestures available in Windows 10 (up to five fingers at a time) are supported. The trackpad clicks great too. I do not know if it can be done even better, since I have not yet met such solutions.

CPU performance

Habitual interaction with a relatively small number of tools is clearly not enough for me to tell you something interesting about the performance and culture of the laptop. Of course, Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 behaves with dignity at any time, in this regard.

The tools I use for work are Chromium-based browser (multiple tabs at the same time), Word and Excel, system mail client as well as Lightroom and Photoshop, in which I process RAW files from a Nikon camera. Messengers and other small applications usually run in the background. I have never been able to overload the Ryzen processor on this laptop. Apparently, the above set of applications and actions is not too demanding for the Surface Laptop 3.

Even at high speeds, the fan emits quiet sound which means a well-designed cooling system. The problem is, it almost never stops. At the moment, while writing these words, I have Word open and three tabs in a browser without Flash or media. And I can hear the fan noise in the background. It doesn't have to be that way, especially since I've already noticed the noise on the Laptop 3 while sleeping. Not very optimistic.

Software

Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 runs Windows 10 Home (why not Pro ?!). It would seem that hardware and software from Microsoft is the best combination possible. Well, of course, when it comes to the important issue of directly controlling the firmware or drivers. Unfortunately, Windows 10 has its drawbacks.

Take, for example, such an elementary issue as battery maintenance. When using the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 on a daily basis, it is worth setting the charging limit at 40-60%. Thus, the equipment will last much longer than with a fully charged battery. In other business laptops, we will find a corresponding tab in the operating system to enable special mode (called differently).

Do you know where to look for this switch in Surface Laptop 3? Well, in UEFI. In a place where no user would think to look and should not look. Microsoft only adds the Surface app. We can check your computer's warranty status or customize your Surface Pen.

Autonomy Microsoft Surface Laptop 3

Surface Laptop 3 battery life is far from perfect. I would like to emphasize that so far I have only had the opportunity to unload the battery twice.

First time soon after initial setup, so the laptop can tweak many things in the background, consuming CPU time. About seven hours after fully charging, I received a message telling me it was time to plug my computer into a power source or save data to apps.

This is a good result, since we are talking about real work not about looping video or similar measurements, though not sensational. The fast charging system pleased us: after about an hour, the battery charges from 5 to 80 percent.

Outcome

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is a lightweight laptop with a design that suits me very well. The keyboard and trackpad are perfect, with a very good 3: 2 display for most applications. The performance seems to be sufficient, although I'll have to check it out in more detail. Great attention to detail. Fast charging system and decent work time away from the charger. Here are the benefits of this laptop.

However, my Matebook X Pro also got a 3: 2 display - more high definition... It runs quietly (I have a Core i5 version). Despite the smaller size, there is one more USB-C port and the device is better equipped in terms of software. Plus, it's cheaper than Microsoft's hardware, and it's also well-made and finished.

Should you buy?

The new Surface Laptop 3 may be a successful computer, but unfortunately it has its drawbacks. May I recommend it to someone? Definitely yes, for a very simple reason. The Matebook X Pro is virtually nonexistent in stores, which means the Surface Laptop is becoming the only alternative in the laptop market with a 3: 2 display. In my opinion, a huge plus. When it comes to other laptop capabilities, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

However, not everyone will share my enthusiasm. Overall, Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 is on par with the best Apple equipment, HP or Lenovo. While I have a liking for Microsoft's laptop, I'm not sure if I will continue to feel that way over the next few weeks. It seems to me that the key point will be an analysis of the work performed on a system developed in conjunction with AMD.

In the spring of this year, a presentation of a professional notebook from MS took place, which is designed to perform a wide range of tasks.

Today, Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is the preferred choice for users looking for a Windows 10-based gadget that doesn't compromise on performance, ergonomics or convenience.

The visual design is both laconic and simple, as it provides maximum convenience. The body is made of an aluminum alloy with the addition of a separate Alcantara material.

The surface is velvety to the touch and feels better than plastic or solid metal. Among gadgets based on operating system Win such a scrupulous approach is rare.

Main characteristics

Matrix with a diagonal of 13.5 "displays the picture in a resolution of 2256 × 1504, which corresponds to an aspect ratio of 3: 2 and looks impressive. Compared with the Pro version of the laptop, the changes are cosmetic in nature, but have a positive effect on the total cost of the product.

SRGB color rendition is in demand among artists, designers, photo processing specialists. The price of Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 ranges from $ 1,000 to $ 1,530, depending on the amount of memory and other characteristics.

The most important aspect is performance. It uses Intel Core i5-i7 microprocessors, working in tandem with an SSD drive and fast RAM. Office suites, Full HD video editing, sound editors - everything works at high speed.

Users who often type large amounts of text will appreciate the quality of the keyboard and touchpad. The latter is compatible with Windows Precision gestures used to scale windows.

An unusual decision by the manufacturer was the location of the speakers with Dolby support. They are located under the keyboard, which provides a resonant reflection of sound from the table surface. The result is a loud and rich sound with full frequency spectrum coverage. Autonomy - about 8 hours without recharging.

Microsoft continued to expand its laptop lineup this year with the Surface Laptop. Moreover, if other devices of the company are transformers, then the novelty has a traditional form factor for laptops. At the same time, Microsoft is positioning the Surface Laptop as a laptop for schoolchildren and students, as well as for those users who need a laptop for office work. Let's take a look at what features the device offers and whether it is worth considering for a purchase.

The Surface Laptop's bundle is minimal; only a charger with a detachable cable can be found in the box with the laptop.

But at least the charging block is not quite simple, it has a built-in USB connector, which allows you to directly connect other devices to it for charging.

Design and materials

The Surface Laptop is, without understatement, one of the most stylish laptops on the market.

The model is made in a minimalistic design with straight lines of the body, which are only slightly rounded at the corners, but at the same time they form sharp beveled edges.

The display is covered with protective glass, and its lid and the bottom of the Surface Laptop are made of dense aluminum, and the area around the keyboard and between the keys themselves is covered with faux suede - Alcantara.

This material is patented and produced by the Italian company Alcantara SpA, it is very pleasant to the touch and relatively durable. In my experience of using the Alcantara Galaxy S8 case, I can say that if you do not set yourself the task of staining the fabric and making it unusable, then it is not so easy to do it during normal use. Alcantara has a rough, but at the same time, dense surface that does not allow moisture to pass through well, and the material itself does not burn. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that, like any fabric, Alcantara wears out and gets dirty, and although it can be washed and cleaned, it is not very convenient to do this in a laptop.

Overall, the Surface Laptop may not have the most practical case, but it is definitely one of the most stylish. Moreover, Microsoft took care of the colors, there are only four of them, but they all look very nice.

The Surface Laptop case measures 308.1 x 223.27 x 14.48 mm and weighs 1.25 kg.

The laptop turned out to be compact even for a 13-inch model, although it does not have minimal frames around the screen.

Connectors

In addition to the USB port on the unit charger, on the body of the Surface Laptop itself, there was only a proprietary charging port, one USB 3.0, mini DisplayPort and 3.5 headphone jack.

As you can see, the set of ports is minimal, and the laptop would not hurt at least one more USB port, as well as USB Type-C.

Display

The 13.5-inch IPS touchscreen laptop with PixelSense technology has a resolution of 2256 × 1504 pixels and an aspect ratio of 3: 2. The latter, given that you spend most of your time on a laptop in a browser, looks like a good solution, and it's a pity that not all manufacturers use it.

The display itself provides good viewing angles and color reproduction. Its color gamut is slightly more than 100% sRGB, the temperature is at 6500K, but the gamma curve and backlight are slightly uneven.

Minimum brightness Surface display The laptop, according to our measurements, is 9 cd / m2, the maximum is 322 cd / m2, and the contrast is 1526: 1.

It's also important to note that the touchscreen in this laptop looks like sheer overkill. Considering the form factor, they are not as comfortable to use as the Surface Book and Surface Pro, and if Microsoft decided to remove the touch layer from the display, the Surface Laptop would not lose anything from it.

Platform and performance

We tested the Surface Laptop in the base configuration with a 2-core Intel Core i5-7200U processor, clocked at 2.5 GHz (3.1 GHz in Turbo mode Boost), integrated Intel HD Graphics 620, 4GB of LPDDR3-1866 RAM, and a 128GB SSD.

The processor performance in Surface Laptop is sufficient for most of the tasks that users of a compact laptop may encounter. At the same time, 4 GB of RAM is enough for comfortable work in a browser with a dozen open sites, with documents or with simple editor photos.

The performance of the integrated graphics is enough to draw the interface or play video in 2K without any problems, but if you want to play games, you will have to limit yourself to casual ones.

What I didn't like about the Surface Laptop's hardware platform was the speed of Toshiba's built-in 128GB SSD. Microsoft used a model that provides a good read speed of 650 MB / s, but not very fast as for a solid state drive, a write speed of 130 MB / s.

Heating and stability

The processor in the Surface Laptop has a calculated thermal package of 15 W, and the laptop itself is equipped with a small fan, the holes for exhaust and air intake are at the same time on the back of the case, and the bottom of it is completely closed.

In the stability test of the AIDA64 system under maximum load, the temperature of the processor cores can briefly rise to 80 degrees Celsius, but when the cooling system is turned on, it drops to 55-57 degrees Celsius and remains at this level.

At the same time, there is no throttling, and the case becomes warm, but this does not cause discomfort. The fan runs very quietly, you can hardly hear it.

Operating system

The default operating system on Surface Laptop is Windows 10 S. While the S in a product name often indicates improvements, this is not the case with Windows 10 S. On the contrary, a new version of the operating room Microsoft systems is stripped down. The company conceived it as an OS for not very expensive laptops that can be used by schoolchildren and students. But given the $ 999 starting price of the Surface Laptop in the US, Windows 10 S looks very strange on this laptop. After all, it, for example, allows you to install applications only from the Windows Store, does not allow you to change Edge browser and even the search engine Bing.

Windows 10 S on Surface Laptop can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro for free until December 31, 2017, and the company plans to charge a $ 50 upgrade fee in the future.

The update process itself is a little confusing, in order to start it, you need to download and open the exe file of any program, after which the system will inform you that this can be done if you update to another Windows version and will immediately offer to do it.

The very idea of ​​limiting the installation of programs to the Windows Store only could have a right to life if there were all popular applications in the Microsoft store. But the irony is that even Office, at least in Ukraine, is not in the Windows Store.

All in all, Windows 10 S on the Surface Laptop looks like an outright crutch that could be tolerated if the laptop was offered at a more affordable price. But in this situation, it is better to immediately take the opportunity and upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for free. At the same time, the entire process of switching from one OS version to another takes only a few minutes.

Windows Hello

Like other Surface models, Microsoft's Surface Laptop uses multiple cameras, including infrared, for Windows Hello facial recognition to quickly unlock the laptop.

It is worth noting that this functionality works very well, cameras quickly scan and recognize a face, while you can scan it with or without glasses, this will only improve the recognition speed. At the same time, the cameras in the Surface Laptop are able to determine the volume and cannot be fooled with the help of photography.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Surface Laptop uses an island-style backlit keyboard.

The keys are located at a sufficient distance from each other and are pressed with a pleasant stroke. It is convenient to type on the laptop keyboard, it has a standard layout.

The touchpads Microsoft uses in its Surface models are the best in Windows laptops. The Surface Laptop has a rather large touchpad, it detects finger positioning very accurately, supports gestures and allows you to comfortably use the laptop without external peripherals.

Audio

The Realtek High Definition Audio Driver is responsible for playing sound in the Surface Laptop, it is enough to listen to music or watch videos with headphones even at medium volume.

The two external speakers are hidden under the keyboard, and it should be noted that they sound surprisingly voluminous and loud, which is not expected from a thin laptop.

Autonomy

The Surface Laptop's built-in 45.2 Wh battery should provide good battery life, at least Microsoft claims 14.5 hours of video playback. In the PCMark 8 Home test under load with a brightness of 200 cd / m2, the laptop lasted 6 hours.

With average load and with active automatic display brightness control, you can expect 8 hours of operation. This is a good result, as the Surface Laptop provides battery life for a typical workday.

Site evaluation

Pros: design, nice colors, high-quality display, quiet system cooling, excellent keyboard and touchpad, clean Windows, fast Windows Hello, sound quality external speakers, USB port on the charger unit, autonomy

Minuses: 4 GB RAM base, SSD write speed, one USB port per chassis, Windows 10 S

Output: The Surface Laptop is a slim and light 13.5-inch laptop with an interesting design in an aluminum casing with an Alcantara insert around the keyboard. Model has excellent display, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, but not very high performance in the basic version, not very fast SSD for writing and high cost, as for this configuration. Other than that, staying with Windows 10 S doesn't make any sense in such an expensive laptop. Thus, in the basic configuration, the Surface Laptop may appeal to those users who choose a laptop for design rather than performance. It does look great on a desk, but there are more performance solutions for workloads at this price point. However, it should be noted that the older Surface Laptop versions are more interesting in terms of configuration and faster in terms of operating speed, but their cost is also higher.

The editors are grateful to the online store Reader.ua for providing the device for review.

Microsoft is celebrating two premieres with the Surface Laptop. We have before us not only the first classic laptop Microsoft, but also the first computer with the operating system Windows 10 S. However, as our test showed, Microsoft approached many things too conservatively, so competitors can not worry.

The Surface Laptop looks a lot like the Surface Pro and. But the similarities are not only visual: the Microsoft Surface Laptop builds on key features from two sister models; these include compatibility with Surface Pen and a 3: 2 display format. There are few surprises, both positive and negative.

With the Surface Laptop, Microsoft introduced the first classic laptop.

Four configurations are available. Surface Laptop Model entry level with Core i5-7200U, 4 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD will cost from 65 thousand rubles or 1.149 euros. A laptop with the same processor, but with memory and storage twice as large, will cost from 76.5 thousand rubles or 1.449 euros. We received just such a configuration for tests. Microsoft offers two "senior" configurations with the Core i7-7500U processor. A laptop with 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD costs from 111 thousand rubles or 1.799 euros. Finally, the most expensive Surface Laptop comes with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. We did not find it in Russia, but in Europe you can buy a laptop from 2.499 euros. Available in burgundy red, platinum gray, cobalt blue and graphite gold. But only for the second oldest model.

Considering that the Windows 10 S operating system is aimed at use in educational institutions, the price seems very high. But Microsoft sees the Surface Laptop as the flagship of its platform, and mainstream Windows 10 S laptops will be much cheaper. Still, the main competitor here is the Chromebook. In addition, in a few steps, you can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro, after which the laptop turns into a full-fledged Windows computer... But you will also have to pay about 50 euros. Unless until the end of 2017, there will be a free transition. In addition, it is only officially possible to switch from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro, but not back. However, you can download the corresponding system images from Microsoft.

We ran all tests under Windows 10 Pro. The reason lies in the limitations of Windows 10 S: the new version of the operating system allows you to install applications only from the Windows Store. But there are no test packages there. Microsoft claims Surface Laptop running Windows 10 S gives better time autonomous work, and in some scenarios, for example, during system startup, a higher level of performance and a lower response time. None of this could be confirmed in our tests.

Not many interfaces

Before turning on your Surface Laptop, you pay attention to significant disadvantage... In terms of interfaces, Microsoft's equipment cannot be called modern. Excluding the Surface Connect power supply, there are only three physical interfaces left: an audio jack, a mini-DisplayPort output, and one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type A. There is no Thunderbolt 2 or 3, or USB Type C, which is not quite for 2017. understandable considering the price. If you need more ports, you will have to buy a Surface Dock from 17.2 thousand rubles or 229 euros, but the dock is focused on stationary use. It is too bulky for travel. Why Microsoft didn't install a more modern set of interfaces, like the same, remains a mystery.

One USB and one Mini-DisplayPort each: Microsoft Surface Laptop doesn't have many interfaces

On wireless interfaces, the situation is slightly better. Surface Laptop is equipped with a dual-band WLAN module with support for 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0.

TPM chip provides additional protection including logging in with a webcam that is compatible with Windows Hello facial recognition technology. In tests, she performed well, but not perfect. The reason lies in the speed of face recognition, entering a password or PIN code is faster.

WLAN AC and Bluetooth 4.0 complement Surface Laptop's suite of interfaces, but docking station is optionally available

The stereo speakers located under the keyboard have received Dolby Audio Premium certification. They provide more than adequate volume levels. Mid and low frequencies are palpable, there is no distortion even at maximum volume. However, for listening to music, we still recommend using headphones, since the design of such acoustics still leads to compromises in quality.

For video calls and other similar scenarios, an array of microphones will be useful. It reliably captures the user's voice and filters out unwanted noise. We liked the 720p webcam less. It only gives acceptable quality in well-lit environments, otherwise you have to put up with noise and other problems.

Not always the best stuff

The Surface Laptop's design can be said to be rather modest. Microsoft focused on appearance Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, but added small accents. It is possible to note antenna insulators on the left and right ends, the transition from the side ends to the bottom of the case, or ventilation holes under the display hinge. Finally, the shape of the laptop is slightly wedge-shaped, so the Surface Laptop can look different from different angles.

Alcantara instead of aluminum: Microsoft used a fabric covering inside the Surface Laptop

Two design elements draw attention: the Windows logo on the lid and the fabric interior covering, namely the palm rest panels and the area around the keyboard. Microsoft used faux suede or alcantara. This microfiber is commonly used in the light and automotive industries and is considered a high quality alternative to leather. This material gives the Surface Laptop a touch of style that contrasts with the rest of the chassis design. Of course, appearance is a matter of personal taste. But still there are doubts about the durability of such a coating and its hygiene.

Of course, the fabric coating seems to be of high quality, but it still wears out, and much more than aluminum or plastic. If you constantly use a laptop, then sooner or later, dirty or faded areas, etc. will begin to appear on the fabric.

The Surface Laptop is visually similar to the Surface Book, but it also has unique features.

Aside from this potential drawback, the Surface Laptop leaves a high quality impression. In addition to Alcantara, Microsoft used aluminum and Gorilla Glass to protect the display from damage. The dimensions of the laptop are 308.0 x 223.2 x 14.5 mm, and the weight is about 1.3 kg. In addition to the not very neatly embedded touchpad, the workmanship of the laptop raises no objections, which is due to the solid construction of the case. Even with a strong pressure, we could not push the case, nothing crackled, and the Gorilla Glass coating gives additional strength to the display lid. The hinges of the display lid hold it well, they do not give in even with strong shocks. However, the display cover can be opened with one hand without holding the main body.

There is one more small remark. Microsoft paid attention to high quality workmanship, but ignored the issue of ease of access to components. The laptop does not have a removable bottom panel, all components are simply glued on. As a result, if possible, repair.

Touchscreen and Surface Pen

Contrary to the general trend, Microsoft has equipped the Surface Laptop with a touchscreen in an attempt to create a versatile model. Still, classic laptops today are rarely equipped with a touchscreen - although such an option is sometimes available for a surcharge. But support for the Surface Pen, one of the best models on the market. The stylus recognizes between 4,096 clicks, and tilt recognition for shading is also supported. Unfortunately, the Surface Pen is not included with the Surface Laptop, so we didn't include it in our tests. The price is about 10 thousand rubles in Russia or 110 euros in Europe, which is not cheap at all.

The maximum brightness of 400 cd / m² of a Microsoft Surface laptop is not enough to effectively combat reflections

The Microsoft laptop display has an unusual 3: 2 aspect ratio. The 13.5 "IPS panel from Panasonic has a resolution of 2.256 x 1.504 pixels. The built-in sensor detects ten clicks, the panel is protected by Gorilla Glass, but the coating results in a lot of reflections.

In our tests we got a maximum brightness level of 408 cd / m², which seems to be sufficient, but working outdoors is not always comfortable. Look for a shady location as the screen is not bright enough to compensate for glare in direct sunlight. In addition, the backlight uniformity was only about 85%, the brightness drops, in particular, in the corners of the laptop. On a completely black screen, the difference is visible to the naked eye. Contrast is better with the Surface Laptop at 1.316: 1 - a good value for a laptop.

Microsoft talks about an ultra-thin bezel, in fact, it is only slightly thinner than the usual level

Not everything is good in terms of color rendition. Regularly, the display is adjusted to a very cold temperature of 7.400 K, so the swells give off blue. If you equip yourself with a colorimeter, you can squeeze out 6.800 K, which is also not optimal. In terms of color gamut, the situation is better. AdobeRGB space is 60% closed, sRGB - 92%. Subjectively, the colors are saturated, but not overly, they retain their naturalness. So if you work with photos often, then you will surely be satisfied.

Oddly enough, Microsoft emphasizes the Surface Laptop's ultra-thin bezel. In fact, it is much wider than the same Dell XPS 13 or Huawei MateBook X, from the sides we get about 11 mm, from the top - 9 mm. Of course, this shortcoming cannot be called serious, but as a result, the Microsoft laptop turned out to be larger than the MateBook X. The 3% increase in display area resulted in a 13% increase in the base.