After a year and a half, Microsoft is introducing the successor of its third generation clamshell laptop, the Surface Laptop 4. The new laptop comes in two sizes, including 13.5- and 15-inch, and they are both available with Intel’s 11th Gen Intel Core and AMD Ryzen Mobile (4000 series) processors. Starting a $999, the laptops are expected to be available on April 15 in the United States, Canada, and Japan, with more markets coming in the future.
Although the new device has the same design as the Laptop 3, the difference is in the new hardware, performance, and battery life. The Surface Laptop 4 13.5-inch or 15-inch model comes with the choice of AMD Ryzen 5 (6 cores) or Ryzen 7 (8 cores) from the 4000 series processors with custom Radeon Graphics or Intel 11th Gen Core i5 or i7 quad-core processors with Iris Xe graphics that should perform up to 70 percent better than the previous generation.
As you can see, the company opted to use the older (Microsoft Surface Edition) AMD 4000 series instead of the newer 5000 series processor. In contrast, the Intel models come with the latest mobile processors. Although they both should provide adequate performance, the most significant difference will be in the price since the AMD models will be around $300 cheaper.
You can now also get these devices with up to 32GB of DDR4 4266 memory and up to 1TB of removable internal M.2 NVMe Solid-State Drive (SSD).
The new Surface also comes with replaceable color-calibrated PixelSense multi-touch (201 PPI) display with the typical 3:2 aspect ratio that offers 18 percent more vertical real-estate than the 16:9 aspect ratio.
Surface Laptop 4 tech specs
Here’s the tech specs for the Surface Laptop 4 15-inch and 13.5-inch:
| Surface Laptop 4 15-inch | Surface Laptop 4 13.5-inch | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 13.4” x 9.6” x 0.58” (339.5 mm x 244 mm x 14.7 mm) | 12.1” x 8.8” x 0.57” (308 mm x 223 mm x 14.5 mm) |
| Weight | Platinum and Matte Black metal: 3.40 lbs (1,542g) | Platinum and Ice Blue Alcantara: 2.79 lbs (1,265g) Matte Black and Sandstone metal: 2.84 lbs (1,288g) |
| Display | Screen: 15” PixelSense™ Display Resolution: 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI) Aspect ratio: 3:2 Surface Pen enabled Touch: 10 point multi-touch | Screen: 13.5” PixelSense™ Display Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI) Aspect ratio: 3:2 Surface Pen enabled Touch: 10 point multi-touch |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 4980U Mobile Processor with Radeon Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition (8 cores) Quad-Core 11th Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor | AMD Ryzen 5 4680U Mobile Processor with Radeon Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition (6 cores) Quad-Core 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor Quad-Core 11th Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe Graphics AMD Radeon Graphics | Intel Iris Xe Graphics AMD Radeon Graphics |
| Memory | 8GB LPDDR4x RAM 16GB LPDDR4x RAM 32GB LPDDR4x RAM | 8GB LPDDR4x RAM 16GB LPDDR4x RAM 32GB LPDDR4x RAM |
| Storage | Removable solid-state drive (SSD) options: 256GB 512GB 1TB | Removable solid-state drive (SSD) options: 256GB 512GB 1TB |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology | Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology |
| Battery life | AMD: Up to 17.5 hours of typical device usage Intel: Up to 16.5 hours of typical device usage Battery Capacity Nominal (WH) 47.4 Battery Capacity Min (WH) 45.8 | AMD: Up to 19 hours of typical device usage Intel: Up to 17 hours of typical device usage Battery Capacity Nominal (WH) 47.4 Battery Capacity Min (WH) 45.8 |
| Ports | 1 x USB-C (no thunderbolt support) 1 x USB-A 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x Surface Connect port | 1 x USB-C (no thunderbolt support) 1 x USB-A 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x Surface Connect port |
| Security | TPM 2.0 Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in | TPM 2.0 Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in |
| Cameras, video, and audio | Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing) 720p HD f2.0 camera (front-facing) Dual far-field Studio Mics Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Atmos 7 | Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing) 720p HD f2.0 camera (front-facing) Dual far-field Studio Mics Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Atmos 7 |
| Sensors | Ambient light sensor | Ambient light sensor |
| Colors | Platinum Matte Black | Sandstone Matte Black Cobalt Blue Platinum |
| Casing | Aluminum Platinum with metal palm rest Matte Black with metal palm rest | Aluminum Platinum with Alcantara material palm rest Ice Blue with Alcantara material palm rest Matte Black with metal palm rest Sandstone with metal palm rest |
| OS | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Home |
According to Microsoft, the Surface Laptop 4 provides 19 hours of battery life on the 13.5-inch model and up to 17.5 hours for the 15-inch AMD models. On the other hand, the Intel models offer up to 17 hours in the 13.5-inch model, while the 15-inch model claims up to 16.5 hours of battery life.
The backlit keyboard is the same as the one on the previous generation, which features 1.3mm key travel for comfortable typing and a full-sized precision trackpad.
As for ports, the Surface Laptop 4 includes a USB-A and a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port and a 3.5mm audio jack. The USB-C also supports charging and works as a display port.
The laptop comes with Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax (with Bluetooth 5.0) instead of the newer Wi-Fi 6e technology for networking.
On the other side, you will find the Surface Connect port for fast charging and docking.
New color, security, audio, and video
Along with the choice of matte black (metal), sandstone (metal), and platinum (Alcantara) colors, Microsoft now has also added a new ice blue option with a premium Alcantara finish for the 13.5-inch model.
Surface Laptop 4 also comes with a discrete TMP 2.0 chip for security, and the AMD models are also the first laptops to integrate the certified Windows 10 Secured-core PCs.
In addition to the new internals, Microsoft has also redesigned the active cooling system that combines sensors to keep the fans disabled until they are needed, providing a very quiet experience.
The audio and video have also been improved for online experiences. On the Surface Laptop 4, you will find Dolby Atmos audio for full-range and more accurate spatial sound. The bass response has been extended for better audio when watching movies or listening to music.
There are dual far-field Studio Mics for better sound capture. According to the company, the new microphones offer auto-leveling to keep sound levels consistent when moving away from the computer during a conversation and improve speech-to-text transcription.
The Surface Laptop 4 also features a high-definition camera with support for Windows Hello quick authentication. In addition, the webcam has been improved to offer better hardware-accelerated noise reduction, contrast, sharpness, and the new F2 aperture allows better image quality during low light environments.
Price and availability
While from the outside, the Surface Laptop 4 looks identically to its predecessor, Microsoft still manages to offer a significant upgrade with more choices at different price points.
Also, the Laptop 4 is one of the few devices that offers a design that can be serviced since it is possible to replace the internal SSD, display, and keyboard. (The only caveat is that this only can be done by authorized service centers.)
Surface Laptop 4 starts at $999 for the 13.5-inch model featuring the AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB SSD. The Intel model with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 512GB SSD, starts at $1299. The most expensive model will cost you $2399, but it comes with an Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of memory, and 1TB SSD.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.