Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 Review: Is It Worth the Price in 2025?

Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptop 13 arrives, vying for a spot in the competitive ultrabook market. With a sleek design and promising specs, this new iteration aims to impress. But does it deliver on its promises, or does it fall short of the mark? In this review, we delve into the Surface Laptop 13, examining its performance, features, and ultimately, whether it justifies its price tag.

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Microsoft launched its latest Surface devices in mid-May and are available for pre-order for delivery in early June. There are two models, the Surface Pro tablet, which I recently tested, and this “standard” ultralight Surface Laptop 13.

This is a new format for the Surface Laptop, between the 12.4-inch screen of the Surface Laptop Go 3 from 2023, and last year’s smallest Surface Laptop at 13.8 inches. Here, the screen diagonal is exactly 13 inches, in the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the others and provides a workspace of 1920 x 1280 pixels. Minus a few pixels in the rounded corners.

Thanks to thin screen edges, the computer is almost as compact as the Surface Laptop Go 3. It makes good use of the surfaces it has, to accommodate a comfortable keyboard, a large trackpad, and space for ports on the sides.

Rounded shapes in the aluminum chassis on the underside make the computer comfortable to grip, even if it isn’t as thin or light as it could have been. Microsoft seems to like building extra sturdy screen lids in its laptops. It has touch support and a glass surface with a solid aluminum frame.

Quality, But Nothing Extra

It’s not a fantastic screen, but good enough for most things. An IPS with a 60 Hz frame rate, acceptable brightness, and smooth, pleasant colors that in sRGB mode appear to be very accurate.

An OLED with DCI-P3 color and a high frame rate would of course have been nice, but it would have cost extra. This is exactly what is needed to be able to surf, email, stream, play small games, work in office programs, and do simpler image editing.

Which can also be said about the Snapdragon X Plus system chip with eight cores and 16 GB of integrated RAM. Sure, it could have been sharper, but it’s fast enough for everything you need it for in everyday life with a comfortable margin.

Multitasking works well as long as you don’t build on forever with tabs and active programs. And it’s cool and quiet, almost never needs active cooling. Unlike the Surface Pro tablet with the same processor, it actually has fans for emergency cooling, they almost never turn on. It could go days without me hearing a peep from the computer. Except for sound from the speakers.

With an approved 1080p webcam and excellent microphone, you have all the conditions for video chatting with your family or connecting to a job meeting.

Still tentative with AI

With a powerful NPU in the system chip, features like Studio Effects for the webcam, noise reduction for the microphone, and live subtitles work really well. You don’t get IR support for the camera; instead, for biometric login, you get a fingerprint reader hidden in the power button. It seems to work without problems.

At first, it looked like Microsoft had skimped on AI features. Missing are things like image generation in Paint, AI upscaling in Photos, and several webcam effects. It turns out that I must run a manual Windows update to Windows 11 24H2 for them to be activated. So don’t forget that.

The features you get aren’t fantastic; several of them probably already do better on your mobile. But it’s positive that they exist. And there may be more with future updates.

In addition, several of them, including the Copilot app, also require you to be logged in with a Microsoft account and do not work offline. And some require a Microsoft 360 subscription where monthly “AI credits” are included.

Where did the battery life go?

Battery life is a clear disappointment. It’s the same story every time I test a Surface. Microsoft promises gold and green forests, here they are talking about 23 hours of video playback and 16 hours of active surfing on one charge.

I will not get close to it. Just with the computer on, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off, the screen brightness at the lowest possible level and battery saving mode on, the battery still runs out in under 14 hours. Then I’m doing nothing but running a simple program that shows the current processor load and logs active time.

If I surf and work in Office a day, it can vary between five and eight hours before I have to find a wall outlet to plug the charger into. Playing video offline is better, it requires very little of the processor. I can do this for eight to ten hours, as long as I don’t exaggerate the brightness.

Charger on the side

You charge the battery via any of the USB-C ports, and the charging power is 45 watts. Microsoft does not specify how large the battery is, but it takes a couple of hours to get to 100 percent with their own matching USB-PD charger.

That charger is not included, but must be purchased as an accessory. Should the charging savings spread to laptops as well? Yes, apparently. In any case, if Microsoft gets to decide. We have to hope that the PC industry can at least stick to a standard so that it doesn’t become the same chaos and confusion as among mobile phones and tablets.

$13,499 for a base model with a 256GB SSD is still a lot. There are many sharper alternatives in the same price range, from manufacturers such as Acer, Samsung, Asus, and HP. Or why not a Macbook Air for just a little more? They all also have better battery life and often more storage. So it’s hard to recommend the Surface Laptop 13, even though it maintains high and reliable quality on many points.

Specifications

• Product name: Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
• Tested: May 2025
• Manufacturer: Microsoft
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus, 8 x Oryon 3.3 GHz
• NPU: Hexagon, 45 tops
• Graphics: Adreno X1-45
• Memory: 16 GB lpddr5x
• Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB SSD
• Display: 13-inch glossy IPS, 1920 x 1280 pixels, 60 Hz, approx. 400 cd/m2, multitouch
• Webcam: 1080p
• Connections: 2 x USB-C 3 Gen 2 with DisplayPort, USB-A 3 Gen 1, headset
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
• Operating system: Windows 11 Home
• Other: Backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader
• Sound level: 0–38 dBa
• Battery: 2 hours 30 min (high load, full brightness) to approx. 9 hours (low load, low brightness)
• Size: 28.56 x 21.41 x 1.56 cm
• Weight: 1.22 kg

Conclusion:

The Surface Laptop 13 presents a compelling package with its sleek design, impressive performance, and innovative features. However, its battery life and higher price point may give potential buyers pause. While it excels in build quality and offers a premium experience, the competition offers similar features at a better value. If you prioritize design and performance and are willing to pay a premium, the Surface Laptop 13 is a solid choice. Otherwise, consider exploring other options in the market that offer a better balance of price and performance.