Verdict - Surface Laptop 13 is better than before
The new 2026 Surface Laptop 13 is a good everyday laptop with premium build quality, comfortable input devices and a decent IPS touchscreen, even though the frequency of 60 Hz is a drawback. The brightness is better than before at more than 500 nits, but it is still a very reflective panel. The new Snapdragon X2 Plus SoC offers decent CPU performance and the biggest change concerns the fan behavior, because the new model is much quieter than before and you will hardly ever hear the fan at all. This is a major improvement and the Surface Laptop 13 is one of the quietest Windows laptops you can get right now.
The new CPU is also more efficient and the battery runtime is longer than before at almost 19 hours in our Wi-Fi test at 150 nits. The runtime at maximum brightness is slightly shorter, but the brightness is higher now, so this is hardly surprising. Microsoft discontinued the 8 GB model from last year and now offers at least 16 GB, but this also increased the base price to $1199 for the 256 GB SKU. Other drawbacks include the soldered RAM as well as the tricky access to the components, which makes it very complicated to remove the M.2-2242 SSD.
Pros
Cons
- $759.53Microsoft Surface Laptop, 13-inch | Snapdragon® X Plus (8 Core) | 8GB RAM | 256GB UFS | Platinum | Windows 11 | Latest Model (1st Edition)
- $1,559.99Microsoft Surface Pro (2026), 13-inch 2-in-1 Laptop, Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus Processor, Touchscreen Display, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage, Windows 11 Copilot+ PC Built for AI, Platinum
- $1,545.00Microsoft Surface Laptop (2026), 13.8-inch Premium Performance Laptop, Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Processor, Touchscreen Display, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Copilot+ PC, Jade
Specifications
Case, Connectivity and Input Devices
The chassis did not change and the Surface Laptop 13 still offers a premium metal chassis with good build quality, but the access to the components is still very tricky (the top of the base unit and cables have to be removed). Our review unit is the Violet version, even though the actual device looks more bluish. You can also get it in silver or black. The backlit keyboard is comfortable and the clickpad also works without problems.
Connectivity is limited to two USB-C ports (no USB 4.0) on the right as well as a regular USB-A port on the left side. We would have liked to see an additional USB-C port on the left for charging. Wi-Fi 7 is supported and the transfer rates were very stable in our test. The 1080p webcam takes decent pictures, but it does not support Windows Hello. You do get a fingerprint scanner (power button) though.
| Networking | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| iperf3 transmit Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| iperf3 receive Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| iperf3 transmit Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| iperf3 receive Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| iperf3 transmit Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| iperf3 receive Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| iperf3 transmit Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
| iperf3 receive Wi-Fi6/7 RT-BE96U | |
Display
The display is still an IPS touchscreen (1920 x 1280, 3:2) and the panel-ID is actually identical to last year's model, but Microsoft increased the brightness to more than 500 nits. The black value is still good for an IPS panel, which results in a very good contrast ratio. The overall image quality is also good, but the big issue is that this is still a 60 Hz panel. We would have liked to see an upgrade to 90 Hz just like on the updated Surface Pro 12, for example. It is also very reflective, which is an issue outdoors.
Our analysis with the professional CalMAN software shows decent performance out of the box, even though there is a slight blue cast to boost the brightness. The device supports adaptive color, so this should not be a big issue though. Color accuracy is also decent with full sRGB coverage, so you can do some picture editing.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 520 cd/m²
Contrast: 1857:1 (Black: 0.28 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 2.1 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.68}
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 3.2 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø4.93}
70.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
70.2% sRGB (Argyll 3D)
95.3% Display P3 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.19
CCT: 7012 K
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 LP130WU12241, IPS, 1920x1280, 13", 60 Hz | Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 LQ138P1JX61, IPS, 2304x1536, 13.8", 120 Hz | Dell XPS 13 DX13260 LG Philips LP134WQ, IPS, 2560x1600, 13.4", 120 Hz | Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 IPS, 2560x1664, 13.6", 60 Hz | Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA ATNA40KW01-0, OLED, 1920x1200, 14", 60 Hz | Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V TM140VDXY02, IPS, 1920x1200, 14", 120 Hz | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 LP130WU112413, IPS, 1920x1280, 13", 60 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 21% | 23% | 22% | 24% | 2% | 6% | |
| Display P3 Coverage (%) | 95.3 | 96.5 1% | 98.2 3% | 98.1 3% | 99.6 5% | 69.3 -27% | 72.4 -24% |
| sRGB Coverage (%) | 70.2 | 97.8 39% | 99.9 42% | 98.6 40% | 98.9 41% | 92.2 31% | 97.6 39% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage (%) | 70.6 | 86.5 23% | 87.6 24% | 86.8 23% | 88.7 26% | 72.9 3% | 72.6 3% |
| Response Times | 26% | -18% | 47% | 96% | 20% | 3% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * (ms) | 54.1 ? | 38.8 ? 28% | 51.2 ? 5% | 24.3 ? 55% | 1.65 ? 97% | 36.2 ? 33% | 48.7 ? 10% |
| Response Time Black / White * (ms) | 24 ? | 18.3 ? 24% | 33.6 ? -40% | 14.7 ? 39% | 1.41 ? 94% | 22.4 ? 7% | 25.3 ? -5% |
| PWM Frequency (Hz) | 480 ? | ||||||
| PWM Amplitude * (%) | 22 | ||||||
| Screen | 14% | 19% | -4% | 190% | -11% | 19% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 520 | 617 19% | 539.3 4% | 546 5% | 302 -42% | 349 -33% | 417 -20% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 502 | 623 24% | 503 0% | 519 3% | 304 -39% | 322 -36% | 409 -19% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 91 | 91 0% | 89 -2% | 90 -1% | 98 8% | 82 -10% | 92 1% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | 0.28 | 0.44 -57% | 0.25 11% | 0.38 -36% | 0.01 96% | 0.18 36% | 0.17 39% |
| Contrast (:1) | 1857 | 1402 -25% | 2157 16% | 1437 -23% | 30200 1526% | 1939 4% | 2453 32% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.1 | 0.9 57% | 1.2 43% | 2.1 -0% | 2.1 -0% | 2.62 -25% | 1.3 38% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5 | 2.2 56% | 3.63 27% | 4 20% | 6 -20% | 5.56 -11% | 2.9 42% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.2 | 2 37% | 1.4 56% | 3.3 -3% | 3.6 -13% | 3.61 -13% | 2 37% |
| Gamma | 2.19 100% | 2.19 100% | 2.2 100% | 2.22 99% | 2.12 104% | 2.33 94% | 2.18 101% |
| CCT | 7012 93% | 6810 95% | 6727 97% | 7127 91% | 6451 101% | 7223 90% | 6890 94% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.92 | 0.9 | 6.46 | ||||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 20% /
17% | 8% /
15% | 22% /
10% | 103% /
137% | 4% /
-3% | 9% /
13% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 10.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 55 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (19.6 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 54.1 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 25.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 28.5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.13 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 91 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (30.6 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 7572 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance
Testing Conditions
We performed our benchmarks in Best Performance mode.
Processor Performance
The Surface Laptop 13 is equipped with the new Snapdragon X2 Plus (X2P-42-100) that offers six CPU cores with a maximum clock of 4.0 GHz. It can consume up to 28 Watts and then levels off at ~22 Watts under sustained CPU workloads. Performance in native benchmarks is actually pretty good and overall, it is only 11 % slower than the X2P-64-100 in the larger Surface Laptop 13.8. Apple's M5 SoC is still superior, but the general performance is more than sufficient for everyday tasks and it does not drop on battery power, either.
Cinebench 2024: CPU Multi Core | CPU Single Core
Geekbench 6.7: Multi-Core | Single-Core
| CPU Native Performance rating | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 -2! | |
| Cinebench 2024 / CPU Multi Core | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (416 - 1471, n=52, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Cinebench 2024 / CPU Single Core | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (83 - 200, n=50, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Geekbench 6.7 / Multi-Core | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (5987 - 20325, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (12011 - 12070, n=2) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Geekbench 6.7 / Single-Core | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (3209 - 3269, n=2) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (1922 - 4195, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| CPU Eumlated Performance rating | |
| Average of class Subnotebook | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA -1! | |
| Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (5263 - 20022, n=56, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (975 - 2213, n=56, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (2072 - 7884, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (366 - 832, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (849 - 3291, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (184 - 322, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (178 - 633, n=53, last 2 years) | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (16455 - 66177, n=52, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (4088 - 6699, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (3.16 - 23.3, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (41.4 - 78.8, n=53, last 2 years) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (0.4024 - 0.861, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx | CPU CheckMate
| Performance rating | |
| Average of class Subnotebook | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 -1! | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA -1! | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 -1! | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 -1! | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 -1! | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (2069 - 28231, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (11041 - 114866, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (561 - 4973, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (44593 - 90515, n=37, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (692 - 14208, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (5978 - 57729, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (6815 - 96917, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (127.2 - 1217, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (953 - 15342, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (10193 - 85600, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU CheckMate | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (471 - 5939, n=16, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 (v8.20.8100) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA (v8.20.8100) | |
System and Storage Devices
System performance is good and the Surface Laptop 13 is a very responsive system. We did not experience any stability issues, either, but keep in mind that not all apps or accessories work on the ARM version of Windows, so you should definitely check the compatibility before you purchase an ARM laptop. The compact M.2-2242 SSD from Kioxia offers 512 GB storage and transfer rates are around 3-4 GB/s, which is okay.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 4: Overall
WebXPRT 5: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
| Performance rating | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 -1! | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (1061 - 2356, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 (n=1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (1022 - 2277, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 (n=1) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (1070 - 2743, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (1010 - 1873, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 (n=1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (167.3 - 378, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 (n=1) | |
| WebXPRT 5 / Overall | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (69 - 120, n=15, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 (n=1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 (n=1) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (234 - 709, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
* ... smaller is better
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (15233 - 131023, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (13982 - 127174, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (17404 - 135141, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 (n=1) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (6.1 - 317, n=51, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
* ... smaller is better
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU and Gaming Performance
The GPU performance of the Adreno X2-45 (max. clock 900 MHz) is about 20-40 % better than that of the old Surface Laptop 13, but there is still a noticeable gap compared to the Surface Laptop 13.8 with the faster X2-45 clocked at 1350 MHz. The overall performance is obviously sufficient for everyday tasks including high-resolution video playback, but gaming capabilities are very limited.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 5602 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4278 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1557 points | |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Score | 411 points | |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light Score | 1806 points | |
Help | ||
| Blender / v3.3 Classroom METAL | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (76.3 - 227, n=5, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
| Blender / v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
| Average Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 (693 - 910, n=2) | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (280 - 1117, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 | |
* ... smaller is better
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (8.37 - 54.5, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 | |
| Dell XPS 13 DX13260 | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA | |
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA V (2015) | 111.6 | 101.4 | 43.1 | 18 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 110.5 | 91.1 | 74.5 | 65.9 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 47.3 | 24.6 | 13.8 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 40.3 | 35 | 30.6 | |
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 111.4 | 42.3 | 33 | 26.9 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 21.2 | 17 | 15 | 14.6 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (2023) | 21.8 | 16.8 | 14.3 | 12.2 |
Emissions & Power Consumption
System Noise
While the Surface Laptop 13 has a fan, you will hardly ever hear it unless you really push the CPU for more than a few minutes. During everyday workloads (and even most of our benchmarks in Best Performance mode), we never heard the fan at all. The maximum fan noise we recorded was 29 dB(A) in our stress test and only 27 dB(A) while gaming. There were no other electronic noises.
Noise level
| Idle |
| 23.8 / 23.8 / 23.8 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 23.8 / 29.6 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.8 dB(A) | ||
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 SD X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Adreno X2-45 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 SD X2 Plus X2P-64-100, Adreno X2-45 | Dell XPS 13 DX13260 Core 5 320, Intel Graphics 2 Xe3 WCL | Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 M5 10-Core, M5 8-Core GPU | Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA SD X1-26-100, Adreno X1-45 1.7 TFLOPS | Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V Core Ultra 5 226V, Arc 130V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -15% | -11% | -14% | -26% | ||
| off / environment * (dB) | 23.8 | 25.1 -5% | 23.3 2% | 24.6 -3% | 24.9 -5% | |
| Idle Minimum * (dB) | 23.8 | 25.1 -5% | 23.3 2% | 24.6 -3% | 24.9 -5% | |
| Idle Average * (dB) | 23.8 | 25.1 -5% | 23.3 2% | 24.6 -3% | 24.9 -5% | |
| Idle Maximum * (dB) | 23.8 | 25.1 -5% | 23.3 2% | 24.6 -3% | 25 -5% | |
| Load Average * (dB) | 23.8 | 25.1 -5% | 27.7 -16% | 26.1 -10% | 35.4 -49% | |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (dB) | 27.6 | 37.4 -36% | 35.6 -29% | 32.5 -18% | 44.9 -63% | |
| Load Maximum * (dB) | 29.6 | 42.4 -43% | 40.7 -38% | 47.4 -60% | 44.9 -52% | |
| Witcher 3 ultra * (dB) | 35.2 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The surface temperatures will get noticeably warm under maximum load, but they are absolutely no problem in everyday scenarios. During the stress test, the SoC starts at 32 Watts, but quickly drops to 21 Watts and eventually levels off at just 17 Watts.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 39.9 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46.6 °C / 116 F, compared to the average of 39.2 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.2 °C / 74 F, compared to the device average of 30.8 °C / 87 F.
(±) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 34.5 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 30.8 °C / 87 F for the class Subnotebook.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 36.3 °C / 97.3 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.2 °C / 82.8 F (-8.1 °C / -14.5 F).
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 SD X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Adreno X2-45 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 SD X2 Plus X2P-64-100, Adreno X2-45 | Dell XPS 13 DX13260 Core 5 320, Intel Graphics 2 Xe3 WCL | Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 M5 10-Core, M5 8-Core GPU | Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA SD X1-26-100, Adreno X1-45 1.7 TFLOPS | Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V Core Ultra 5 226V, Arc 130V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -5% | 0% | -0% | -6% | -14% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * (°C) | 39.9 | 44.4 -11% | 39 2% | 44.1 -11% | 41.6 -4% | 39.4 1% |
| Maximum Bottom * (°C) | 46.6 | 42.5 9% | 38.2 18% | 42.4 9% | 43.8 6% | 39.1 16% |
| Idle Upper Side * (°C) | 23.5 | 25.9 -10% | 26 -11% | 23.7 -1% | 27 -15% | 32.3 -37% |
| Idle Bottom * (°C) | 24.2 | 26 -7% | 26.2 -8% | 23.8 2% | 27.1 -12% | 32.8 -36% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
The sound system is decent, but lacks a bit of punch and it is also not quite as good as on the larger Surface Laptop 13.8 or the MacBook Air 13.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 23% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 72% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 14% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 83% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 23%, worst was 136%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (12% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 15% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 81% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 10% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 88% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 23%, worst was 136%
Dell XPS 13 DX13260 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 7.9% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.6% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 10% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 86% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 7% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 91% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 23%, worst was 136%
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 10.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 14% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 83% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 9% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 89% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 23%, worst was 136%
Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 14% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 83% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 9% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 89% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 23%, worst was 136%
Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.4% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 69% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 57% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 35% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 23%, worst was 136%
Power Consumption and Battery Life
The Surface Laptop 13 is a very efficient device and the 50 Wh battery provides very long battery runtimes. We recorded almost 19 hours in our Wi-Fi test at 150 nits and still more than 10.5 hours at full brightness. Based on our power measurements, we recommend a 65 W power adapter.
| Off / Standby | 0.15 / 0.35 Watt |
| Idle | 2.1 / 6 / 6.6 Watt |
| Load |
14.7 / 54.8 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
Power Consumption Cyberpunk / Stress Test
Power Consumption external Monitor
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 SD X2 Plus X2P-42-100, Adreno X2-45, 50 Wh | Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 SD X2 Plus X2P-64-100, Adreno X2-45, 54 Wh | Dell XPS 13 DX13260 Core 5 320, Intel Graphics 2 Xe3 WCL, 52 Wh | Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 M5 10-Core, M5 8-Core GPU, 53.8 Wh | Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA SD X1-26-100, Adreno X1-45 1.7 TFLOPS, 50 Wh | Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V Core Ultra 5 226V, Arc 130V, 65 Wh | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 SD X Plus X1P-42-100, Adreno X1-45 1.7 TFLOPS, 50 Wh | Average of class Subnotebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -9% | -2% | -26% | 7% | -10% | -2% | -19% | |
| WiFi Websurfing (h) | 18.8 | 18.9 1% | 18.4 -2% | 16.2 -14% | 20.2 7% | 16.9 -10% | 16.7 -11% | 14.7 ? -22% |
| WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness (h) | 10.7 | 8.7 -19% | 6.7 -37% | 11.3 6% | 11.4 7% | 9 ? -16% |
Notebookcheck Rating
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026
- 10/28/2026 v8
Andreas Osthoff
Total Sustainability Score: Potential Competitors in Comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 86.3%  | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 2026 Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 ⎘ Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB UFS 4.x | Amazon: 1. $759.53 Microsoft Surface Laptop, 13... 2. $1,559.99 Microsoft Surface Pro (2026)... 3. $1,545.00 Microsoft Surface Laptop (20... List Price: 1439€ | 1.2 kg | 15.6 mm | 13.00" 1920x1280 178 PPI IPS |
2. 88.4%  | Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-64-100 ⎘ Qualcomm SD X2 Adreno X2-45 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | List Price: 1699€ | 1.3 kg | 17.5 mm | 13.80" 2304x1536 201 PPI IPS |
3. 85.7%  | Dell XPS 13 DX13260 Intel Core 5 320 ⎘ Intel Graphics 2 Xe3 Wildcat Lake iGPU ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | List Price: 700 USD | 1.1 kg | 12.7 mm | 13.40" 2560x1600 225 PPI IPS |
4. 91.6%  | Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 Apple M5 10-Core ⎘ Apple M5 8-Core GPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | List Price: 1199€ | 1.2 kg | 11.3 mm | 13.60" 2560x1664 225 PPI IPS |
5. 85.6%  | Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 ⎘ Qualcomm SD X Adreno X1-45 1.7 TFLOPS ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $669.00 ASUS Zenbook A14; Copilot+ P... 2. $1,244.00 ASUS Zenbook-14 OLED Touchsc... 3. $1,249.99 ASUS Zenbook 14 Touchscreen ... List Price: 999€ | 1.1 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" 1920x1200 162 PPI OLED |
6. 84.8%  | Lenovo ThinkBook 14x, ILL, Ultra 5 226V Intel Core Ultra 5 226V ⎘ Intel Arc Graphics 130V ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | List Price: 949€ | 1 kg | 15.6 mm | 14.00" 1920x1200 162 PPI IPS |
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
This is how Notebookcheck is testing
Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
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