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Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 laptop review: New AMD processor and more endurance

A missed chance? Microsoft presents the 4th generation of the Surface laptop, again offering the larger 15-inch model also with a special AMD Ryzen processor besides the Intel CPUs. Otherwise nothing much has changed, and Microsoft continues to forgo modern connections such as Thunderbolt.

The new Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is again offered in two sizes: 13.5 inch and 15 inch, and both are now offered with either AMD or Intel processors. Today we test the larger 15-inch model with the AMD processor. Like in the Surface Laptop 3, it also uses a custom AMD chip, but now it is based on the Ryzen 4000 platform. Alternatively, there are also Intel Tiger Lake CPUs.

There are various configurations, some of which have unnecessary limitations. For example, those who need 32 GB of RAM must also choose a model with an Intel CPU. The available configurations of the Surface Laptop 4 15 are listed below:

CPU AMD Ryzen 7 4980U AMD Ryzen 7 4980U AMD Ryzen 7 4980U Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1185G7 Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1185G7
RAM 8 GB 8 GB 16 GB 16 GB 32 GB
SSD 256 GB 512 GB 512 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Price 1,449€ (~$1,751) 1,649€ (~$1,993) 1,849€ (~$2,234) 1,949€ (~$2,355) 2,699€ (~$3,261)

There is only one model that can be compared, and its AMD version costs 100 Euros (~$121) less. The entry-level models are exclusively available with an AMD CPU, but Microsoft is very stingy in terms of the RAM and SSD. It is also a bit surprising that Microsoft again uses the known case including the identical display, input devices, and speakers. So we will be brief in those categories and rather take a more detailed look at the new AMD processor, comparing it also with its Intel counterpart. For more information on the identical sections, we also recommend our reviews on the Surface Laptop 3:

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 (Surface Laptop 4 Series)
Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U 8 x 2 - 4.4 GHz, 44 W PL2 / Short Burst, 23 W PL1 / Sustained, Renoir-U (Zen 2)
Memory
16 GB 
, LPDDR4x-4266, quad-channel, soldered
Display
15.00 inch 3:2, 2496 x 1664 pixel 170 PPI, capacitive, native pen support, SHP14B4, IPS, LQ150P1JX51, glossy: yes, 60 Hz
Mainboard
AMD Promontory/Bixby FCH
Storage
SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI, 512 GB 
, 423 GB free
Soundcard
AMD Raven/Renoir/VanGogh/Cezanne - Audio Processor - HD Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm audio port, Brightness Sensor
Networking
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 14.7 x 339.5 x 244 ( = 0.58 x 13.37 x 9.61 in)
Battery
47.4 Wh Lithium-Polymer
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 65W PSU, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
1.562 kg ( = 55.1 oz / 3.44 pounds), Power Supply: 306 g ( = 10.79 oz / 0.67 pounds)
Price
1850 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Possible Competitors in Comparison

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
84.9 %
04/2021
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
R7 4980U, Vega 8
1.6 kg14.7 mm15.00"2496x1664
87.7 %
12/2020
SCHENKER Vision 15
i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs
1.7 kg15 mm15.60"1920x1080
86.8 %
05/2020
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
i5-10300H, UHD Graphics 630
1.8 kg18 mm15.60"1920x1200
84.9 %
03/2021
Tuxedo Pulse 15
R5 4600H, Vega 6
1.5 kg17 mm15.60"1920x1080
90.1 %
01/2021
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q
1.7 kg18.7 mm15.60"1920x1080

Case - Surface with a metal case

As mentioned above, Microsoft uses the same case as in the Surface Laptop 3 before. For a modern device, the bezels are comparatively large (11 mm, ~0.43 in on top and on the sides and 14 mm, ~0.55 in below), but the workmanship continues to be very good. There are no flawed transitions between the materials, and the base unit and the display lid are very robust.

While the smaller Surface Laptop 4 continues to be available with an Alcantara cover layer for the base unit, the larger 15-inch model is exclusively available in metal. In terms of the colors, you can choose between matte black and platinum. Our black model hides fingerprints fairly well, but dust becomes quickly noticeable.

Due to the 3:2 format of the panel, the Surface Laptop is slightly less wide but also deeper than the competitors. With its 1,562 grams (~3.44 lb), the Surface Laptop 4 is one of the lightest devices in our comparison. When you take it on the road, there is also an additional 300 grams (~0.66 lb) for the charger.

Size Comparison

361.8 mm / 14.2 inch 245.7 mm / 9.67 inch 18.7 mm / 0.736 inch 1.7 kg3.76 lbs356 mm / 14 inch 234 mm / 9.21 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 1.5 kg3.25 lbs355 mm / 14 inch 230 mm / 9.06 inch 15 mm / 0.591 inch 1.7 kg3.66 lbs344.72 mm / 13.6 inch 230.14 mm / 9.06 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 1.8 kg4.03 lbs339.5 mm / 13.4 inch 244 mm / 9.61 inch 14.7 mm / 0.579 inch 1.6 kg3.44 lbs339.5 mm / 13.4 inch 244 mm / 9.61 inch 14.7 mm / 0.579 inch 1.5 kg3.4 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connections - Microsoft continues to forgo Thunderbolt

The connection equipment continues to be a large weakness of the Surface Laptop. Although Microsoft includes a regular USB-A as well as a USB-C port (that can also be used for charging), those only support the old USB 3.2 Gen. 1 standard. Both the AMD and Intel versions continue to force you to make do without Thunderbolt or USB 4. Instead, the manufacturer insists on the Surface Connector, which sits on the right side and is simply impractical in real life. Although the plug is held in place by a magnet, the slanted base unit makes it almost impossible to connect the charger without having to lift up the laptop.

Right: Surface Connect
Right: Surface Connect
Left: USB-A (3.2 Gen.1), USB-C (3.2 Gen.1, DisplayPort alt. mode, Power Delivery), 3.5-mm audio
Left: USB-A (3.2 Gen.1), USB-C (3.2 Gen.1, DisplayPort alt. mode, Power Delivery), 3.5-mm audio

Communication

The Surface Laptop 4 now supports the fast 802.11ax standard (Wi-Fi 6), and the transfer rates in our standardized test using the Netgear RAX120 router also turn out to be decent. After the new Surface Pro 7 Plus is now finally also available with an LTE modem, we also had some hopes for the Surface Laptop, but there is no support for WWAN modules.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1434 (1394min - 1508max) MBit/s +17%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1413 (1263min - 1488max) MBit/s +15%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1346 (725min - 1495max) MBit/s +10%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1227 (976min - 1374max) MBit/s
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
  (447 - 1645, n=127)
1104 MBit/s -10%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (606 - 1339, n=3, last 2 years)
1056 MBit/s -14%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s
1049 (253min - 1334max) MBit/s -15%
iperf3 receive AX12
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1408 (1302min - 1571max) MBit/s +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1383 (1007min - 1505max) MBit/s +7%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1306 (653min - 1347max) MBit/s +1%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1297 (1079min - 1440max) MBit/s
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s
1281 (1079min - 1478max) MBit/s -1%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (623 - 1690, n=3, last 2 years)
1258 MBit/s -3%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
  (523 - 1684, n=128)
1191 MBit/s -8%
050100150200250300350400450500550600650700750800850900950100010501100115012001250130013501400Tooltip
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1297 (1079-1440)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1227 (976-1374)

Webcam

There is also some standstill in terms of the webcam, since there is only the same bad 720p camera as before. To be fair, we also need to mention that most other manufacturers also don't do a better job here, but Microsoft shows with the good front cameras of the Surface Pro that it is possible to do better. Of course the amount of space is more limited in a laptop lid, but more should have been possible considering the fairly large display bezels.

ColorChecker
7.4 ∆E
6 ∆E
9.4 ∆E
11.1 ∆E
7.2 ∆E
5.4 ∆E
7.9 ∆E
8.3 ∆E
7.3 ∆E
4.2 ∆E
6.3 ∆E
5 ∆E
5.2 ∆E
7.9 ∆E
6.2 ∆E
7.6 ∆E
4 ∆E
5.8 ∆E
4.5 ∆E
3.2 ∆E
3.4 ∆E
3.4 ∆E
3.2 ∆E
2.8 ∆E
ColorChecker Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028: 5.95 ∆E min: 2.77 - max: 11.06 ∆E

Security

Microsoft has equipped the laptop with a TPM 2.0 module, and login via Windows Hello is also supported. But otherwise, there are no additional security features such as a Kensington lock, smart card reader, or fingerprint sensor. Some real business laptops offer more here.

Maintenance

There continue to be hardly any maintenance options for the Surface Laptop 4. There are four screws that are located underneath the glued-on rubber feet, but removing those without causing any damage is not so easy. Regardless of this, inside the laptop you would only be able to replace the small M.2-2230 SSD that is also used in the Surface Pro 7 Plus, for example. However, Microsoft does not intend a replacement to be made by the user.

Warranty

Microsoft only offers a one-year warranty on the Surface Laptop 4. Of course there is still the two-year warranty required by law in Germany.

Input Devices - Surface with pen input

In terms of the input devices, nothing changed compared to the predecessor either. The illuminated chiclet keyboard offers a decent typing experience overall, but particularly the large keys (space, Enter) tend to produce some clattering. We really like the large ClickPad. Inputs are transferred cleanly, the pad is integrated perfectly, and the clicking sounds also reflect a high quality.

Optionally, the Surface Laptop also supports input via the Surface Pen (4,096 pressure levels) that is available separately (~110 Euros, ~$133).

Input devices
Input devices
Keyboard illumination
Keyboard illumination

Display - Surface with 3:2 Pixel Sense

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid
Slight screen bleeding
Slight screen bleeding

The display from Sharp remains unchanged. The 15-inch screen (2496x1664 pixels, 201 PPI) in the 3:2 format is a reflective capacitive touchscreen that subjectively produces a very good image quality. All the contents are displayed sharply and colors appear vibrant. It is also possible to adjust the brightness according to the environment light conditions via sensor.

There is also some standstill in terms of the brightness, and at barely 380 cd/m² on average here, we measure even slightly less than in the old model. On the other hand, the black value and contrast (>1500:1) are completely okay. While the panel doesn't have any glaring problems with light halos, we measure PWM flickering at a brightness of 50% and below. However, since the frequency is extremely high at more than 20 kHz, it shouldn't really cause any problems. Due to slow response times, there can be some visible ghosting effects particularly with a dark background.

413
cd/m²
410
cd/m²
399
cd/m²
374
cd/m²
405
cd/m²
339
cd/m²
375
cd/m²
372
cd/m²
326
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
SHP14B4 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 413 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 379.2 cd/m² Minimum: 5.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 79 %
Center on Battery: 401 cd/m²
Contrast: 1558:1 (Black: 0.26 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.6 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 0.9
ΔE Greyscale 1.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
97.7% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
62% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
67.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
65.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.11
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
SHP14B4, IPS, 2496x1664, 15.00
SCHENKER Vision 15
BOE08F5, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Sharp LQ156N1, IPS, 1920x1200, 15.60
Tuxedo Pulse 15
LQ156M1JW01, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
N156HCE-GN1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Sharp LQ150P1JX51, IPS, 2496x1664, 15.00
Display
2%
15%
4%
-7%
0%
Display P3 Coverage
65.2
69.3
6%
81.5
25%
69.2
6%
61
-6%
66.9
3%
sRGB Coverage
97.7
94
-4%
100
2%
99.4
2%
89.9
-8%
99.3
2%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
67.3
70.8
5%
79.6
18%
70.5
5%
62.2
-8%
63.7
-5%
Response Times
-14%
18%
-4%
30%
0%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
58.4 ?(28.4, 30)
60 ?(29.2, 30.8)
-3%
42 ?(20, 22)
28%
59.2 ?(30, 29.2)
-1%
33.6 ?(17.2, 16.4)
42%
47.2 ?(23.2, 24)
19%
Response Time Black / White *
31.2 ?(14, 17.2)
39 ?(19.2, 18.8)
-25%
28.8 ?(15.2, 13.6)
8%
39.2 ?(19.6, 19.6)
-26%
22.4 ?(12.8, 9.6)
28%
36.8 ?(20.4, 16.4)
-18%
PWM Frequency
21550 ?(50)
25000 ?(30)
16%
26040 ?(50)
21%
21370 ?(51)
-1%
Screen
-22%
-19%
-4%
-3%
-4%
Brightness middle
405
478
18%
592
46%
314
-22%
518
28%
416.9
3%
Brightness
379
462
22%
565
49%
292
-23%
513
35%
389
3%
Brightness Distribution
79
94
19%
85
8%
85
8%
88
11%
86
9%
Black Level *
0.26
0.27
-4%
0.46
-77%
0.19
27%
0.38
-46%
0.4
-54%
Contrast
1558
1770
14%
1287
-17%
1653
6%
1363
-13%
1042
-33%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
2.6
3.2
-23%
3.19
-23%
2.1
19%
2.1
19%
2.75
-6%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.6
8.4
-27%
5.45
17%
5.5
17%
4.5
32%
6.64
-1%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
0.9
2
-122%
2.03
-126%
0.9
-0%
1.3
-44%
0.71
21%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
1.9
4.5
-137%
3.9
-105%
3.4
-79%
2.7
-42%
1.8
5%
Gamma
2.11 104%
2.16 102%
2.25 98%
2.28 96%
2.35 94%
2.09 105%
CCT
6825 95%
6788 96%
6522 100%
6355 102%
7042 92%
6646 98%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
62
63.1
2%
71.6
15%
64.5
4%
57.7
-7%
63.4
2%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
97.7
93.6
-4%
100
2%
99.3
2%
90.4
-7%
99.4
2%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-11% / -16%
5% / -8%
-1% / -2%
7% / 2%
-1% / -3%

* ... smaller is better

To analyze the panel, we use the professional CalMAN software in combination with the X-Rite i1 Pro 2 spectral photometer. The calibration in the state of delivery shows no color tint, but several color deviations turn out higher than the important DeltaE 2000 target limit of 3 compared to the sRGB reference, so the colors are not reproduced accurately.

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Saturation
CalMAN Saturation
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN Saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN Saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN ColorChecker (calibrated)

We are able to remedy this situation with our calibration (the profile file is available above for free download). While the grayscale display improves minimally, the color deviations are now significantly smaller, and thanks to the almost complete coverage of the sRGB color space, image processing is now also possible.

vs. sRGB: 97.7%
vs. sRGB: 97.7%
vs. AdobeRGB: 62%
vs. AdobeRGB: 62%

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
31.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 14 ms rise
↘ 17.2 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 82 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
58.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 28.4 ms rise
↘ 30 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 94 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 21550 Hz ≤ 50 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 21550 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 50 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 21550 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The combination of a reflective display and average brightness creates some problems outdoors. Particularly in bright surroundings, there will soon be some strong reflections, even if there are no direct light sources such as direct sunlight. There can even be some problems indoors, for example if there is a window behind you. To remedy this, the maximum brightness would need to be higher. We have no complaint about the viewing-angle stability of the IPS panel.

Outdoors
Outdoors
Outdoors
Outdoors
Viewing-angle stability
Viewing-angle stability

Performance - AMD Ryzen Surface Edition

Microsoft offers the Surface Laptop 4 with either an Intel Tiger Lake CPU (i7-1185G7) or an AMD Ryzen processor (Ryzen 7 4980U), which is a model that was specifically designed for Microsoft. However, the largest differences to the regular Ryzen 7 4800U appear to be with the integrated graphics card.

Processor

The AMD Ryzen 7 4980U is basically a regular 4800U, which we were already able to test. However, the availability of this processor was extremely limited. The choice of the CPU appears to be a little surprising, since there are already laptops with the new Ryzen 5000 chips (but there might also be some availability issues there). So the Surface Laptop 4 already appears slightly aged at its introduction. 

On the other hand, the performance of the octa-core processor is still very good, and particularly in the multi-core tests, the Surface Laptop 4 is able to place at the top of the comparison field. However, we are a bit disappointed about the TDP limits that quickly level out at 23 watts (briefly at 44 watts). First, we would have expected a bit more margin in a 15-inch laptop without a dGPU, and then the configuration is identical to that of the smaller Surface Laptop 4 13.5-inch. This also means that at least we can compare the performances easily and also get a good idea how the alternative i7-1185G7 will perform in the Surface Laptop 4 15.

When you are able to use all cores, the AMD model is almost twice as fast as the i7-1185G7. While the i7 has an advantage of 20-25% in the single-core tests, the Ryzen 7 is not slow there either, and you will hardly notice the difference in everyday operation. Since the configurations with the AMD processor are also 100 Euros cheaper (~$127), this is the logical choice for buyers.

In battery operation, the CPU power is significantly reduced (~15 watts), which leads to a performance reduction of about 45%.

08517025534042551059568076585093510201105119012751360144515301615Tooltip
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 AMD Ryzen 7 4980U: Ø1412 (1358.14-1658.24)
SCHENKER Vision 15 Intel Core i7-1165G7: Ø968 (957.88-1027.12)
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H: Ø870 (827.87-893.75)
Tuxedo Pulse 15 AMD Ryzen 5 4600H: Ø1319 (1258.61-1403.76)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00 Intel Core i7-10750H: Ø1183 (1166.86-1256.76)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U AMD Ryzen 5 3580U: Ø662 (563.52-691.26)
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE AMD Ryzen 7 4800U: Ø1522 (1505.17-1639.01)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7 Intel Core i7-1185G7: Ø817 (747.26-967.7)
Cinebench R20: CPU (Single Core) | CPU (Multi Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Single 64Bit | CPU Multi 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Average of class Subnotebook
  (216 - 738, n=64, last 2 years)
602 Points +22%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
591 Points +20%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
539 Points +10%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
492 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
492 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
488 Points -1%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
474 Points -4%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
454 Points -8%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
446 Points -9%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
352 Points -28%
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Average of class Subnotebook
  (810 - 6314, n=64, last 2 years)
3825 Points +11%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
3453 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
3453 Points 0%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
3213 Points -7%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
3055 Points -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
2827 Points -18%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
2107 Points -39%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
1999 Points -42%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
1912 Points -45%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
1549 Points -55%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Subnotebook
  (91.8 - 280, n=62, last 2 years)
234 Points +29%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
228 Points +25%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
228 Points +25%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
205 Points +13%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
186 Points +2%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
182 Points 0%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
182 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
182 Points 0%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
175 Points -4%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
139 Points -24%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Subnotebook
  (514 - 2581, n=70, last 2 years)
1705 Points +3%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
1658 (1358.14min - 1658.24max) Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
1658 Points 0%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
1639 (1505.17min - 1639.01max) Points -1%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
1404 (1258.61min - 1403.76max) Points -15%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
1257 (1166.86min - 1256.76max) Points -24%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
1027 (957.88min - 1027.12max) Points -38%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
968 Points -42%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
889 (827.87min - 893.75max) Points -46%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
693 Points -58%
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
710 Seconds * -108%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
625 Seconds * -83%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
518 Seconds * -51%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
508 Seconds * -49%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (201 - 1600, n=66, last 2 years)
397 Seconds * -16%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
375 Seconds * -10%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
369 Seconds * -8%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
342 Seconds *
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
342 Seconds * -0%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
322 Seconds * +6%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
5341 MIPS +24%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (2197 - 6403, n=58, last 2 years)
5278 MIPS +22%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
5233 MIPS +21%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
5099 MIPS +18%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
4889 MIPS +13%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
4436 MIPS +3%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
4345 MIPS +1%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
4320 MIPS
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
4320 MIPS 0%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
3572 MIPS -17%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
44804 MIPS +6%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (16223 - 67444, n=57, last 2 years)
43017 MIPS +2%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
42368 MIPS
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
42368 MIPS 0%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
38873 MIPS -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
34433 MIPS -19%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
26819 MIPS -37%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
24388 MIPS -42%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
23422 MIPS -45%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
15209 MIPS -64%
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core
Average of class Subnotebook
  (672 - 2350, n=66, last 2 years)
1677 Points +48%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
1586 Points +40%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
1533 Points +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
1300 Points +15%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
1183 Points +4%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
1154 Points +2%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
1150 Points +2%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
1133 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
1133 Points 0%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
1123 Points -1%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
900 Points -21%
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core
Average of class Subnotebook
  (4213 - 12580, n=66, last 2 years)
8762 Points +22%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
7156 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
7156 Points 0%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
6950 Points -3%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
5798 Points -19%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
6574 Points -8%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
5878 Points -18%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
5785 Points -19%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
5650 Points -21%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
4399 Points -39%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
2990 Points -58%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Average of class Subnotebook
  (1.5 - 19.4, n=56, last 2 years)
11.5 fps +17%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
10.77 fps +10%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
9.98 fps +2%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
9.82 fps
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
9.82 fps 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
9.45 fps -4%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
7.58 fps -23%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
7.28 fps -26%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
5.97 fps -39%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
4.091 fps -58%
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
68 s *
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
68 s * -0%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
63.6 s * +6%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
58.4 s * +14%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
57.8 s * +15%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (40.1 - 120.5, n=57, last 2 years)
53.6 s * +21%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
51.9 s * +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
49 s * +28%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
45.8 s * +33%
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel Core i5-10300H
0.646 sec * -1%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
0.64 sec *
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
 
0.64 sec * -0%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
0.617 sec * +4%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
0.613 sec * +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Intel Core i7-10750H
0.597 sec * +7%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
0.583 sec * +9%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Core i7-1165G7
0.571 sec * +11%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (0.4397 - 1.236, n=57, last 2 years)
0.528 sec * +17%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
35106
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
11122
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5715
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
18.87 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
61.6 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
2.15 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
182 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
67.7 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1658 Points
Help

System Performance

Like in most modern laptops with fast PCIe SSD storage, the subjective impression of the performance is also very good for the Surface Laptop 4. In the synthetic PCMark benchmarks, our test unit also does an excellent job.

PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Subnotebook
  (4384 - 7428, n=56, last 2 years)
5810 Points +13%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, i7-10750H, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02
5225 Points +1%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
5158 Points 0%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
Vega 8, R7 4980U, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
5154 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
 
5154 Points 0%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Vega 6, R5 4600H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
4977 Points -3%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10300H, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
4329 Points -16%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
4056 Points -21%
Essentials
SCHENKER Vision 15
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
10522 Points +17%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (8890 - 11168, n=56, last 2 years)
10202 Points +14%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10300H, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
9874 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, i7-10750H, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02
9395 Points +5%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
Vega 8, R7 4980U, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
8961 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
 
8961 Points 0%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Vega 6, R5 4600H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
8898 Points -1%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
7861 Points -12%
Productivity
Average of class Subnotebook
  (6213 - 10279, n=56, last 2 years)
7803 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, i7-10750H, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02
7457 Points +3%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
Vega 8, R7 4980U, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
7263 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
 
7263 Points 0%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Vega 6, R5 4600H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
7254 Points 0%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10300H, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
6996 Points -4%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
6852 Points -6%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
6102 Points -16%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Subnotebook
  (4093 - 9749, n=56, last 2 years)
6758 Points +18%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
Vega 8, R7 4980U, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
5711 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
 
5711 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, i7-10750H, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02
5526 Points -3%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Vega 6, R5 4600H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
5185 Points -9%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
5165 Points -10%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
3778 Points -34%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10300H, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
3187 Points -44%
PCMark 10 Score
5154 points
Help

DPC Latencies

Our standardized DPC test shows no problems, so the Surface Laptop 4 is also suited for real-time audio processing.

LatencyMon overview
LatencyMon overview
LatencyMon drivers
LatencyMon drivers
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
SCHENKER Vision 15
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
7446 μs * -1020%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10300H, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
1521 μs * -129%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Vega 6, R5 4600H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
850 μs * -28%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
Vega 8, R7 4980U, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
665 μs *
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, i7-10750H, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02
635 μs * +5%

* ... smaller is better

Storage Solution

Microsoft uses a compact M.2-2230 SSD that is connected via PCIe. This SK Hynix model offers a storage capacity of 512 GB (423 GB available after the first startup) but only achieves average transfer rates. While the SSD will definitely not become a bottleneck in everyday operation, at this point there are already SSDs that are significantly faster, and PCIe 4.0 is also not supported yet.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
SCHENKER Vision 15
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
Average SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
 
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
236%
21%
101%
90%
-4%
20%
Write 4K
80.8
238.1
195%
93.3
15%
110.5
37%
159.5
97%
99
23%
111 ?(77.8 - 157.3, n=7)
37%
Read 4K
32.8
79.2
141%
45.9
40%
43.38
32%
53.1
62%
35.63
9%
42.6 ?(32.8 - 49.8, n=7)
30%
Write Seq
851
4139
386%
1211
42%
3041
257%
1723
102%
706
-17%
1037 ?(851 - 1117, n=7)
22%
Read Seq
1008
4133
310%
1633
62%
2414
139%
2164
115%
1044
4%
1100 ?(1008 - 1183, n=7)
9%
Write 4K Q32T1
308.1
697
126%
273.1
-11%
392
27%
469.2
52%
326.6
6%
410 ?(308 - 475, n=7)
33%
Read 4K Q32T1
340.8
758
122%
356
4%
490.9
44%
543
59%
270
-21%
444 ?(332 - 601, n=7)
30%
Write Seq Q32T1
1043
5187
397%
1198
15%
3329
219%
3055
193%
820
-21%
1072 ?(1043 - 1102, n=7)
3%
Read Seq Q32T1
2311
7117
208%
2269
-2%
3568
54%
3296
43%
2028
-12%
2269 ?(2154 - 2311, n=7)
-2%
AS SSD
183%
-170%
124%
55%
-48%
4%
Seq Read
1211
5427
348%
1423
18%
2425
100%
2553
111%
1122
-7%
1458 ?(1172 - 1975, n=7)
20%
Seq Write
734
3886
429%
766
4%
2539
246%
974
33%
514
-30%
900 ?(678 - 1064, n=7)
23%
4K Read
44.5
72.9
64%
42.21
-5%
55.6
25%
49.69
12%
34.98
-21%
49 ?(41.8 - 53.7, n=7)
10%
4K Write
115.7
219.3
90%
74.8
-35%
157.2
36%
139.5
21%
96.8
-16%
114.9 ?(90.1 - 123.2, n=7)
-1%
4K-64 Read
739
2209
199%
973
32%
1878
154%
1462
98%
492
-33%
776 ?(703 - 819, n=7)
5%
4K-64 Write
771
2265
194%
218.8
-72%
2512
226%
1474
91%
339.9
-56%
744 ?(689 - 810, n=7)
-4%
Access Time Read *
0.051
0.033
35%
0.125
-145%
0.034
33%
0.063
-24%
0.056
-10%
0.061 ?(0.04 - 0.09, n=6)
-20%
Access Time Write *
0.032
0.02
37%
0.552
-1625%
0.024
25%
0.031
3%
0.11
-244%
0.03329 ?(0.031 - 0.04, n=7)
-4%
Score Read
904
2825
213%
1157
28%
2176
141%
1767
95%
639
-29%
970 ?(904 - 1055, n=7)
7%
Score Write
960
2873
199%
370
-61%
2923
204%
1711
78%
488
-49%
949 ?(878 - 1034, n=7)
-1%
Score Total
2315
7069
205%
2094
-10%
6221
169%
4308
86%
1434
-38%
2401 ?(2290 - 2562, n=7)
4%
Copy ISO MB/s
2775
1151
2101
2094
828
864 ?(742 - 985, n=2)
Copy Program MB/s
662
499.4
437
657
200.5
309 ?(228 - 390, n=2)
Copy Game MB/s
1655
733
1027
1447
387.4
499 ?(443 - 556, n=2)
Total Average (Program / Settings)
210% / 205%
-75% / -90%
113% / 114%
73% / 70%
-26% / -30%
12% / 11%

* ... smaller is better

SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2311 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1043 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 340.8 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 308.1 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1008 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 851 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 32.8 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 80.8 MB/s

Constant Performance Reads: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

Graphics Card

GPU-Z Radeon RX Vega 8
GPU-Z Radeon RX Vega 8

In terms of its pure performance, the Radeon RX Vega 8 of our test unit is comparable with the regular RX Vega 8, but there seem to be some optimizations in the built-in video decoder. When reproducing 4K videos, the GPU load of the Vega 8 is usually not higher than 60% (Intel Xe Graphics G7 ~32%), but in our test unit with the custom AMD chip it is lower than 10%, which should also benefit the battery life during video reproduction. 

The Xe Graphics G7 of the alternative i7 processor is significantly faster in the benchmarks, but the Surface Laptop 4 is not a gaming laptop, whether it uses the AMD or the Intel GPU. When gaming, you are either limited to older games or to low or medium detail settings. On the other hand, the GPU performance remains relatively constant. Although it barely fails the Fire Strike stress test, a difference of about 5% is hardly noticeable during gaming. The performance of the iGPU is not reduced in battery operation.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, Intel Core i7-10750H
12275 Points +96%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (2979 - 16904, n=55, last 2 years)
8016 Points +28%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1165G7
6971 Points +11%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1185G7
6878 Points +10%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
6275 Points
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
6085 Points -3%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (3459 - 7591, n=53)
5920 Points -6%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
4525 Points -28%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
4380 Points -30%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel UHD Graphics 630, Intel Core i5-10300H
1744 Points -72%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1185G7
29609 Points +11%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (13768 - 65911, n=40, last 2 years)
29002 Points +9%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
27160 Points +2%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (13941 - 36134, n=45)
26945 Points +1%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
26642 Points
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
19255 Points -28%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel UHD Graphics 630, Intel Core i5-10300H
9873 Points -63%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, Intel Core i7-10750H
9105 Points +136%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (2837 - 12349, n=59, last 2 years)
5881 Points +52%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1165G7
5759 Points +49%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1185G7
5455 Points +41%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
3938 Points +2%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
3860 Points
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (1694 - 5041, n=53)
3677 Points -5%
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
3093 Points -20%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
2789 Points -28%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel UHD Graphics 630, Intel Core i5-10300H
1189 Points -69%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, Intel Core i7-10750H
3332 Points +194%
Average of class Subnotebook
  (811 - 4773, n=58, last 2 years)
1981 Points +75%
SCHENKER Vision 15
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1165G7
1611 Points +42%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13 i7
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, Intel Core i7-1185G7
1607 Points +42%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
1173 Points +3%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (540 - 1557, n=53)
1156 Points +2%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 7 4980U
1135 Points
Tuxedo Pulse 15
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
897 Points -21%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
872 Points -23%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
Intel UHD Graphics 630, Intel Core i5-10300H
382 Points -66%
3DMark 11 Performance
6440 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
19575 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
3442 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
1291 points
Help
low med. high ultra
The Witcher 3 (2015) 70.6 44.4 18.4 13.6
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 91 75.3 50.5 47.6
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 40.4 32.3 27.3
Far Cry 5 (2018) 42 19
F1 2020 (2020) 83 40 31 21

Emissions - The Surface Laptop often remains silent

Noise Emissions

The fan control adjustment is extremely defensive, causing the device to remain completely quiet in many usage scenarios. Even under full load, it takes more than 60 seconds before the fan turns on. After that, the fan speed increases gradually until it reaches a maximum noise level of 40 dB(A) a little later during the stress test as well as while gaming. The whirring is then clearly noticeable, but its frequency is neither too high nor is it annoying in any way. We were also unable to notice any other electronic noises. 

Noise Level

Idle
24.2 / 24.2 / 24.2 dB(A)
Load
39.9 / 39.9 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 24.2 dB(A)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
Vega 8, R7 4980U, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI
SCHENKER Vision 15
Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
UHD Graphics 630, i5-10300H, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
Tuxedo Pulse 15
Vega 6, R5 4600H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, i7-10750H, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
Noise
-15%
-7%
-1%
-15%
-6%
off / environment *
24.2
29.8
-23%
28
-16%
24.4
-1%
29.5
-22%
28
-16%
Idle Minimum *
24.2
29.8
-23%
28
-16%
24.4
-1%
29.5
-22%
28
-16%
Idle Average *
24.2
29.8
-23%
28
-16%
24.4
-1%
29.5
-22%
28
-16%
Idle Maximum *
24.2
31.1
-29%
28
-16%
28.6
-18%
29.9
-24%
28
-16%
Load Average *
39.9
40.5
-2%
28
30%
32.3
19%
44.2
-11%
29.2
27%
Witcher 3 ultra *
39.9
40.5
-2%
40.1
-1%
36.1
10%
39
2%
Load Maximum *
39.9
40.5
-2%
41.9
-5%
42.3
-6%
44.2
-11%
41.4
-4%

* ... smaller is better

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2026.927.432.22524.823.830.6313132.137.54026.329.829.5502526.726.96321.921.126.38019.921.522.510021.724.724.812522.520.823.7160201920.720021.219.522.425020.417.623.231523.717.124.440031.213.630.35002814.327.563025.712.125.880023.511.524100025.410.824.8125025.510.824.8160028.510.528200027.510.528.2250029.910.928.5315030.611.430.9400029.911.729.550002911.928.7630026.912.127.4800023.112.223.61000018.112.118.31250016.91217.31600012.911.313.4SPL39.924.239.7N3.30.63.2median 25.4median 12.1median 24.8Delta43.13hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseMicrosoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028

Temperature

Under low load, the case remains comfortably cool, but with high load levels, the surfaces become quite warm. While a maximum of ~45 °C (113 °F) on the bottom and ~42 °C (108 °F) on top is not critical by any means, in contrast to plastic cases, the metal surfaces can then subjectively feel quite uncomfortable to the touch. You should therefore avoid placing the device on your lap under high loads. 

In the stress test, the power consumption quickly levels out at 20 watts, which the CPU and iGPU have to share. The eight processor cores then still run at a clock speed of ~2.2 GHz and the iGPU at ~640 MHz. Right after the stress test, the performance is not impacted.

CPU and GPU data in the stress test
CPU and GPU data in the stress test
Max. Load
 41.8 °C
107 F
41.5 °C
107 F
40.2 °C
104 F
 
 39.9 °C
104 F
40.2 °C
104 F
38.2 °C
101 F
 
 33.5 °C
92 F
29.9 °C
86 F
32 °C
90 F
 
Maximum: 41.8 °C = 107 F
Average: 37.5 °C = 100 F
42.7 °C
109 F
44.8 °C
113 F
43.9 °C
111 F
40.7 °C
105 F
43 °C
109 F
42.8 °C
109 F
33.6 °C
92 F
34.7 °C
94 F
34.2 °C
94 F
Maximum: 44.8 °C = 113 F
Average: 40 °C = 104 F
Power Supply (max.)  38.2 °C = 101 F | Room Temperature 19.9 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37.5 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 30.7 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.8 °C / 107 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 44.8 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 22.6 °C / 73 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 37.7 °C / 100 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34.4 °C / 93.9 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-6.1 °C / -11 F).
Surface temperatures in the stress test (top)
Surface temperatures in the stress test (top)
Surface temperatures in the stress test (bottom)
Surface temperatures in the stress test (bottom)

Speaker

Since there are no specific speaker grills, the sound from the speakers continues to be output via the keyboard. While there are devices with louder modules, the quality is very good overall. So external speakers are not necessarily needed. However, at higher sound volumes, the palm rest resonates noticeably. 

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2027.431.72523.824.63132.135.44029.829.95026.729.76321.129.78021.533.510024.741.512520.841.7160194820019.554.525017.658.131517.16040013.664.250014.364.363012.16780011.562.4100010.863.2125010.867.5160010.568.6200010.568.3250010.964.8315011.467400011.769.2500011.968.3630012.165.6800012.2631000012.162.8125001265.31600011.357.2SPL24.278.7N0.645median 12.1median 64.2Delta3.1638.439.338.43737.53735.333.335.333.431.633.434.532.534.542.63142.644.93044.955.928.755.963.827.463.86726.46768.925.668.972.425.972.470.725.270.769.923.869.970.322.670.370.82270.875.121.375.174.820.774.876.320.976.375.420.675.466.620.766.666.720.966.764.620.964.672.821.272.871.521.371.571.321.571.369.421.669.468.421.568.466.721.466.768.821.468.884.233.684.265.4265.4median 69.9median 21.5median 69.931.1331.430.32929.729.933.428.629.731.632.527.9322527.728.229.923.330.223.146.5235620.358.719.959.121.462.519.464.22063.819.26818.26916.467.316.367.416.871.216.271.616.168.316.564.816.963.817.464.817.661.717.856.91849.518.24229.879.51.345median 18.2median 63.82.28.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMicrosoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5SCHENKER Vision 15
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (12.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 11% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 85% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, 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 25%, worst was 134%

Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 4.6% away from median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (7.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 94% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 1% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 99% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

SCHENKER Vision 15 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 58% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 34% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 43% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 50% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Power Management - A more efficient Radeon iGPU

Power Consumption

The power consumption has remained at about the same level overall. In the stress test, the consumption reaches a maximum of 64.9 watts, but this quickly levels out at ~36 watts. The included 65-Watt charger is therefore completely sufficient. The charger also offers an additional USB-A connection, allowing you to charge another device (max. 5 watts).

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.28 / 0.54 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3.6 / 6.5 / 8.9 Watt
Load midlight 46.5 / 64.9 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
R7 4980U, Vega 8, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI, IPS, 2496x1664, 15.00
SCHENKER Vision 15
i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
i5-10300H, UHD Graphics 630, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe, IPS, 1920x1200, 15.60
Tuxedo Pulse 15
R5 4600H, Vega 6, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
R5 3580U, Vega 9, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG, IPS, 2496x1664, 15.00
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
 
Average of class Subnotebook
 
Power Consumption
2%
-5%
-16%
-71%
6%
-12%
-17%
Idle Minimum *
3.6
3.5
3%
2.9
19%
5
-39%
5
-39%
3.3
8%
5.25 ?(3 - 12.5, n=45)
-46%
4.9 ?(1.77 - 11.8, n=63, last 2 years)
-36%
Idle Average *
6.5
6.3
3%
7.6
-17%
7.7
-18%
9
-38%
7.1
-9%
7.82 ?(4.1 - 12.8, n=45)
-20%
8.4 ?(4.6 - 17.4, n=63, last 2 years)
-29%
Idle Maximum *
8.9
6.8
24%
8
10%
8.7
2%
12.2
-37%
7.2
19%
9.25 ?(4.6 - 15.7, n=45)
-4%
10.4 ?(5.1 - 22.4, n=63, last 2 years)
-17%
Load Average *
46.5
43.2
7%
41.7
10%
42.4
9%
94.4
-103%
44.8
4%
45.3 ?(29.4 - 98.9, n=45)
3%
46.1 ?(19.1 - 83.3, n=62, last 2 years)
1%
Witcher 3 ultra *
43.4
52
-20%
44
-1%
89
-105%
45.1
-4%
Load Maximum *
64.9
67.7
-4%
94.8
-46%
97.2
-50%
133.9
-106%
53
18%
60.1 ?(37.2 - 101.8, n=45)
7%
66.2 ?(24.2 - 121.2, n=63, last 2 years)
-2%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The Surface Laptop 4 has the smallest battery by far, since as in the smaller 13-inch model, Microsoft also uses a 47-Wh model here. However, despite the large display, the battery life is not bad, and we also definitely see an improvement compared to the older model. It lasts for almost 10.5 hours in our WLAN test at 150 cd/m² and still more than 7 hours at the maximum brightness. The result in the video test, which turns out excellent at almost 15 hours, is interesting. The improved efficiency of the iGPU should play a larger role here.

Interestingly, Microsoft also specifies a longer battery life for the AMD versions of the Surface Laptop 4. We can confirm this by comparing it with the smaller Surface Laptop 4 with the Intel Tiger Lake processor: Despite having the same battery capacity and smaller display, its battery life turns out slightly lower in the WLAN test.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 90)
10h 24min
WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness (Edge 90)
7h 10min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
14h 50min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 27min
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028
R7 4980U, Vega 8, 47.4 Wh
SCHENKER Vision 15
i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 73 Wh
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5
i5-10300H, UHD Graphics 630, 56 Wh
Tuxedo Pulse 15
R5 4600H, Vega 6, 91 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen3-20TLS0UV00
i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, 80 Wh
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
R5 3580U, Vega 9, 45 Wh
Average of class Subnotebook
 
Battery Runtime
8%
-24%
7%
-17%
-22%
-11%
H.264
890
1122
26%
731
-18%
778 ?(426 - 1153, n=30, last 2 years)
-13%
WiFi v1.3
624
912
46%
556
-11%
823
32%
693
11%
546
-12%
623 ?(303 - 1144, n=64, last 2 years)
0%
Load
147
78
-47%
93
-37%
120
-18%
83
-44%
102
-31%
115.4 ?(61 - 197, n=47, last 2 years)
-21%
Reader / Idle
1581
1121
1197 ?(581 - 2550, n=10, last 2 years)

Pros

+ very high system performance
+ extremely high multi-core performance
+ good 3:2 display
+ robust and light case
+ accurate colors, full sRGB coverage
+ often silent in everyday operation
+ improved battery life
+ good speakers

Cons

- aging and few connections, no LTE
- impractical Surface-Connect port
- bad webcam
- only one-year warranty
- high price
- slow response times
- hardly any maintenance options

Verdict - The Surface Laptop 4 looks a little outdated

Testing the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15. Review unit provided by Microsoft Germany.
Testing the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15. Review unit provided by Microsoft Germany.

The fourth generation of the Surface Laptop is really only a CPU upgrade with Intel Tiger Lake chips and the special AMD Ryzen processor. The latter is still based on the older 4000 series and already appears slightly outdated at the laptop's introduction. While the performance largely corresponds to the regular Ryzen 7 4800U mobile processor, there are apparently some optimizations in the integrated video decoder, which also has a positive effect on the battery life. We are a bit disappointed about the fact that the larger 15-inch model offers no performance advantage over the smaller 13.5-inch Surface Laptop, since the TDP configuration is the same. The battery life is also identical, so the additional space in the case is completely wasted.

In terms of the choice between AMD and Intel, we recommend the more affordable AMD configuration. The multi-core performance is significantly higher and it also offers the better battery life. Even though the Intel i7 offers a higher single-core performance and also more graphics performance, this is still an iGPU, causing the gaming performance to be limited. Due to the lack of a Thunderbolt port, you cannot connect an external GPU.

The only additional upgrade is the faster Wi-Fi 6 module, but otherwise the Surface Laptop 4 limps significantly behind the competitors. Microsoft remains faithful to the impractical Surface Connect port and continues to shun faster connections such as Thunderbolt or USB 4. There is not even an option for a WWAN module. The 3:2 display is good overall, but its reflective surface limits its use in bright surroundings. A brighter panel would definitely help here. The old 720p webcam is also hardly able to convince.

A new processor, but otherwise mostly stagnation: In many areas, the Surface Laptop 4 remains behind the competitors. For the high purchase price, we expect state-of-the-art technology in 2021.

By itself, the Surface Laptop 4 15 is basically not a bad device, but for the high purchase price we also expect current technology. Microsoft takes the easy way out with the fourth generation and continues to use the old case with the known limitations (few connections, a bad webcam, large display bezels). In addition, the space of the larger case is not used optimally, and there is no additional performance compared to the smaller 13.5-inch model. The competitors in this price and size range usually offer dedicated graphics cards with significantly more GPU performance. 

Price and Availability

The test configuration of the Surface Laptop 4 with 16 GB of RAM, a 512-GB SSD, and AMD CPU is available for 1,849 Euros at Cyberport in Germany. The Microsoft Store in the US lists it for ~$1,350, but it is currently not available, while the corresponding model with the Intel Tiger Lake processor costs ~$1,620.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 - 04/27/2021 v7
Andreas Osthoff

Chassis
80 / 98 → 82%
Keyboard
80%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
47 / 75 → 62%
Weight
68 / 20-75 → 88%
Battery
89%
Display
86%
Games Performance
68 / 78 → 87%
Application Performance
86 / 85 → 100%
Temperature
88%
Noise
93%
Audio
84 / 91 → 92%
Camera
35 / 85 → 41%
Average
76%
85%
Subnotebook - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 laptop review: New AMD processor and more endurance
Andreas Osthoff, 2021-04-27 (Update: 2021-04-28)