Who is supposed to buy this? Microsoft's Surface Laptop 13 is worse and just as expensive as the Surface Laptop 13.8

The new Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 is basically the successor to the Surface Laptop Go 3. In addition to the slightly larger screen, the new model is better in almost every way, because the chassis quality is very good, and the performance is sufficient for everyday tasks. Still, you should not forget that this is the slowest Snapdragon X1 Plus version and the ARM platform can cause compatibility issues with older applications and games in particular.

The old Surface Laptop Go 3 was already pretty expensive and the new Surface Laptop 13 starts at 1099 Euros. This brings two problems, because the specs (16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 60 Hz screen, no USB 4) are pretty weak for the price. The much bigger issue, however, is that Microsoft's own Surface Laptop 13.8, which is also priced at 1099 Euros for the base spec, which offers a faster Snapdragon X1 Plus, USB 4 and a much better 120 Hz screen with P3 color gamut. Yes, the battery runtime is shorter, but we still don't know how Microsoft wants to sell the new Surface Laptop 13 at these prices. The Surface Laptop 13.8 was already on offer for less than 1000 Euros (even from Microsoft).

In addition to Microsoft's own alternatives, there is also the Apple MacBook Air 13 with the rapid M4 processor, which is also passively cooled. The chassis is also much slimmer, the screen is brighter, it covers the P3 gamut and is not as reflective. However, it is also a 60 Hz screen. The Surface Laptop 13 has a slightly more comfortable keyboard and longer battery runtimes, but the Air is simply the better overall package. Please see our review for more information on the new Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.