Appreciate the honesty. It frustrates me when some reviewers say it's worth the money because of the build quality. That alone should not make something so expensive. For instance, when laptops like the Acer Swift 3 could be purchased for 399 at Walmart or the lenovo yoga series that is also great bang for buck.
@@williamcopeland2617 I guess my mindset is if two items can do basically the same thing and one costs a lot more then pick the one that is cheaper. What is frustrating is when reviewers are dishonest and say that this product is worth paying 2 to even 3x more just because it objectively has slightly better build quality. I believe they like Andrew here should say other options could be better at a lower price.
Great video. I currently use a surface pro and was looking to upgrade to the surface laptop 5 - 15".I love the build quality of the surface. I have been considering the XPS 15 as well and recently found the Lenovo Slim pro 9i -14", but cant decide. I do typical office work but also do graphic design and photo editing. I have read the XPS has heat issues and the Lenovo has really poor battery life with all those high specs. Which of these three would you pick for every day use. (I will say I travel less now and typically dock my laptop in the office so I use a keyboard, mouse and monitor, while still working from home occasionally). Thanks
I am typing this on my original Surface Laptop, which I was going to replace with the Laptop 5. However, when I saw what Microsoft did, or rather didn't do, that decision quickly went out the window. Why? Bezelgate and warmed over specs that make it barely and upgrade from the SL4. Plus, when Best Buy has the 13" Ryzen SL4 w/16gb of RAM on sale right now for just $899, why would anyone bother spending more. I suspect that Microsoft has a bigger design revision in mind for the Surface Laptop 6, but at a minimum they should have significantly reduced the bezels for the SL5. I may just hold off another year or just pick up at Surface Pro 8 in a Black Friday sale.
" I suspect that Microsoft has a bigger design revision in mind for the Surface Laptop 6" this is what i thought when they came out with the surface laptop 4 lol
I just got one of these yesterday. Sounds like madness in March 2024? Well firstly performance is relative; In the real world you struggle to notice any difference between laptops at the $1k price point, regardless of Geekbench scores. Time was a factor - I needed it now. In addition, my decision was mainly driven by build quality. The MacBook Air is significantly better - but I need Windows to run scientific software. The Google Book4 Pro is beautiful and higher performing but it's also much more expensive. All the others (HP, Dell etc) are big and clunky and much cheaper feeling.
I purchased three SL5 and they were all incompatible with Surface Slim pen 2 and Surface pen (and a third party pen). When I kept using the pens, touch screen stopped working randomly. I confirmed these pens work perfectly fine on my Surface Pro3 without any issue so I think it's the issue of entire SL5 lines. I reported this issue to MS customer team, but they were saying only three SL5 units that I've tested could have hardware failure issue, not the entire SL5 lines, and closed the case. I think this is ridiculous that they were saying only three units that I've tested have hardware failure because such probablity is extremetly low and it's more likely that it's the issue of entire SL5 lines. I'd greatly appreciate if you could test on your SL5 with your Surface Slim pen 2 (or any Surface pen) to see if touch screen stops working randomly (you have to keep using it repeatedly) and publish the video so that more people get to know about the issue and MS can start investigating it more properly.
Thunderbolt 4 is the biggest upgrade really. eGPU amongst other expandability. I think the 15inch should have had a better chip and a dedicated gpu. Battery is fine for the extra performance BUT it would have been really great to have options. )AMD with higher battery, but not as powerful as the Intel Chip. Two choices.
I have an ancient surface book 2 that needs upgrading. It will not even run Win 11. This 5 version is certainly an option but it feels a bit old so resale value is a consideration. I'll check out the 15inch version.
I agree that Microsoft seems lazy on this one. Makes me wonder if they have a surface laptop pro in the works. Any idea if Microsoft is making a pro version?
Video: visibly poor resolution, but good colors. Perhaps better colors than the SP9 5G? Mic sounded ok. Surprisingly much better battery life than the SP 9 (intel), which has more or less the same battery capacity. Why ca. 1.5 h longer battery life on the SL? (i) lower resolution? (ii) lower refresh rate? (iii) slower CPU processor? (1235U vs. 1255U ?). Next year, they should: * Shrink bezel width and have 14-14.5" screen * Less glossy screen * improve video camera * add some ports (one more USB C, SD card) * 180 degree screen hinge (flat) to ease writing with a pen * add a charging compartment for the pen (a la SP9)
Im looking to get a new laptop, i currently have a 2017 MacBook Air. Is this a substantial upgrade? I'll primarily be using it for work and multitasking
My Surface Laptop 3 15” just spontaneously cracked across the screen glass like many others. Microsoft says the notebook is out of warranty and wants AUD$844+ for a refurbed screen replacement. Interestingly someone else posted a photo of their cracked screen on the web and it looks absolutely identical to mine. The cause is unlikely be minute debris as microsoft stipulated rather it is more probable to be a design fault which also seems to also affect the Laptop 4.
Are they trying to soften the blow for when/if they decide to do hardware refresh every two years instead of once a year? I think nobody should ever need to upgrade their laptop every year.
Surface was created to pull OEMs out of the days of chunky plastic laptops. Now that it's job is done, in must lag behind the OEMs to serve as an average/minimal bar of quality.
Okay laptop. Camera was fair and mics sounded good. I agree with you that this is not really an upgrade. It is more of a "sidegrade". Why Microsoft went with a proprietary ssd which has similar speeds as the standard ssd 3 is somewhat disappointing. To have to take this to a certified Microsoft Tech to do the upgrade of the SSD is kind of silly. The other unknown mystery is how much premium does one pay to do an ssd upgrade. This exact PC if manufactured by another manufacturer would probably sell for several hundred dollars less. One is paying a premium for the name Microsoft on it. Great review as always.
So if your current laptop is 10 years old and you have 1700 to spend on a laptop for work(data analytics) what would your advice be and why this is open to anyone that wants to leave feedback.
Same, to be honest i don't mind waiting until next year. Unless a more interesting competitor shows up, and yes ive looked at all the alternatives and no thanks.
Hello Mr. Andrew, I really appreciated and enjoyed watching your videos (Thank you a lot!). You left links in bio and I am wondering if I trust this site or not. Because I recently have visited Samsung office in order to buy Galaxy book 2 pro 360 and it is not a cheap laptop. On the website you talked it is $999 seems strange to me honestly. Atm I am in Korea. I truly appreciate your response!
@@andrewmarcdavid thank you! Truth to be told I liked the way of you doing comparison, with numbers and data 👌 it is just an another level for people like me
I would pass on this. Like Andrew says, there are much better options out there and I conquer! The lack of ports, very soft quality 720p webcam in 2022, smaller battery and Microsoft usually overprices its products because they feel they can are all reasons for anyone to look elsewhere. Your videos are always Brilliant Andrew, this one being no exception!! Thank you!!! 👏😁
How about a review of the Asus pro 15 flip. I think it is the best convertible right now die to a very good CPU, dedicated GPU, full IO including HDMI and a really nice screen, especially for the price. I have seen it for 1500€
I have the surface laptop 2 and was ready to upgrade so I waited for this to release but after seeing it I'm not buying it. I rather try the m2 MacBook air. What a fail
I hope Microsoft and Google make a serious competitor to the MacBook: - all in one SOC (arm processor) - way better speakers - way better battery and idle time - better screen - all aluminium build - and some basic gaming MacBooks are just so much better for a work laptop atm
Man I've trying to buy a MS laptop since the laptop 2 but they keep fucking it up by either leaving out some cruical spec. At this point that display bezels are horrendous and outdated.
Same mistake, year by year, generation by generation..... IO lacks of minimum respect!!! Thumbs down, Microsoft! If i plug the DC and a USB mouse... it leaves with just one USB-C TB port.... what a shame... in an era of multi-connection...don't tell me all devices on Earth are wireless and BT... because I dont believe you. You must put yourselves in the perspective of a user that wants all connectivity possibilities, a variety of ports (including HDMI, yes, it is still needed these days, and some 2 USB A's 3.2 2Gen). It's a pity you neglect it despite all high-level specs of the internal HW.
disappointing laptop.... no high refresh rate, same old bezels, bad camera, almost the same performance. basic overpriced laptop if you want performance. eh, skippable.
**DEAL ALERT** Save up to $300 on the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5 this June at Best Buy: howl.me/cjUKFFcU96Z
I like the way you review. You compare the update to last year and show the all differences between. It's a great job
I'm still rocking my matte black Surface Laptop 3. No excuse for lack of I/O upgrades and at least a 1080p webcam two years later!
Appreciate the honesty. It frustrates me when some reviewers say it's worth the money because of the build quality. That alone should not make something so expensive. For instance, when laptops like the Acer Swift 3 could be purchased for 399 at Walmart or the lenovo yoga series that is also great bang for buck.
It's worth whatever it is you are willing to pay.
@@williamcopeland2617 I guess my mindset is if two items can do basically the same thing and one costs a lot more then pick the one that is cheaper. What is frustrating is when reviewers are dishonest and say that this product is worth paying 2 to even 3x more just because it objectively has slightly better build quality. I believe they like Andrew here should say other options could be better at a lower price.
only recently discovered your channel. love your vibe man keep it up
Great video. I currently use a surface pro and was looking to upgrade to the surface laptop 5 - 15".I love the build quality of the surface. I have been considering the XPS 15 as well and recently found the Lenovo Slim pro 9i -14", but cant decide. I do typical office work but also do graphic design and photo editing. I have read the XPS has heat issues and the Lenovo has really poor battery life with all those high specs. Which of these three would you pick for every day use. (I will say I travel less now and typically dock my laptop in the office so I use a keyboard, mouse and monitor, while still working from home occasionally). Thanks
Great video.
Just got one for under £350 with 2year warranty.
For that I think it is a real bargain. 👍🏾
MS did a lazy job with the Surface Laptop this year. Hope they pull up in 2023
They wont.
I wanted to buy it but I can not accept these big bezels…
I don't want to seem like a shill for Best Buy but I am amazed at how good the pricing can be during the holidays.
Yeah some really good deals
I am typing this on my original Surface Laptop, which I was going to replace with the Laptop 5. However, when I saw what Microsoft did, or rather didn't do, that decision quickly went out the window. Why? Bezelgate and warmed over specs that make it barely and upgrade from the SL4. Plus, when Best Buy has the 13" Ryzen SL4 w/16gb of RAM on sale right now for just $899, why would anyone bother spending more. I suspect that Microsoft has a bigger design revision in mind for the Surface Laptop 6, but at a minimum they should have significantly reduced the bezels for the SL5. I may just hold off another year or just pick up at Surface Pro 8 in a Black Friday sale.
" I suspect that Microsoft has a bigger design revision in mind for the Surface Laptop 6" this is what i thought when they came out with the surface laptop 4 lol
@@naturalearthgems We can live in hope. Lol.
I just got one of these yesterday. Sounds like madness in March 2024? Well firstly performance is relative; In the real world you struggle to notice any difference between laptops at the $1k price point, regardless of Geekbench scores. Time was a factor - I needed it now. In addition, my decision was mainly driven by build quality. The MacBook Air is significantly better - but I need Windows to run scientific software. The Google Book4 Pro is beautiful and higher performing but it's also much more expensive. All the others (HP, Dell etc) are big and clunky and much cheaper feeling.
Crap books are garbage. Class action lawsuits filed for cracked screen, green screen, connectivity issues, thermal throttling, keyboard iusses, etc.
I purchased three SL5 and they were all incompatible with Surface Slim pen 2 and Surface pen (and a third party pen). When I kept using the pens, touch screen stopped working randomly. I confirmed these pens work perfectly fine on my Surface Pro3 without any issue so I think it's the issue of entire SL5 lines. I reported this issue to MS customer team, but they were saying only three SL5 units that I've tested could have hardware failure issue, not the entire SL5 lines, and closed the case. I think this is ridiculous that they were saying only three units that I've tested have hardware failure because such probablity is extremetly low and it's more likely that it's the issue of entire SL5 lines. I'd greatly appreciate if you could test on your SL5 with your Surface Slim pen 2 (or any Surface pen) to see if touch screen stops working randomly (you have to keep using it repeatedly) and publish the video so that more people get to know about the issue and MS can start investigating it more properly.
Are there any good solid budget laptop options that you recommend?
love the honesty!
Thanks Steve!
Thunderbolt 4 is the biggest upgrade really. eGPU amongst other expandability. I think the 15inch should have had a better chip and a dedicated gpu. Battery is fine for the extra performance BUT it would have been really great to have options. )AMD with higher battery, but not as powerful as the Intel Chip. Two choices.
or just increased battery size in the laptop 5.
The 15 inch is literally the 13 laptop inside a bigger chassis. They couldn't even be bothered to up the specs.
In my opinion, one key word "HOT" it under the genre of for continental laptop , keyboard hot, touch screen hot ....
I have the Surface Laptop 3 which is pretty much the same, don't waste your money upgrading this year until they do a redesign
Yes, this is in dire need of a redesign for sure.
I have an ancient surface book 2 that needs upgrading. It will not even run Win 11.
This 5 version is certainly an option but it feels a bit old so resale value is a consideration. I'll check out the 15inch version.
i5 7300U? My condolences. That base model should never have been produced because all the other SKU's had 8th gen.
Im gonna get a new laptop myself, if I were you I would get the 15inch 32 gb ram version all maxed out
I agree that Microsoft seems lazy on this one. Makes me wonder if they have a surface laptop pro in the works. Any idea if Microsoft is making a pro version?
Trying to pick between this or the XPS Plus, which one would you recommend/pick?
Video: visibly poor resolution, but good colors. Perhaps better colors than the SP9 5G? Mic sounded ok.
Surprisingly much better battery life than the SP 9 (intel), which has more or less the same battery capacity. Why ca. 1.5 h longer battery life on the SL? (i) lower resolution? (ii) lower refresh rate? (iii) slower CPU processor? (1235U vs. 1255U ?).
Next year, they should:
* Shrink bezel width and have 14-14.5" screen
* Less glossy screen
* improve video camera
* add some ports (one more USB C, SD card)
* 180 degree screen hinge (flat) to ease writing with a pen
* add a charging compartment for the pen (a la SP9)
According to you using coreldraw and normal stuff which one is good , Surface 5 or Galaxy book 3 pro ?
Im looking to get a new laptop, i currently have a 2017 MacBook Air. Is this a substantial upgrade? I'll primarily be using it for work and multitasking
Great review Andrew 👍
efficient content, though can be more efficient
Thanks for the honest review! Good idea to call it Surface Laptop 4a 😉
Keep the reviews coming!
Thanks really appreciate it
My Surface Laptop 3 15” just spontaneously cracked across the screen glass like many others. Microsoft says the notebook is out of warranty and wants AUD$844+ for a refurbed screen replacement. Interestingly someone else posted a photo of their cracked screen on the web and it looks absolutely identical to mine. The cause is unlikely be minute debris as microsoft stipulated rather it is more probable to be a design fault which also seems to also affect the Laptop 4.
Troll alert, Troll alert!!!
Are they trying to soften the blow for when/if they decide to do hardware refresh every two years instead of once a year? I think nobody should ever need to upgrade their laptop every year.
Nice video , everything is perfect, the speech, clips , review everything is perfect, by the way 720p is unacceptable , i would get an X1 carbon.
Thanks really appreciate it
Does a webcam really need 4K? Is it a better use of resources to have the 720 which is great for webcam?
Surface was created to pull OEMs out of the days of chunky plastic laptops. Now that it's job is done, in must lag behind the OEMs to serve as an average/minimal bar of quality.
Then why bother to make it at this point?
@@andrewmarcdavid 100% I feel like this year's model exists to have parts in circulation for corporate contracts.
Okay laptop. Camera was fair and mics sounded good. I agree with you that this is not really an upgrade. It is more of a "sidegrade". Why Microsoft went with a proprietary ssd which has similar speeds as the standard ssd 3 is somewhat disappointing. To have to take this to a certified Microsoft Tech to do the upgrade of the SSD is kind of silly. The other unknown mystery is how much premium does one pay to do an ssd upgrade. This exact PC if manufactured by another manufacturer would probably sell for several hundred dollars less. One is paying a premium for the name Microsoft on it. Great review as always.
13 is better Or 15 ?
So if your current laptop is 10 years old and you have 1700 to spend on a laptop for work(data analytics) what would your advice be and why this is open to anyone that wants to leave feedback.
I was considering it but the screen bezels are a deal breaker
Same, to be honest i don't mind waiting until next year. Unless a more interesting competitor shows up, and yes ive looked at all the alternatives and no thanks.
I totally understand I bought the new M2 Macbook Air because of the new sleak design
they want to keep laptop studio as the king
Hello Mr. Andrew, I really appreciated and enjoyed watching your videos (Thank you a lot!). You left links in bio and I am wondering if I trust this site or not. Because I recently have visited Samsung office in order to buy Galaxy book 2 pro 360 and it is not a cheap laptop. On the website you talked it is $999 seems strange to me honestly. Atm I am in Korea. I truly appreciate your response!
Thanks. The links are valid and legitimate.
@@andrewmarcdavid BIG thanks! So I can feel free and buy the laptop and they will deliver it to Korea right?
@@richmoond8046 not sure about delivery to Korea you will have to check with the store
@@andrewmarcdavid thank you! Truth to be told I liked the way of you doing comparison, with numbers and data 👌 it is just an another level for people like me
Интересно, потянет ли эта штука скайрим на максималках?)
10:17 what smartwatch you're using? may be you might consider reviewing it!!?does it measure loudness accurately?
Apple Watch Ultra and it does a good job measuring audio
@@andrewmarcdavid thanks. Never mind about review it 😂😂too expensive
I would pass on this. Like Andrew says, there are much better options out there and I conquer! The lack of ports, very soft quality 720p webcam in 2022, smaller battery and Microsoft usually overprices its products because they feel they can are all reasons for anyone to look elsewhere. Your videos are always Brilliant Andrew, this one being no exception!! Thank you!!! 👏😁
The bezel on this, as if it’s still 2012.
How about a review of the Asus pro 15 flip. I think it is the best convertible right now die to a very good CPU, dedicated GPU, full IO including HDMI and a really nice screen, especially for the price. I have seen it for 1500€
Why still the same thick bezels around the screen even the Surface Laptop Go 2 got slimmer bezels
If only they went with an AMD as an option. I'd take that and thinner bezels over Thunderbolt 4.
This would have been great with a dedicated graphic card.
I have the surface laptop 2 and was ready to upgrade so I waited for this to release but after seeing it I'm not buying it. I rather try the m2 MacBook air. What a fail
SL6 needs a new design and better processor. There should be an AMD option
fyi SL4 Amd and SL4 Intel have same battery life.
Is it 120hz display ?
No
I hope Microsoft and Google make a serious competitor to the MacBook:
- all in one SOC (arm processor)
- way better speakers
- way better battery and idle time
- better screen
- all aluminium build
- and some basic gaming
MacBooks are just so much better for a work laptop atm
It's called the Surface Laptop Studio.
Those bezels are fatter than I am after Thanksgiving.
should be called the surface laptop fail
Haha 😂 good one
@@andrewmarcdavid was so hoping for high refresh rate AMD 6000 with the igpu to light game 😭, glad I got the Thinkpad t14s AMD 6000
The lack of sufficient ports is a straight up deal breaker. What were they thinking.
This was a lazy update from Microsoft
Disappointing.... Went to a Dell 2 in 1 instead. Thanks for the review.
Man I've trying to buy a MS laptop since the laptop 2 but they keep fucking it up by either leaving out some cruical spec. At this point that display bezels are horrendous and outdated.
Disappointing Colour Gamut and no HDMI port. I'm out!
5 hours battery life !!!
Troll Alert!!! Troll Alert!!!
Baffling how microsoft just can't make a good laptop, just like the OS.
You are all Apple lover. Shame on you all.
If it's a Intel Dual Core, toss it on the Bin. Useless crap CPU. Hate them with a passion, it's like having a Intel core duo in 2022.
Same mistake, year by year, generation by generation..... IO lacks of minimum respect!!! Thumbs down, Microsoft! If i plug the DC and a USB mouse... it leaves with just one USB-C TB port.... what a shame... in an era of multi-connection...don't tell me all devices on Earth are wireless and BT... because I dont believe you. You must put yourselves in the perspective of a user that wants all connectivity possibilities, a variety of ports (including HDMI, yes, it is still needed these days, and some 2 USB A's 3.2 2Gen). It's a pity you neglect it despite all high-level specs of the internal HW.
disappointing laptop.... no high refresh rate, same old bezels, bad camera, almost the same performance. basic overpriced laptop if you want performance. eh, skippable.