The first Surface tablet launched in 2013 and it wasn't until four years later that Microsoft was able to finally add a proper notebook to the family. Simply called the Surface Laptop, the notebook is distinguished by both its 3:2 screen ratio (not unlike the Chromebook Pixel) and rare Core i7-7660U CPU option with integrated Iris Plus 640 graphics. This combination of features can be found on no other Ultrabook currently in the market and Microsoft is banking on this as a key selling point for its premier Surface Laptop series.

Aside from the various color choices, current SKUs offer just two processor options (i5-7200U and i7-7660U) and a range of RAM and SSD sizes. Our entry-level SKU in review is equipped with an i5-7200U CPU, just 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 128 GB SSD for $1000 USD. Users must pay an additional $600 USD premium if they want the i7-7600U CPU with double the RAM and storage space. Otherwise, there are disappointingly no display or connectivity differences between the configuration levels.

The Surface Laptop is almost a niche product due to its squarer display and design. Microsoft is not explicitly marketing it as an Ultrabook, but the comparisons will be inevitable as the target student demographic will likely want to weigh the pros and cons between the Surface Laptop, Surface Pro 4, Macbook Pro 13/15, and other popular alternatives that we will discuss in detail.

For the purposes of this review, our test system was upgraded from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro 64-bit prior to running any tests or benchmarks.