Are you interested in buying a new Surface in 2023, but aren't sure which one to get? Well, we've got you covered with our ultimate roundup of the best Microsoft Surface PCs available today, whether that be a thin and light computer like the Surface Pro 9 or something with epic performance and versatility like the Surface Laptop Studio.
We think the Surface Laptop 5 is the best overall Surface PC on the market right now. We think it targets the largest demographic and is the most approachable for new or existing Surface PC owners. The Surface Laptop 5 is a straight-up laptop, no quirks, or gimmicks in form factor, just a beautiful, premium laptop with touch, a large trackpad, and a first-class keyboard.
The Surface Laptop 5 features 12th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 U-series processors in both 13.5-inch and 15-inch models. The 13.5-inch variant is available in four colors: Platinum, Matte Black, Sage, and Sandstone. The Platinum colorway features a special Alcantara keyboard base not found on any other color or model.
The 15-inch version is only available in two colorways, those being Platinum and Matte Black. Unfortunately, you cannot get the Alcantara keyboard deck on the 15-inch model.
Surface Laptop 5 also includes Microsoft's excellent front-facing 720p web camera, a USB-A port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port in addition to the Surface Connect port for charging.
If you're looking for something with a bit of power under the hood, your best Surface offering in this area is the Surface Laptop Studio. This is Microsoft's laptop for professionals and power users who frequent professional-grade software like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, AutoCAD, or crunching raw data.
The Surface Laptop Studio has a design that allows the display to lie flat over the keyboard deck like a draft board, featuring Intel 11th Gen processors, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and pen support for and notetaking. It also has two USB-C ports, both of which are Thunderbolt 4 enabled, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Surface Connect charging port.
This laptop can also be had with either Intel Iris Xe graphics, or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics for a dedicated boost in performance. It's only available in the one 14.4-inch screen size, however. Dedicated graphics is what propels the Surface Laptop Studio into performance territory for us, and makes it the most powerful Surface on the market today.
If you're in the market for a Surface PC that's the best for taking with you on the go, that also balances size, performance, and connectivity, the Surface Pro 9 (and its 5G brother) are the ones you should be considering.
For the first time, Microsoft is shipping the Surface Pro with both Intel and ARM CPUs under the hood. This means you now have a choice as to what kind of performance or battery life you want. Do you want something that's powerful at the cost of a efficiency? Or do you want something that lasts all day at the cost of performance?
The Intel Surface Pro 9 features more performance, but is less energy efficient thanks to its powerful 12th-Gen U-series processor. It's blazing fast, and while it should still get you through the workday, battery life is something you'll have to watch out for.
On the flipside, the Surface Pro 9 5G includes Microsoft's own ARM based SQ3 chip, which is much more efficient but not as powerful. It should get you through the workday with no problems, but you might find some apps (especially ones not natively compiled for ARM) to run a little slower than usual.
If you're looking for something with 5G capabilities, the Surface Pro 9 with ARM is your only choice, as Microsoft doesn't offer 5G capabilities on the Intel variants. The Intel Surface Pro 9 can be had in four colors, those being Platinum, Graphite, Sage, and Sapphire.
Unfortunately, the Surface Pro 9 5G can only be had in one colorway, that being Platinum. Both models are compatible with the same Type Cover and Slim Pen accessories however!
If you're a student in the market for a new laptop for school, the Surface Laptop Go 2 was built for you. Featuring a compact design with a 12.5-inch touch display, full size keyboard, large trackpad, and a Windows Hello fingerprint reader built right into the power button for quick authentication.
Its small design also means it's one of the lightest Surface PCs on the market, making it a great choice for carrying around at school all day. It also has battery life that will last you the school day, paired with a capable Intel Core i5 processor, up to 8GB RAM, and up to 256GB of storage.
You can get it in a handful of fun colors too, including Ice Blue, Sandstone, Sage, and Platinum. The best part? Surface Laptop Go 2 starts at just $599, so it won't break the bank.
If you're on a budget, the Surface Go 3 is your best choice right now. Starting at just $400, the Surface Go 3 is a quintessential Surface experience. It's a 2-in-1 tablet that can also act as a laptop, just like the Surface Pro X and Surface Pro 7, but at a fraction of the cost. It's also the smallest Surface PC available today, featuring a 10.5-inch display, which makes it super easy to carry with you in a bag.
For $400, you're getting a super premium PC too. It's not plastic, with cheap materials making the PC look and feel budget. Instead, Microsoft has essentially shrunk down the Surface Pro 7 from a design perspective, meaning this thing looks and feels premium. Where Microsoft has cut costs is in processing power. For $400, you're only getting an Intel Pentium GOLD 6500Y with 4GB of RAM.
This configuration is passable for those who do only light computing, which involves nothing more than browsing the web, checking email, and writing documents in Word or creating a simple PowerPoint presentation. Anything more than that, and you'll want to splash out for the 8GB RAM option, or spend a little more than that for the Intel Core m3 variant.
Surface Go 3 features one USB-C port, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack in addition to the Surface Connect port for charging. It's also the first Surface Go to be available in black!
If you're looking for a Surface designed for on-the-go working, the Surface Pro X is your best choice. Featuring Microsoft's thinnest Surface design yet, LTE built right in for always-connected data, and Microsoft's ARM-powered SQ1or SQ2 chip for excellent battery life when out and about. It's a real Surface offering for mobile computing, and because it's now considered last-gen, you can find these for much less.
The Surface Pro X is a 2-in-1 tablet that can also replace your laptop with an optional keyboard accessory with built-in pen charging capabilities. Surface Pro X features the new Surface Slim Pen and charges magnetically in the keyboard cover, a first for a Surface PC. It also has an edge-to-edge 13-inch display, which makes it feel much bigger than it is, especially compared to the older Surface Pro 7.
The Microsoft SQ1 or SQ2 chip on the inside is an interesting choice. On the one hand, it enables the slim profile of the Surface Pro X, but on the other hand, it means there are some compatibility constraints with apps. Any x86-64 bit apps will not run on Surface Pro X, meaning you're limited to ARM32, ARM64, or x86 apps only. This will change with a future software update that adds support for x86-64 apps, however.
Surface Pro X features two USB-C ports, a SIM slot for LTE, and a user-upgradable SSD under the kickstand in addition to the Surface Connect port for charging. Why get this over a Surface Pro 9 with 5G? The design and weight. The Surface Pro X is thinner and lighter, making it a much better mobile PC.
Are you looking for a Surface PC that can live on your desktop? Microsoft's only offering in this department is the Surface Studio 2, which just got refreshed with Intel 11th-Gen chips and the NVIDIA RTX 3060! It features an incredible design with a weightless hinge mechanism that allows you to turn its 28-inch display into a virtual draft board with touch and pen support.
On the inside, Surface Studio 2+ features an 11th-Gen Intel Core i7-11370H, 2TB of storage and 32GB of RAM. It also comes configured with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 for graphics power. Around the back, we have two USB-A ports, three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The new Surface Studio 2+ retails for an eyewatering $4,699, making it the most expensive Surface PC on our list. It's a one-of-a-kind desktop all in one, and you won't find a better display on the market in the PC space!
Summing up
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Microsoft makes many different Surface PCs these days, and it can be hard to choose which one to buy if you're not sure what exactly you're looking for. If you need the best performance, we think the Surface Laptop Studio is your best bet. If you're looking for something great for working on the go, the Surface Pro 9 is an excellent choice.
But, if you're looking for the most well-rounded, approachable, and easy to use Surface, we think the Surface Laptop 5 is the best overall choice. It's beautifully crafted, easy to use, and has no form factor gimmicks or anomalies to get used to. It's plenty powerful, with a best-in-class keyboard and trackpad combo to boot.
Those on a budget can also check out the Surface Go 3, which we think is a great mini PC to compliment your main one.
