Laptops

Microsoft Surface Laptop vs. 12-inch MacBook

Microsoft Surface Laptop vs. 12-inch MacBook
The new Microsoft Surface Laptop has Apple's MacBooks in its sights. Here's how it compares the the 12-inch MacBook (2016 edition)
The new Microsoft Surface Laptop has Apple's MacBooks in its sights. Here's how it compares the the 12-inch MacBook (2016 edition)
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The new Microsoft Surface Laptop has Apple's MacBooks in its sights. Here's how it compares the the 12-inch MacBook (2016 edition)
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The new Microsoft Surface Laptop has Apple's MacBooks in its sights. Here's how it compares the the 12-inch MacBook (2016 edition)
Starting price
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Starting price
Release date
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Release date
Operating system
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Operating system
Webcam
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Webcam
Keyboard
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Keyboard
Battery
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Battery
Speakers
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Speakers
Headphone jack
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Headphone jack
Charging port
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Charging port
Ports
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Ports
Built-in storage
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Built-in storage
RAM
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RAM
Graphics
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Graphics
SD card slot
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SD card slot
Fingerprint sensor
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Fingerprint sensor
ForceTouch trackpad
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ForceTouch trackpad
Display resolution
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Display resolution
Face recognition
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Face recognition
Touchscreen
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Touchscreen 
Stylus support
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Stylus support
Display size
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Display size
Color variants
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Color variants
Weight
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Weight
Dimensions
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Dimensions
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Processor
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Processor
View gallery - 27 images

Microsoft made no secret of gunning for both Chromebooks and MacBooks at its education event, where it announced both Windows 10 S and the new Surface Laptop that runs it. Here's how specs and features of the Surface Laptop compare to those of the 12-inch MacBook released last year.

Size

Dimensions
Dimensions

The Surface Laptop is the larger device. It's nearly 12-percent taller, 9-percent wider and 10-percent thicker than the 12-inch MacBook.

Weight

Weight
Weight

The Surface is also 26-percent heavier, though both are very light devices.

Build

Both makers opt for aluminum builds – or, in the case of Microsoft, aluminum on the outside. The Surface Laptop's entire keyboard area has an Alcantara (fabric) covering, the same material we saw on the Signature Type Cover for Surface Pro 4.

Colors

Color variants
Color variants

Each machine is available in four color variants. Apple sticks to metallics, while Microsoft adds a little more color with blue and burgundy options.

Display size

Display size
Display size

The 13.5-inch display on the Surface has a 3:2 aspect ratio. The 12-inch MacBook, with its 16:10 aspect ratio, packs in 23-percent less screen space overall.

Touchscreen

Stylus support
Stylus support

The Surface has a touchscreen display, but Apple saves the touchscreens for phones and tablets.

Display resolution

Display resolution
Display resolution

The MacBook display packs in more pixels, but we don't expect the Surface Laptop to fall too far behind (if at all) in terms of display quality.

Force Touch trackpad

ForceTouch trackpad
ForceTouch trackpad

The MacBook has a solid-state Force Touch trackpad that meets your taps and gestures with haptic feedback instead of physical movement. Not everyone may feel this to be an advantage, so it's worth considering if you have strong trackpad preferences.

Keyboard

Keyboard
Keyboard

As we mentioned, the Surface keyboard has that Alcantara fabric-covered keyboard area, meant for a soft touch that's also easy to clean. The MacBook has a typical backlit plastic-keys-on-aluminum-base keyboard.

Fingerprint sensor

SD card slot
SD card slot

Neither machine lets you log in with your fingerprint.

Face recognition

Face recognition
Face recognition

The Surface, however, does offer biometric logins via the Windows Hello facial recognition feature.

Stylus support

Touchscreen
Touchscreen 

The touchscreen Surface also supports the Surface Pen (sold separately).

Processor

Processor
Processor

Microsoft has not published clock speeds for the Surface Laptop, but it uses the latest Kaby Lake (seventh-generation) Intel Core i-series chips.

Even the Core i5 processor seen in the entry-level Surface Laptop should be a big upgrade over the highest-end (m7 configurable) chip option for the 12-in MacBook.

Graphics

Graphics
Graphics

If you opt for a Surface Laptop with an i7 processor, you'll get improved graphics as well.

RAM

RAM
RAM

The Surface has three tiers of RAM ranging from 4 GB to 16 GB. The MacBook has one 8 GB option.

Storage

Built-in storage
Built-in storage

The entry-level Surface Laptop has 128 GB of built-in storage. Beyond that, both machines are available with either 256 or 512 GB.

Ports

Ports
Ports

Microsoft's decision to use only one legacy USB 3.0 port seems like a questionable one. At its launch event, it touted the Surface Laptop as one that will last through four years of school, and the USB 3.0 standard is aging. It does include a mini DisplayPort as well.

The MacBook is at the other extreme, only providing one USB-C port. Our ideal machine would provide both legacy USB and USB-C, to help bridge the gap between past and future.

SD card reader

SD card slot
SD card slot

Neither machine has an SD card slot.

Charging port

Charging port
Charging port

The Surface has a dedicated Surface Connect port for charging, but on the MacBook, you'll have to use the lone USB-C port.

Headphone jack

Headphone jack
Headphone jack

Laptops are axing ports left and right, but they're still hanging onto the headphone jack.

Speakers

Speakers
Speakers

Microsoft put "omnisomnic" speakers behind the keys on the Surface Laptop, which have Dolby Audio Premium. The MacBook has a standard set of stereo speakers.

Battery

Battery
Battery

Microsoft makes big promises about the battery life on the Surface Laptop. We'll put those claims to the test when we get our hands on one. If they hold true, the Surface is more likely to last through a marathon day without charging.

Webcam

Webcam
Webcam

The webcam on the Surface has a higher resolution than the one on the MacBook, which should mean sharper video calls and conferencing.

Operating system

Operating system
Operating system

The Surface Laptop is the first machine to be announced with the Windows 10 S operating system, which is designed for educational use. It seems to look and feel a lot like Windows 10, except for that it only runs applications from the Windows Store. For the rest of the year, Surface Laptop buyers also have the option of switching to Windows 10 Pro for free, and it will reportedly cost $50 to upgrade after that.

The MacBook, of course, runs Apple's latest desktop software, macOS Sierra.

Release

Release date
Release date

The Surface is available for pre-order now, to start shipping and hitting stores on June 15. The current iteration of the 12-inch MacBook hit shelves a little over a year ago.

Starting price

Starting price
Starting price

The 12-inch MacBook is US$300 more than the Surface Laptop. The expense might be worth it to Apple fans that want to keep all their devices in the same ecosystem, but for others that prioritize performance, eye specs alone or prefer the Windows operating system, the Surface Laptop provides a better value.

Stay tuned for a review of the new Surface Laptop, or read up on the 12-inch MacBook.

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1 comment
1 comment
Daishi
One of the best things MS could do to compete against Chrome is offer a browser that sits inside a VM/Sandbox/container that's resistant to malware and privilege escalation. If MS was actually trying I could probably name off a list of things they could do differently.