If you’re a Windows user looking for something that comes close to Apple’s latest MacBook Air, Microsoft’s newest 13-inch Surface Laptop — officially called the Surface Laptop 13-inch 1st Edition with Snapdragon — is a great option. Right now, you can pick up the model with an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $549.99 ($350 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Microsoft, which marks a new all-time low.
The Surface Laptop is more than capable of powering through a 12-hour day and handling typical productivity tasks with ease. The laptop offers impressive standby times, too, while the quiet, tactile keyboard is a pleasure to type on, and some might even prefer it to the MacBook Air’s. The mechanical trackpad isn’t haptic, but clicks still feel surprisingly well-defined and crisp. You also get a sharp 1080p webcam, two USB-C 3.2 ports, and one USB-A 3.1 port.
Granted, the laptop won’t keep up with the M4-powered MacBook Air in creative apps or gaming, but lighter titles like Vampire Survivors and Balatro run just fine. The 3:2 display is also well-suited for both work and play, and the four-speaker setup is perfectly adequate for streaming shows and listening to music. There’s even a 3.5mm combo audio jack if you prefer wired headphones.