Test of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4: continuity in efficiency

Design Technical Sheet Ecran Performances Software Camera, Video, Automy Autonomy Price and availability ConclusionCommentaire The Product Party Disposable at € 949

After reducing its product at the end of 2019, Microsoft recently launched its Laptop 4 surface.A model in all respects identical to its predecessor at first glance, but with some slight improvements welcome inside which always makes it as attractive and pleasant to use.

Source: Frandroid / Anthony Wonner

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 technical sheet

This test was carried out from a model loaned by the brand.

We take the same and start again

The surface laptop 4 looks like it is mistaken for the surface laptop 3.Actually no.It’s rigorously the same and we find the same sensations there.

Here we have a device with a very beautiful unibody metallic sandy chassis of sand color rather robust with a 13.5 inch screen.You will also find it in matt black metallic colors as well as a blue glacier or platinum gray version with an Alcantara coating inside.

The different colors and models of surface laptop 4 // Source: Microsoft

There is also a slightly more bulky version with a 15 -inch diagonal screen (2496 x 1664 pixels - 201 ppi), available in matt black and gray metal version.

Trackpad and keyboard, the flagship assets

We find the large trackpad pleasant to use and which blends well in the chassis.It is responsive to the click of all over its surface.The keyboard is still as ergonomic.It remains very fast for the shot, very responsive and we appreciate the spacing of the keys, wide enough not to knock next door.

Source: Frandroid / Anthony Wonner

The PC always opens easily, almost a finger.We can see the Windows Hello camera for authentication, two Studio quality microphones.The device is more equipped with speakers.It should be noted that Microsoft did not make an effort to reduce the always very imposing borders in 2021 around the screen.It’s a shame to still have such a massive element on a product that has been designed to be elegant.

On the back, the Microsoft logo shines well and will love your fingerprints.But the slightly polite coating of the PC allows it to avoid brands elsewhere.

Source: Frandroid / Anthony Wonner

On the connectivity side, no change either.There is always a USB-C port, a USB-A port, a port for the jack and the famous Port Surface Connect for recharging.The USB-C port is not even Thunderbolt, but USB 3.1 Gen 2 (flow rate at 10 Gb/s).The minimum service on a PC today and you risk being quickly blocked if you have too many devices or accessories to connect, especially if you needed an absent video output.A second USB-C or even USB-A port would have been welcome, or even an HDMI port.

But as on the previous version, Microsoft remains attached to its Port Surface Connect which ultimately has more drawbacks than advantages.He has for him to be relatively magnetic and therefore to avoid tearing himself away if you take your feet in it.But he also took bandwidth that Microsoft could have dedicated to a Thunderbolt/USB-C port, often used on other PCs to recharge.

The whole is once again premium and has the merit of not having wanted to copy the design of the Apple macbook too much.Even if the color that we tested enormously recalls the rose gold from computers to apple ... The surface laptop 4 is betting on a well -studied template and the whole is rather fine, even if less fine than a MacBook Air.Microsoft retains its more square, but all elegant and solid look, which you will slide fairly easily in a backpack or large shoulder bag, with a reasonable weight on the scale (1265 g).And we must also admit that with its well distributed weight, it is comfortable enough to work by placing it on his knees.

Screen: of the means in figures, good in uses

Once again, we have the pixelsense lcd ips tactile slab which displays a 13.5 inch diagonal (2256 x 1504 - 201 ppi).Note that the screen is significantly the same, contrast and brightness have been slightly improved and all offers better visual comfort.The screen is still in the original format of 3: 2.It’s always perfect for working with a little more marked height.On the other hand, it is true that some video games will appear strangely and the videos will sometimes tend to draw black bands to you to refer to 16: 9.It surprises the first time, but we end up doing it.

Note that the screen is compatible with the Surface Pen stylus, but it is not sold with the computer.

Passed under our probe and using Calman software, the Laptop 4 surface is good once again.In SRGB mode (under Windows 10, you also have the "improved" mode available), the screen displays 98 % of the SRGB spectrum, or 66 % of DCI-P3.Figures that are similar to those recorded with the Laptop 3 surface.

The DCI-P3 Deltae measured is 4.47 and indicates moderately calibrated colors.The maximum brightness of the screen is also part of the soft belly on the market with 320 cd/m² for a contrast rate of 1453: 1.The average color temperature is 6466 k, very close to the reference 6,500k.

More than figures, there is also the general feeling.The screen of the surface laptop 4 is very pleasant for working, luminous enough from all angles, whether to watch a video or to discuss in videoconferencing with.The PC has an ambient brightness sensor that perfectly adjusts the display to make reading on the screen comfortable in all circumstances, day and night and in less bright environments.We just sometimes noticed a little reflections in full sun.But you have to want to work like this.

The difference is inside

It is ultimately under the hood that we see the difference between the surfaces Laptop 3 and Laptop 4.Or rather that you feel it.The model we tested has an Intel Core i7 processor of 11th generation.The computer also exists with Core i5 and the American firm also offers the possibility of adding Mobile processors AMD Ryzen 5 4680U or Ryzen 7 4980U with Radeon Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition.This is the main attraction of this 2021 version that prides itself on being 70 % faster.

In addition, there are 8 to 32 GB of RAM LPDDR4X (only 8 GB for AMD Ryzen 5).Our test version had 16 GB of RAM.The laptop 4 has therefore never flanked in office automation, video viewing, navigation (even with many open tabs) or even with some light games (Civilization VI or even Sims survive).Do not try to launch Flight Simulator, the game is however too demanding in resources for it (or opt for the Xbox Cloud Gaming to come on PC).In terms of image touch -ups, the laptop 4 responds fluidly.We rarely heard him blow when he was overheating (something very very rarely).It is made to work and focus on productivity.In this, its performance is optimal and makes the use perfect to meet our requirements in working conditions, with speed of execution, more versatility and less suffering in the face of software somewhat delicious.

Source: Frandroid / Anthony Wonner

We have tested the performance of the new processor with Cinebench R20.The surface laptop 4 obtains a score of 1915 points where the laptop 3 had capped at 1616.This obviously indicates better performance in the engine.The Intel Iris Xe -embedded graphics card brings more peps to play civilization V rather comfortably or run 3D modeling software.But you shouldn't ask him too much either.However, the PC manages to endure the opening of a dozen tabs on Edge, including YouTube with a 4K video, without blinking.Or even Chrome and my multiple extensions that run at the same time as multiple open tabs.

The surface laptop 4 is offered in different configurations of 256 GB for versions with Ryzen 5, from 512 GB (our test model) to 1 TB of SSD storage - that it is possible to have a specialist replaced - for modelsWith Intel Core chip i5 or i7.Note that for a price below 20 euros (1129 euros against 1149 euros for the laptop 3), you now have double storage on the initial model.

There is also the TPM 2 safety chip in the computer.0 which supports the encryption of Bitlocker data as well as Windows Hello protection which unlocks the laptop 4 surface by facial recognition.This is increasingly rapid and reliable over time in its identification.It adds a significant plus to the PC which is already activated quickly when you open it and, in just a few seconds, you are recognized and can start working.

Windows 10 while waiting for Windows 11…

The Laptop 4 surfaces take advantage of Windows 10 Home for the consumer version with a 30 -day trial at Microsoft 365 Family.The Windows 10 Pro version will be available on business models.It also relies on all the usual Microsoft services.And you can obviously go easily to the next Windows 11 version soon formalized, but which we have already given you an overview.

Source: Microsoft

On the connectivity side, the Laptop 4 surface supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

Camera, video, audio: the perfect combo for teleworking meetings

The Laptop 4 surface is still based on an HD 720p front camera.This is not an impressive definition at a time when more and more laptops count on cameras in 1080p.But Microsoft's turns out to be honest.Its role is obviously not to take your selfie, but rather to accompany your video calls.In this, it is appreciable, but it will not make you the next Spielberg or Cameron.It is rather in the global proposal for telework that she finds a useful place.

La webcam du Surface Laptop 4 // Source: Microsoft

Because, to accompany this webcam, there are two long-range studio microphones distributed around as well as two Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos.They are powerful and refer a sound of excellent quality.And above all: we still did not understand where they were hidden exactly under the keyboard to offer an experience of such a quality, balanced and without too many bass (not enough even, will say some).In addition, with Dolby compatible content, watching videos becomes much more immersive.But do not wait either a wide sound scene of such a small device.

Before being cut for your video evenings in front of the computer screen, everything is designed to meet a trend: meetings on Microsoft Teams, the home tool.And there, it is a very big yes for this experience so much in tune with the times.The Laptop surface is an excellent video and audio partner for videoconferences.

Light better for autonomy

With a new on -board platform, the autonomy of the device also says thank you.We are still far from the dazzling results of the MacBook Pro M1 and its more than 20 hours of autonomy.The Laptop 4 surface promises up to 16.5 hours with our Core i7 (until 7 p.m. with an AMD Ryzen 5).In fact, it is less sparkling than that.By working continuously, surfing on the internet and watching a little video, we rather flirted with 9-10 hours.It’s honorable, but nothing more.If you spend the majority of your time watching video or playing on the PC, obviously autonomy will decrease.What to last a barely reasonable day on the use of the battery.We will however appreciate the announced fast charge which allows to recover 80 % of autonomy in one hour.For a full load, count 45 minutes more than.

Le Surface Laptop 4 // Source: Microsoft

There is always the same 65 W charger in the box with its connect surface tip that does not care in the right side of the PC and its additional USB-A port to recharge a smartphone for example.The Connect surface is always impractical with its long stem and we dream of seeing it disappear to truly enter the Microsoft device in modernity.You can also use the USB-C port to recharge with a powerful compatible charger.But you then lose the only port available and, during our tests, it did not always prove to be convincing as a substitution.

Price and availability of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4

The laptop 4 surface with 13.5 inch screen starts from 1129 euros on the Microsoft store as well as with usual resellers such as Fnac, Boulanger, Darty, LDLC, Amazon.

The version with 15 inch screen is sold from 1449 euros.