Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3
Between the MacBook Air 13 M4 and Surface Laptop Studio 3, the MacBook Air 13 M4 comes out ahead in cpu cores and weight, while the Surface Laptop Studio 3 wins on storage and ram. Overall, the MacBook Air 13 M4 scores 52.8 and the Surface Laptop Studio 3 scores 60.7 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Surface Laptop Studio 3 edges ahead on the Mars Score (52.8 vs 60.7), but the 7.9-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the MacBook Air 13 M4 if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. The biggest gaps in its favor are cpu cores, weight.
Pick the Surface Laptop Studio 3 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. Its strongest claims are storage, ram, refresh rate, among others.
Both ship with comparable claimed battery life, panel type, thunderbolt ports, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Surface Laptop Studio 3 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 wins
- ▲CPU cores — 25.00% more. 10 vs 8.
- ▲Weight — 0.74 kg less. 1.24 vs 1.98.
Why Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 wins
- ▲Storage — 300.00% more. 1024 GB vs 256 GB.
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 32 GB vs 16 GB.
- ▲Refresh rate — 100.00% more. 120 Hz vs 60 Hz.
- ▲Battery — 9.43% more. 58 Wh vs 53 Wh.
- ▲Screen size — 5.88% more. 14.4 " vs 13.6 ".
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kglead | 1.98 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mmlead | 22 mm |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 13.6 " | 14.4 "lead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 60 Hz | 120 Hzlead |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | IPS |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M4 | Intel Core Ultra 7 268V |
| CPU cores | 10lead | 8 |
| GPUⓘ | Apple M4 10-core GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop |
| RAMⓘ | 16 GB | 32 GBlead |
| Storageⓘ | 256 GB | 1024 GBlead |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 53 Wh | 58 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 18 h | 18 h |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 2 |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 2 | 2 |
| HDMI | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Surface Laptop Studio 3?+
Surface Laptop Studio 3 claims up to 18 hours — 18h vs 18h.
Which is lighter, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Surface Laptop Studio 3?+
MacBook Air 13 M4 is lighter at 1.24 kg vs 1.98 kg.
Which has more RAM, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Surface Laptop Studio 3?+
Surface Laptop Studio 3 offers 32GB of RAM.
Which has an OLED display, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Surface Laptop Studio 3?+
Neither model has an OLED display.
Spec-level deep dives
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