Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15)
Between the MacBook Air 13 M4 and Surface Laptop 7 (15), the MacBook Air 13 M4 comes out ahead in thunderbolt ports and weight, while the Surface Laptop 7 (15) wins on storage and refresh rate. Overall, the MacBook Air 13 M4 scores 52.8 and the Surface Laptop 7 (15) scores 61.7 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Surface Laptop 7 (15) is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 8.9 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
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 thunderbolt ports, weight.
Pick the Surface Laptop 7 (15) if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are storage, refresh rate, battery, among others.
Both ship with comparable ram, panel type, backlit keyboard, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Surface Laptop 7 (15) 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
- ▲Thunderbolt ports — 2.00 more. 2 vs 0.
- ▲Weight — 0.42 kg less. 1.24 vs 1.66.
Why Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) wins
- ▲Storage — 100.00% more. 512 GB vs 256 GB.
- ▲Refresh rate — 100.00% more. 120 Hz vs 60 Hz.
- ▲Battery — 24.53% more. 66 Wh vs 53 Wh.
- ▲Claimed battery life — 22.22% more. 22 h vs 18 h.
- ▲CPU cores — 20.00% more. 12 vs 10.
- ▲Screen size — 10.29% more. 15 " vs 13.6 ".
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kglead | 1.66 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mmlead | 18.29 mm |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 13.6 " | 15 "lead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 60 Hz | 120 Hzlead |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | IPS |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M4 | Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 |
| CPU cores | 10 | 12lead |
| GPUⓘ | Apple M4 10-core GPU | Qualcomm Adreno |
| RAMⓘ | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Storageⓘ | 256 GB | 512 GBlead |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 53 Wh | 66 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 18 h | 22 hlead |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 2 |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 2lead | 0 |
| HDMI | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Surface Laptop 7 (15)?+
Surface Laptop 7 (15) claims up to 22 hours — 18h vs 22h.
Which is lighter, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Surface Laptop 7 (15)?+
MacBook Air 13 M4 is lighter at 1.24 kg vs 1.66 kg.
Which has an OLED display, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Surface Laptop 7 (15)?+
Neither model has an OLED display.
Spec-level deep dives
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