I tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 for a few weeks, and I must say, I'm pretty impressed.

Straight out of the box, this laptop is gorgeous, lightweight, and designed with a simple, classic approach. It's similar in size to a one-subject school notebook, offering tapered edges that are easy to grasp and somehow feeling lighter than previous models, although it's slightly heavier.

Overall, it's a very strong competitor to (and, in some ways, better than) Apple's MacBook Air. If you're in the market for one of those, I'd suggest you check out the Surface Laptop 7 first.

I tested the 7th Gen with a Snapdragon X Elite 12-core processor, a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, and Adreno GPU, and 16GB memory. Overall, I like it. A lot.

The 7th generation Surface Laptop was announced in May 2024 during a Microsoft event focused on artificial intelligence. All versions of the Laptop 7 were released for sale on June 18, 2024.

Pricing varies depending on your options, but the basic Platinum model (13.8 inch, Snapdragon X Plus 10-core, with 16GB RAM and 256 GB SSD) costs $999. The one I tested retails for $1399.

While I'm not a huge fan of small laptops because it's harder to see things on a small screen, it has quickly won me over.

Whether you get the 13-inch or 15-inch size, the thinner bezels around the display provide a large screen area to display whatever you're working on. Those thinner bezels flow nicely into rounded display corners, which makes the display feel nicely full.

Brightness, too, is lovely. My test version was the 13.8-inch screen (2304 x 1536) with a 120Hz touchscreen display that's uber responsive to a light finger. The default display is set to Vivid with adaptive color; the screen changes automatically depending on its environment.

The 7 uses an IPS touchscreen and LED display panel technology. I don't mind the lack of OLED; the screen is bright and clear. However, that means it's not great for gaming, although it does support HDR games, videos, and apps.

It also offers a variable refresh rate to save on battery power, reduce eye strain, and reduce motion blur in gaming.

You probably need to buy something other than the Surface Laptop 7 for gaming; most people I know use it for work. If that's your scenario, you won't be disappointed.

The model that I tested included Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a neural processing unit (NPU) that can handle 45 quadrillion operations per second.

So what? Well, this laptop can handle demanding workloads at a highly responsive speed. That can happen, too, without a significant drain on battery power.

If you've ever used a laptop that died too quickly or that you swore at a little too often because it took too long to get things done, you won't have either of those problems with the Laptop 7.

The ARMv8 (64-bit) processor is a big part of this equation. It's used in various devices, from smartphones to servers, and can handle higher data levels than 32-bit processors.

This processor is also known for its low power consumption and ability to accomplish more in less time than previous iterations.

It also includes the latest security features to help you guard against malware threats and hacking attempts. Those include Windows Hello (facial recognition), antivirus protection, BitLocker encryption, and built-in GPS tracking to help locate your device.

When I use a laptop, benchmarks like core speed are, of course, important. But I'm more interested in the actual usability of a product.

That means testing by using a laptop for anything and everything I do for work (response times and power are critical here) and whatever I need at home (portability is more important to me here, as is the ability to use it in any light).

Aside from a pesky annoyance like some software compatibility issues (the VPN that my company uses is not compatible (yet) with the Laptop 7), the 7 handles everything I need and then some.

I particularly appreciate the longer battery life in this model since I like to leave my laptop on for fast access throughout the day.

Whether I'm working at a desk, on the couch, or in the kitchen, the Surface Laptop 7 never disappoints.

It has survived being placed on various surfaces, including boxes, desks, and outdoors in direct sunlight. It has even endured the chaos of daily life, including encounters with dogs and kids, and still performs like a champ.

If you're a fan of AI, you'll love the Laptop 7. Creators will love Cocreator in the Paint version included in this laptop. Others, too, will find it useful.

For example, if you're not into posting on social media but need to get some invitations done (and are a so-so artist at best, like me), then Cocreator can help you look like Picasso.

Cocreator is useful for a variety of things, as are Restyle Image and Image Creator in the Photos app. AI is also at work on this laptop's camera: It works easily with Windows Studio Effects to give you features like creative filters, portrait blurring, and auto framing.

My favorite aspect of Microsoft's AI is that a companywide directive ensures that no one can take your actual image and change it to something unsavory.

You can change backgrounds and create art, but attempts to change anything beyond backgrounds or other non-human details when a face is detected in an image will be ignored. (Learn more about Microsoft's approach to responsible AI.)

Aside from the creative aspects of AI included in the Surface Laptop 7, Copilot is available at the touch of a keyboard button.

It is a chatbot, virtual assistant, and productivity tool rolled into one; the Copilot key gives you instant access to additional AI features like Live Captions (very cool if you need real-time translation features).

A feature called Recall essentially takes images of your screen every few seconds to help you find things you were working on more efficiently.

Everyone except gamers can appreciate this newest Microsoft laptop.

If you're working off an old laptop that's heavy, has a screen that can't seem to work under a glare or low light, or isn't getting the job done from a performance perspective, then an upgrade to the Surface Laptop 7 could be just what you need to take you through the next few years of life.

It's a powerful option for high school and college students and any adult in the market for a responsive, lightweight, smaller laptop.

I wouldn't recommend it for younger students or children; the price tag alone knocks them out of the equation for me, but a typical Chromebook should work for most in that age range.

The bonus here are the AI features, which Microsoft will undoubtedly add to and improve upon as it upgrades various software programs.

Creators and artistic types will enjoy the ease of use AI offers for design work; the rest of us will just like the way that AI is close at hand via the Copilot button.

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