Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 wins 7 of the 12 categories we compared, against 3 for Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2 tied) — including overall score (6.9/10 vs 5.6/10).
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: which one should you buy?
Choose the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 if you care most about overall score (6.9/10 vs 5.6/10), performance score (7.6/10 vs 6/10) and battery score (8.5/10 vs 7.7/10).
Choose the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 if you care most about charging speed (45 W vs 30 W) and wi-fi generation (7 vs 6).
Watch the video comparison
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Overall Score
| Spec |
 Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 6.9/10 | 5.6/10 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Build & Design
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Portability score | 9.4/10 | 9.6/10 |
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 1.22 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mm | 15.6 mm |
| Fingerprint reader | Yes | Yes |
| Vapor chamber cooling | No | No |
| Numeric keypad | No | No |
| Windows Precision touchpad | No | Yes |
| Facial recognition | No | No |
| Build material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Available colors | Black, Silver, Gold, Blue | Silver, Gray, Purple |
| Keyboard | Backlit, Island | Backlit, Island |
| Key travel | 1 mm | 1.5 mm |
| Cooling system | Passive | Active |
| Dimensions | 304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm | 285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6 mm |
| Footprint | 654 cm2 (101.3 inches2) | 612 cm2 (94.8 inches2) |
| Touchpad surface | Glass | Glass |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Benchmarks
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Performance score | 7.6/10 | 6/10 |
| Cinebench (multi-core) | 933 | 670 |
| Cinebench (single-core) | 166 | 101 |
| Geekbench (multi-core) | 14223 | 10824 |
| Geekbench (single-core) | 3622 | 2281 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: CPU
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| CPU threads | 10 | 8 |
| CPU | Apple M4 (10-Core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus |
| CPU cores | 10 (4P + 6E) | 8 |
| CPU base frequency | 4.46 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| CPU turbo frequency | — | 3.4 GHz |
| CPU L3 cache | — | 6 MB |
| CPU manufacturing process | 3 nm | 4 nm |
| CPU configurations available | Apple M4 (10-Core) | X1P-42-100 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: GPU
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| GPU compute | 3.8 TFLOPS | 1.7 TFLOPS |
| GPU | Apple M4 GPU (10-Core) | Adreno X1-45 |
| GPU type | Integrated | Integrated |
| Integrated GPU | Apple M4 GPU (10-core) | Qualcomm Adreno X1-45 |
| GPU VRAM | System Shared | System Shared |
| GPU memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| GPU memory bus | 128 bit | — |
| GPU base clock | 500 MHz | 280 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1470 MHz | 1107 MHz |
| GPU power (TGP) | 18 W | — |
| GPU configurations available | Apple M4 GPU (10-Core) | Adreno X1-45 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Memory
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM upgradable | No | No |
| RAM type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| RAM clock speed | 7500 MHz | 8448 MHz |
| RAM slots | — | 1 |
| RAM channels | 2x8 GB | 2x8 GB |
| RAM configurations available | 16GB|24GB|32GB | 16GB|32GB|64GB |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Storage
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| NVMe storage | Yes | Yes |
| Storage upgradable | No | Yes |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Storage interface | Custom | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage configurations available | 256GB, 512GB, 1 TB, 2 TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1 TB |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Display
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Display score | 5.3/10 | 4.1/10 |
| Display size | 13.6 in | 13 in |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 400 nits |
| Pixel density | 225 ppi | 178 ppi |
| Touchscreen | No | Yes |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Display type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1664 | 1920 x 1280 |
| Screen coating | Glossy | Glossy |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 3:2 |
| Contrast ratio | 1494:1 | 1000:1 |
| sRGB coverage | 99.9% | 97.6% |
| Response time | — | 37 ms |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~82% | ~82.3% |
| Side bezels | 5.6 mm | 5.5 mm |
| Maximum opening angle | 130° | 135° |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Battery
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Battery score | 8.5/10 | 7.7/10 |
| Battery capacity | 53.8 Wh | 50 Wh |
| Charging speed | 30 W | 45 W |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Charging port | USB-C | USB-C |
| Proprietary charging | Yes | No |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Full charge time | 2:40 hr | 2:10 hr |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Network & Connectivity
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 7/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Wi-Fi generation | 6 | 7 |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Ethernet port | No | No |
| HDMI port | No | No |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| SD card reader | No | No |
| USB-A ports | No | 1x USB 3.2 |
| USB-C ports | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Audio
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Speaker configuration | 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) | 2.0 |
| Speaker loudness | ~77 dB | ~83.5 dB |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: OS & Software
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS | Windows 11 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Extras & Features
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| 2-in-1 convertible | No | No |
| Webcam | 1080p FHD | 1080p FHD |
| Webcam position | Above the display | Above the display |
Where each laptop wins
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4
- Overall score: 6.9/10 (vs 5.6/10)
- Performance score: 7.6/10 (vs 6/10)
- Battery score: 8.5/10 (vs 7.7/10)
- Display score: 5.3/10 (vs 4.1/10)
- Cinebench (multi-core): 933 (vs 670)
- Cinebench (single-core): 166 (vs 101)
- Geekbench (multi-core): 14223 (vs 10824)
- Geekbench (single-core): 3622 (vs 2281)
- CPU threads: 10 (vs 8)
- GPU compute: 3.8 TFLOPS (vs 1.7 TFLOPS)
- Display size: 13.6 in (vs 13 in)
- Brightness: 500 nits (vs 400 nits)
- Pixel density: 225 ppi (vs 178 ppi)
- Battery capacity: 53.8 Wh (vs 50 Wh)
- Thickness: 11.3 mm (vs 15.6 mm)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
- Portability score: 9.6/10 (vs 9.4/10)
- Connectivity score: 7.2/10 (vs 7/10)
- Storage upgradable
- Touchscreen
- Charging speed: 45 W (vs 30 W)
- Weight: 1.22 kg (vs 1.24 kg)
- Windows Precision touchpad
- Wi-Fi generation: 7 (vs 6)
- Bluetooth version: 5.4 (vs 5.3)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 wins 7 of the 12 categories we compared, against 3 for Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2 tied) — including overall score (6.9/10 vs 5.6/10).
Which is cheaper, the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
The Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 costs around $1199, $100 less than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 at around $1299.
What are the main differences between the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
The biggest gaps are in overall score (6.9/10 on the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs 5.6/10); performance score (7.6/10 on the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs 6/10); battery score (8.5/10 on the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs 7.7/10).