Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 comes out ahead overall, scoring 75% to 25% across the categories compared — particularly overall score (6.9 /10 vs 5.6 /10).
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 scored 75%, Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 scored 25%.
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 is priced around $1299, Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 around $1299.
How Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 Rank
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
Apple M4 (10-Core) ranks in the top 7% of 45 CPUs we track.
Apple M4 GPU (10-Core) ranks in the top 18% of 29 GPUs we track.
LPDDR5X RAM ranks in the top 25% of 4 RAM types we track.
Custom storage interface ranks in the top 75% of 4 storage interfaces we track.
IPS LCD display ranks in the top 60% of 5 display types we track.
Aluminum build ranks in the top 38% of 8 build materials we track.
Wi-Fi 6E ranks in the top 67% of 3 Wi-Fi standards we track.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
Adreno X1-45 ranks in the top 80% of 29 GPUs we track.
LPDDR5X RAM ranks in the top 25% of 4 RAM types we track.
PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) storage interface ranks in the top 50% of 4 storage interfaces we track.
IPS LCD display ranks in the top 60% of 5 display types we track.
Aluminum build ranks in the top 38% of 8 build materials we track.
Wi-Fi 7 ranks in the top 34% of 3 Wi-Fi standards we track.
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Overall Score
| Spec |
 Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 6.9 /10 | 5.6 /10 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Build & Design
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Portability score | 8.1 /10 | 9.6 /10 |
| Weight | 1.51 kg | 1.22 kg |
| Thickness | 11.5 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 | 340.4 x 237.6 x 11.5 mm | 285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6 mm |
| Footprint | 809 cm2 (125.3 inches2) | 612 cm2 (94.8 inches2) |
| Touchpad surface | Glass | Glass |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Benchmarks
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Performance score | 7.7 /10 | 6 /10 |
| Cinebench (multi-core) | 956 | 670 |
| Cinebench (single-core) | 167 | 101 |
| Geekbench (multi-core) | 14368 | 10824 |
| Geekbench (single-core) | 3700 | 2281 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: CPU
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 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 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: GPU
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 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 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Memory
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 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 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Storage
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 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 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Display
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Display score | 5.4 /10 | 4.1 /10 |
| Display size | 15.3 in | 13 in |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 400 nits |
| Pixel density | 224 ppi | 178 ppi |
| Touchscreen | No | Yes |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Display type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | 1920 x 1280 |
| Screen coating | Glossy | Glossy |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 3:2 |
| Contrast ratio | 1641:1 | 1000:1 |
| sRGB coverage | 100% | 97.6% |
| Response time | 24 ms | 37 ms |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~83.9% | ~82.3% |
| Side bezels | 5.4 mm | 5.5 mm |
| Maximum opening angle | 130° | 135° |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Battery
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Battery score | 8.6 /10 | 7.7 /10 |
| Battery capacity | 66.5 Wh | 50 Wh |
| Charging speed | 35 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 | 2:44 hr | 2:10 hr |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Network & Connectivity
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 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 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Audio
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Speaker configuration | 2.4 (2 tweeters and 4 woofers) | 2.0 |
| Speaker loudness | ~85.8 dB | ~83.5 dB |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: OS & Software
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS | Windows 11 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Extras & Features
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 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 15 M4
- Overall score: 6.9 /10 (vs 5.6 /10)
- Performance score: 7.7 /10 (vs 6 /10)
- Battery score: 8.6 /10 (vs 7.7 /10)
- Display score: 5.4 /10 (vs 4.1 /10)
- Cinebench (multi-core): 956 (vs 670 )
- Cinebench (single-core): 167 (vs 101 )
- Geekbench (multi-core): 14368 (vs 10824 )
- Geekbench (single-core): 3700 (vs 2281 )
- CPU threads: 10 (vs 8 )
- GPU compute: 3.8 TFLOPS (vs 1.7 TFLOPS)
- Display size: 15.3 in (vs 13 in)
- Brightness: 500 nits (vs 400 nits)
- Pixel density: 224 ppi (vs 178 ppi)
- Battery capacity: 66.5 Wh (vs 50 Wh)
- Thickness: 11.5 mm (vs 15.6 mm)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
- Portability score: 9.6 /10 (vs 8.1 /10)
- Connectivity score: 7.2 /10 (vs 7 /10)
- Storage upgradable
- Touchscreen
- Charging speed: 45 W (vs 35 W)
- Weight: 1.22 kg (vs 1.51 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 has the better overall score, the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
The Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 has the better overall score at 6.9 /10, versus 5.6 /10 on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.
Which has the better performance score, the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
The Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 has the better performance score at 7.7 /10, versus 6 /10 on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.
Which has the better portability score, the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 has the better portability score at 9.6 /10, versus 8.1 /10 on the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4.
Which has the better battery score, the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
The Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 has the better battery score at 8.6 /10, versus 7.7 /10 on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.