Alex: It has huge bezzels the I/O sucks it has bad battery life it needs a better screen, but aside from that (aka everything except the keyboard) its great"
Like he said, it had flaws, but every time you use it you think "oh man this feels nice why did I ever switch"... That means they also did a lot good :P
The keyboard has horrible deck flex. Alex was quite light handed on that, I tried it and I can assure you it's really, really bad. Sometimes the deck flex is bigger than the key travel itself. Unbearable.
@Filip Jovanovic depends what you call an allrounder. Quad core low-voltage, 16gb ram 1tb disk and good screen, under 1.3kg and not too big to lug around fits a perfect allrounder for me. Does everything besides big media or gaming. I use them as my workhorse for coding for years now. Still, lots of competition at cheaper AND more expensive prices, with varying build qualities. But 3:2 screens in thin and lights (ahem and no MacBook) are still to rare to have lots of choice IMHO.
@@drew4678 Fun fact: The iPad was created because Steve Jobs came to ear that Microsoft wanted to create Windows Tablets on cooperation with other manufacturers.
@@drew4678 Apple’s guilty of bad design probably more than Microsoft. From poor thermal systems to the butterfly keyboard to soldering in components, Apple has led the way with bad design often.
@@bizmonkey007 Yeah... But they somehow seem to be a good job now. The same cannot be said for Microsoft. Windows 11 is literal trash. I had rather they support Windows 10.
I've felt the same way with surfaces for a while. They look STUNNING. But these mild spec bumps with no updates to their displays, IO, and more makes it a tough sell imo
Agreed , I bought the surface laptop 2 when it came out . It looks pretty and does all the excels and other office work .I really like it over the high spec ones the newer ones feel trashier than the surface laptop 2 and outdated. hopedfully when i have to upgrade aorund surface lapop 6-7 , they fix it.
I'm guessing they spent a ton of money designing the first one because they wanted to kick the OEM's in the pants and make them start putting out less crappy hardware... But since then probably spending a fraction just making minor changes since Dell and others are making much nicer stuff now.
@@soumyadeepbasak4565 bro you gotta look closely... I would say more than 20% audience of these tech channels come from India .. I am an Indian too lol
I don't know why I read your comments in Indian English accent with moving my head slightly to the left and right 😂 All the love and respect to people from Indian
most computers can run for like a decade with only maybe a few component swaps due to like a fan dying or a battery dying, but yeah practically speaking though, if you are doing some heavier workloads on it, using a decade old laptop isnt very practical, since alex does CAD and stuff, which the more powerful the pc, the better, so replacing a laptop every 2 years for newer hardware is understandable now, people that replace their computer every single time something comes out, now that is a bit unnecessary due to the marginal improvements. but i believe that 2-5 years is a good time to replace a pc, or at least upgrade it
@@azin6732 "...where he can get any laptop he wants" Why would I WANT to constantly switch devices? I pick devices to fit my needs. They have a job to do. If they can still do that job, it is a HUGE waste of time to vet a new device. 'Upgrades' are LITERALLY a bad thing if the current solution is doing a good job...
@@Prophes0r Just because you don't want to, doesn't mean everyone's the same way. If you're a tech enthusiast who needs to swap devices to construct proper reviews, why would you not use the device that you find more enjoyable?
Well you are right even Anthony who criticizes Intel the most got a tech upgrade.Alex seems to be the least Intel hater at Ltt even after their stupid rocket lake CPUs well the tiger lake ones were quite impressive though an the i5 11400f is a dirt cheap 6 core CPU while still taking blows with the previous champ but anything more than the 11600k is waste of sand
@@ryansony thanks, it also came with a brand new charger worth $30 and a decent laptop bag worth $50. For $220 I'm impressed however it wasn't this easy. I took a risk as it didn't boot and was bios locked, owner also said installing windows from USB didn't work so I had to fix it. I fixed it without soldering and a few things don't work as they have been disabled in bios I can't access but I'm fine with it as I don't use them and if I need them I'll use my phone to cast to the laptop with external programs. -no webcam, ir sensor, mic, speakers (on board audio disabled) Bluetooth works so I can use my phone to bring all those features back including sound. Everything else works perfectly and my laptop is in 9.5/10 cosmetic condition.
Remember when people used to say “Why’d you get a mac? You could’ve gotten a better Windows PC for cheaper.” Now you can get a shittier Windows PC for more than a macbook
@@mrmaverick007 I use Android exclusively. And I am a hardcore Linux enthusiast (not releavant, but just making my case as a non apple fanboy). I still think a macbook is the best premium bang for buck laptop you can get.
I just got the surface laptop 4 for 350 bucks used in good condition. For 350 I would only get a used Mac pro from 2015 if I am lucky. So for me since I like to buy second hand, Windows products have a way better value for money ratio
Totally agree, when I was given an MS Surface at work I loved it. I actually preferred the old docking station even though it requires more desk space, I like not having to plug in cables... ever. I also liked the keyboard more than any other I've ever used, and its extreme portability and being lightweight were fantastic for going to meetings. Just hoped if it was all-day meetings, that a power jack was available. Mine only lasted about 2 years as a daily driver at work with a medium volume of meetings, so mine definitely had durability issues.
Microsoft devices make me feel how I imagine top gear presenters feel on long road trips when they say they make a connection with their cars. There are some wierd quirks but can't help but love them regardless
Nice review. I bought this Surface Laptop 4 13.5" (base AMD model) and I ended up returning it for several reasons: - I found that 8GB was not enough RAM for me, as I was regularly maxing it out. - Screen is extremely reflective, and I found the colors to be strangely warm. - Noticeable keyboard flex. - Annoying for the laptop to be so expensive, have no thunderbolt, very few ports, and I did not want to carry around another charger just for this latpop. - I was having issues with the battery. It would say that it was at 220% battery, then 20%, then it would shut off (even after a full charge). I did a factory reset which seemed to have fixed the problem, but still not a good experience. I did purchase an open box version from Best Buy though. So I returned it with the intention of getting the Core i5 version because I mostly just wanted more RAM, but then I watched tons of reviews and went with the Lenovo X1 Nano for ~$1100. It has thunderbolt, USB-C charging, smaller form factor, awesome keyboard, non-reflective matte screen, excellent battery life, and just wonderful laptop overall. As much as I am a fan of Microsoft and Windows, I'm super happy I chose the Lenovo instead.
@@melo3427 I actually ended up with the Thinkpad X1 Nano. Decided I wanted the matte screen and a ligjt machine. It's a Core i5 with 16GB RAM, and is plenty of power as a secondary device. Really happy with it so far.
@@clavius5734 I've never heard the fan. Probably because the CPU is a lower wattage one. I really love that matte screen, visible in any environment. Highly recommend the machine! Only things that annoy me are not enough ports (only 2 USB C ports). And also I've had an issue with connecting a Bluetooth mouse. There's a lag when you haven't used the mouse in a few seconds while it wakes up. I fixed it by going into the registry and doing some hacky stuff so the mouse isn't put to sleep, but this should've been fixed by Lenovo. Other than that, perfect machine for what I wanted.
Thanks for this comment. I was about the buy this laptop but then saw the cheaper X13 gen 2 (AMD model). I'm not sure the surface laptop 4 warrants the extra 150 bucks extra. Cheers.
I bought the surface laptop 3 when it came out, and I do not regret buying it at all. It really isn't much as like a tech beast like the XPS 13, but for a school laptop it's great it treats me well. I'm glad that this review came out because I was thinking about upgrading but so far I am not missing out on anything.
@@bobzombii8038 Pretty sure the reviewers I listen to aren't taking money for reviews. They review too many devices and it would hurt their reputation.
It's because its Microsoft first party and looks like a MacBook, but feels flimsy like it's a nice throwaway workhorse considering they don't pay out of pocket themselves imo
It's not so much about the look but it adds to the size of the laptop and if it being bigger isn't bad than it would be nice if that space was used up by a bigger screen
The bezels look fine and are fine. But let's say the same exact model with smaller bezels is released, you'd be surprised at how much more portable it is. On something that you'll bring everywhere, it actually makes a lot of difference imo.
You only need to set secure boot to "Microsoft and Third Part CA" and you can install Linux. The surface-linux kernel only partially supports the Surface Laptop 4 right now (Surface Laptop 3 is basically fully compatible) so I would first check the feature matrix to see what version of the Surface Laptop 4 would work the best beforehand.
Be careful with the finish. It changes the feel of the keyboard quite a lot. The squishyness is real with the Alcantara. The metal one has a more distinct click. I know it sounds stupid but the difference is real and you may want to consider it.
I love the alcantara. Ive had a gray surface laptop 1 for 3 years now and it looks as good as new. You just have to be careful with food and pens around it. I wish, like reallly wish they kept the black alcantara. It's the color that makes most sense because it will look clean the longest and as a student id love to not worry about pen ink.
Can Microsoft improve this laptop in the next generation while maintaining the form factor?? Thinner bezel, more battery, less keyboard flex, more thunderbolt 4 ports? If they can't do these, I'm going to be very disappointed.
@Aditya Bhattacharya HP has decent and clear speakers, but who gives a fuck just plug some high quality Bluetooth headphones or audiophile headphones in.
@@emissarygw2264 TWS earbuds solve everything. My laptop stays on my bed and I listen to podcasts while doing stuff around the house. Same with my phone.
@@varunnarain50 I could see it. Again, not a high priority, but for the occasions when you do use the speakers it's nice if they sound good. That's probably a lot more often for me than for you. I wouldn't pay $100 more for it, but it would play a factor if I was comparing two very similar laptops. I will say, I used to use earbuds 99% of the time when gaming, working, in meetings etc. but when my buds broke and I started using some good desktop speakers instead, I found I really enjoyed that a lot more, to the point where I don't use headphones/earbuds at all anymore.
I've spent the last few weeks looking at Surface Laptop 4 reviews and impressions and was wondering why LTT and more importantly Alex hasn't talked about it yet; alas here I am, and it's here.
i've got a surface laptop 2, and he's right. there's just something about these devices that make them a joy to use. just typing this right now, i'm reminded how good the keyboard is and how nice the alcantara top case feels under your hands. the screen is absolutely gorgeous IMO, everything is sharp and colors look really good, and the 3:2 ratio is also great for everything besides watching movies. a couple months ago i bought an M1 Macbook air, and i really like that laptop (its my current daily driver), but the keyboard and speakers on this surface laptop 2 are definitely better. i really can't understad why everyone was gushing over the macbook air speakers so much when the surface laptop speakers were louder and fuller sounding. and also, even on this 2 generation old model, windows hello works so incredibly well!!! that reminds me.... the webcam is also frickin fantastic. the biggest shortcoming is really lack of thunderbolt, but at least they added USB-C to the new ones.
@@jorismak no not at all, especially if you low spec it to match the shitty surface. It is a couple of hundrets more but does nearly everything much better
@@MHWGamer depends on country I guess. 16gb 1tb i7 surface4 is still a tiny bit cheaper than a _starting_ price XPS15. I do like to xps series, but the thing they ask more money for is not always what people want to pay more money for. Don't need the GPU but it steels battery life on the 15 and makes it way more expensive, keyboard is awesome on both. Trackpad is awesome on both. Io is crap on both. Screen is 3:2 and calibrated on both. Xps has crappy pwm brightness though. Not saying the XPS15 isn't the better machine, but 1000 bucks better and giving my eye strain? Surface isn't bad at all. I'll still keep to think pads though, or HP or Acer swifts when budget is concerned. No LG Grams possible here.
@@jorismak here in germany the xps 13 is 150€ cheaper than the same spected surface laptop (or 50 if you want the 4k touch screen), btw they are both ridiculous spected for a 13 inch thin and light. Why do you compare a 13 inch vs 15 inch in the firt place? The xps 15 with i7 h processor and a 1650ti and normal 2k display is 50 bucks more than the surace laptop I used to compare before that. Dell xps laptops are crazy expensive in general, but Ms tops that (unjustified!)
First off it sounded like you where holding back from giving it your honest and the best review possible, as to not sound like a fanboy. I know the xps is better in alot of ways but in my uses of the surface devices compared to others the bessels keep your fingerprints off the viewing area of the screen and your fingers from pressing something you don't want to press especially with the surface pro and surface book they just keep it on all of there lines of computers it could be a little smaller but it is the perfect size for me. Next is the speakers my laptop (the surface laptop 4) beats my surface book 2 and all of my friends laptops in sound quality it is very loud and I'd still put it on higher end speakers of computers, it is definitely no mid range speakers. It plays games like the Master Chief collection in basically full quality settings on the AMD Ryzen 5 16 gigs of ram so yes you can do some gaming on it. Next you can upgrade your storage which I don't even remember you mentioning in the video by taking it apart that is the biggest win for me. And I love the surface connect port I would never replace it for thunderbolt but I would like for the USB C port already on the device to be thunderbolt. But it is a very fun device to use and the screen ratio size really is a big win even if you're losing a bit of quality I do hope they fix it in the future but I love it now. Surface devices are such satisfying devices to use and fun And beautiful even with its bezels which I think look great. Would I buy it again 150% yes do I love it yes.
Surface laptop doesn't need bezels unlike Surface Book or Pro. That's just cost-cutting from Microsoft for a high-end device. It's unforgivable. Surface lines with a heavy usage have been shown times and again will have screen problem (search up flickergate), ghost touch, and poor hybrid sleep performance. Please don't game on that machine if you want to keep it longer.
Microsoft doesn't want to "fix" glaring flaws of surface products like last gen cpus and gpus because it doesn't want to make OEMS angry and directly compete with them. Surface products are more like guideline to OEMS and demonstration to customers that windows laptops are not trash.
As a Nova Scotian living outside the province there’s always something comforting about Alex’s maritime accent in videos. Oat and aboat goin in yer cahr, etc. Dont let any of those west coasters shame you for it bud! 😂
This is 110% me with almost anything with a manual transmission. It’s slower, clunkier, “less refined”, but I love it. Sometimes numbers on paper don’t equal the final experience.
I feel like one day Linus needs to make a video about asking whether engineers at the manufacturers whether they watch any review videos that they design.
@@mguanipa2how's it dated this is brand new who the hell full buys a laptop with Io like this even dirt cheap laptops have better Io than this no thunderbolt only one usb type c and a type a what the heck and the display sucks too how do you call that dated even 10 year old dirt cheap laptops had better io
Microsoft is not going to put a thunderbolt port on the surface products for security reasons. Microsoft's words, not mine. It has to do with direct access to ram.
I just bought the M1 Macbook air and it's funny because it fails on the things this one does right and viceversa. For example the palm rest is freaking cold and sharp to the point it can hurt your wrists, the charging wears the scarce thunderbolt ports and fragile cable, and the unlocking is so inconvenient because you have to place your finger every time and when you turn the laptop off you have to type your passcode. But then the display and performance are great for the price, the battery life is tremendously good and there's pretty much no computer that thin that feels so stiff with speakers that loud. It just proofs there's no perfect device, just devices meant for different consumers.
The Surface lineup has always felt like a best kept secret. I don't think I've ever seen one out in the wild other than my own. Unfortunately, the entire product stack is starting to feel decidedly dated. Especially compared to what Apple's offering these days. And for some bizarre reason they keep cutting features, like the Surface Pros not shipping with Windows 10 Pro anymore. While they're good quality machines, I get the impression that Microsoft doesn't really take Surface seriously.
9:09 fyi Microsoft has long done this with Surfaces, the extra bit of heatpipe on the other side from the fan is basically to expand how much it can passively cool through the chassis.
Review the Surface Dock by setting up a Dock at the office to convert your portable device to your desktop. You may never look back. Reviewers are always complaining about lack of TB4. I have exactly zero thunderbolt devices. In fact, I do not know of a single person with an actual Thunderbolt device. If I go shopping I can find thunderbolt devices at the Apple Store for twice the price of USB-C devices. It is hard to find TB devices anywhere else because they are not popular and they are too expensive. Why do I need a TB4 port? Normal people do not edit 8K video using an external GPU over a 10GB network. Normal people plug in phones, thumb drives, SD cards and HDMI cables and not much else.
As someone who owns a xps 15, I do feel that the xps 15 is sometimes too big and heavy, even though it’s one of the smaller 15-inch laptop. I wouldn’t trade it for surface laptop 4, but that’s just my opinion
I can completely relate. I own Surface laptop 3 and definitely I will choose SL4 over another ultra options fro coding. I honestly never needed Thunderbolt as I manage files in cloud. There is something with that design I love. ♥️
This review, reminds me of a car review. When you have a car that has a small boot, is impossible to get into and out of and gets terrible gas mileage.. but it's the one you want to use everyday
Alex is a writer, so no wonder that he just loves it for the keyboard. He's got those quirks that he wants removed and fixed, but he'll put up with it because a nice keyboard and soft wrist rests. Most writers will sacrifice power for comfort.
I kinda prefer the Surface Book. The idea of a tablet that you can plug into a base with a full GPU is kinda cool I kinda wish they'd combine it with the surface pro's kickstand design though.
This review really summed it up in such a great way. I ve been using Dell XPS models since 2013 and my gf has had Apple Macbook Pros since the mid 2000s (which I also used, admired but mostly loathed for the sake of OS quirks) and now, for two days, I got the Surface Laptop 4 and I feel like I m falling for a cult... I ve only had it for 2 days (!!) so logically, I can t tell much but gee, the way it feels, the no fuss, no bloatware approach and the palm rest (alcantara version)/ keyboard just speaks to me like no other device before. Mine doesn t have as much sag in the middle of the keyboard as yours but it still has it more than I expected....usually I d moan about that but well, I actually don t mind, it still feels great! I d say the keyboard is a tad softer than XPSes but not as soft as Apple s and with more feedback...it s the right middle ground. I m just surprised it makes such a difference and I m sure you were onto something in your vid given height of the lower end of the palm rest- sth I always found irritating with MacBooks or the XPS 15 (less so with the 13). I d argue the touchpad is superior to Macbooks, it s somehow more sensitive and more in line with the rest. Haven t done much with it so far but it felt just right, am just worried that 8 GB of ram might be too little (i5, 512GB ssd will be good enough) and it really deeply pains me that you can t do the 180 with the screen. Even after 2 days seeing how the pen feels and reacts, it a such a great shame you can t do that (pen was probably a waste of money). Anyway, first device in years that got me emotional for some reason I can t really describe, it s the sum of the little things maybe.
Question, what actually uses thunderbolt? Like I have an iPhone, Xbox series, gaming pc (built last year) and a laptop and I've never come across it, yet LTT always talks about it? I have plenty of things that use USB-C but pretty sure lightning and USB-C only use the same physical connector and aren't the same right?
It uses the USB-C connector and has a lot of bandwidth. 40 Gbps, and it works for power, displays, storage, and many more peripherals. It's the reason that Macs only have USB-C ports, since those USB C ports can be power ports, DisplayPort/HDMI/VGA/DVI/etc., USB-A ports, and pretty much anything. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)
Faster data transfer like with USB hubs like those from Caldigit, pcie drives, graphics cards, displays, I think the new iPad has it too. Main selling point was you can use that port for anything.
It's more about giving people the option. Thunderbolt essentially gives you PCIe connection, so you can connect a desktop grade GPU to a laptop through an eGPU enclosure. You can also get really fancy and expensive external hard drives. Again, definitely not anything everyone will use, but it is nice to be there if you need it.
In anything that is recent, or isnt an Iphone, has thunderbolt. Aka - USB C | Its better than micro usb and lightning pot. Your pc doesnt have it becosue its likely too old. My i5-9400f system has 2 usb C ports on it. USB-C is soooo much better than anything else out right now. A lot of keyboards have usb c for charging aswell.
I have an original Surface Laptop 1 (along with a 2017 Pro) and I absolutely love it. Genuinely the best laptop typing experience I've ever had. Still haven't had a need to upgrade. Glad it's not my only computer, but it's so nice to use when on the go.
I'm starting to think bezels shouldn't be so thin. They're the spots we would put our thumbs when trying to grip our devices, whether it's quickly lifting them (Nintendo Switch from dock especially) or opening them like this laptop... I don't want the touchscreen registering inputs or a non-touchscreen getting thumbprints when I'm just trying to grip my device. Also, can squeeze stuff under bezels and allow thinner screens, I think? Even then, if a device for carrying in the arm or throwing in a bag/carrying case is already less than half-an-inch thick, I would say good job. It's far more portable than my hefty 1.5 inch-thick 2007 laptop.
I bought a Surface Laptop 3 because of your review just over a year ago, and coming from Mac, it's one of my absolute favorite laptops. Yes, I wish for a dedicated GPU sometimes, and I 100% would have bought the AMD version had the offered it in the 13 inch size back then, but over all it's been excellent. It'll be a while before I upgrade, but the next one will more than likely be another Surface with the AMD chip. Here's hoping for a performance model one day with a dedicated GPU. Otherwise, it may be that new 14in Razer...
"This NEEDS thunderbolt" Isn't that still particularly rare on AMD machines, since they offer AMD SKUs? Also apparently Microsoft cites security concerns as to why they don't use Thunderbolt: “If you have a well prepared stick that you can put into the direct memory access port, then you can access the full device in memory and all data that’s stored in memory. We don’t believe, at this moment, that Thunderbolt can deliver the security that’s really needed from the devices.”
@@Freestyle80 You can also configure TB devices to be approved before they are able to connect, so this isn't really a big deal. But I know MS has used this security issue of TB as an excuse for not having it on the Surface products for a long time
@@Day-wm7nn Developers tools (editors, compilers, debuggers, code analyzers, etc) don't benefit from dedicated graphics at all. No one really does machine learning on a laptop since using a remote server is so convenient for that. There are video game programmers who could benefit from discrete graphics, but it would be odd to recommend a product targeting that niche.
I purchased the 15" Laptop 4 and just love it. So glad I left Dell for this. It should be mentioned that the keyboard is more solid than the 13" which flexes. The 15" does not flex and the larger screen is more pleasing for watching UA-cam videos or movies. It came with Windows 10 and Windows 11 I upgraded to and have no issues. I don't care about Thunderbolt as I just use the laptop for internet, videos, email and Word/Excel. Microsoft has a great docking station for this laptop that will give you the added connections that some will want when using a 2nd screen, etc.
I remember the times were if you had a laptop that could watch youtube for more than 1-2 hours you had a long battery life now if your laptop cant last more than 10 hours it isn't grate.
Yeah I've used one for years I think first gen alcantera was iffy but now all good. As for speakers I've never really cared since I always use my headphones or hook up proper external speakers. It's a great road warrior laptop. I don't need it for gaming or video editing but it works great for watching vids on a long trip abroad, I have edited vids on it and just let it render overnight...
I run a Laptop 2 for work and absolutely love it. The keyboard, touch pad, alcantara and the 3:2 is what sold it to me over every other option. Even without USBC is was well ahead of anything else for productivity. However, I use the Mini DP port pretty regularly when I work from home and the USB needed to be Thunderbolt. So looks like I will skip this generation as well
so: screen is less color accurate, less bright, has enormous bezels and is smaller and also has shine form reflections keyboard has enormous flex touchpad is much smaller there is very poor a/o and weird power delivery battery is small speakers are worse how is it better than xps 15?
Bought the xps 15 four weeks ago... First one i received was completely wrecked, replacement worked 3 weeks and then the speakers started rattling. I am so sad i had to return it because it was just awesome to use. Now i am used to the xps-awesomeness and dont know what to get now...
I really wanted to get a Dell XPS for the speaker quality alone, but I've heard so many bad things about them, I'm just going to have to make myself look somewhere else.
3:2 screen means it's extra taller even on the keyboard side. Maybe the reason it feels more comfortable is that there is more space for your wrists to rest on.
The MacBook ABSOLUTELY obliterates this when it comes to performance and even display/other physical attributes. U tbh just really have to like windows not to go with one
@@mguanipa2 You mean the other way around? I've been an apple customer since 2008, and all the way until 2020 ending with the M1 mac, which was the most weakest apple machine I have ever purchased in my entire life, also being incompatible with all my software (I work in 3D modelling) and games, it was the worst computer I have ever spent money on.
@@igameidoresearchtoo6511 I have a M1 MacBook Pro and I love the materials, battery, sound display and performance, I also have an issue with compatibility but in most cases theres either an early fix which is getting better or a fix is coming, I hate the lack of ports the thick bezels, the absolute lack of any graphics performance and the touchbar 🤣 but I still think it's leagues above anything from Windows as an all rounder
@@martinseal1987 Have you tried actual decent windows based laptops? well, I have, and I can tell you the M1 is unable to even compete in any way to it, super thin machines with decent cooling (Atleast better than the M1's overheating issues) and desktop like performance, in something that both cheaper and cleaner looking than any M1 macbook. But that's only laptops, on desktop the M1 is even worse, so bad infact I can't ever describe it with words
“The XPS 9510 has all the best features you can get in a laptop. That’s why I’m leaving it to go to the 4 year old design of the Microsoft Surface” -Alex
@@rookie22222 external gpus are more expensive than a new laptop. i dont get it either. plus is seems to expose the motherboard to damage, which isnt what microsoft wants. instead of planned abscolence even found in Dell and Lenovo, microsoft actually has the quality control business model. which is great! also thunderbolt has security weaknesses.
Tried out the surface laptop 3 at best buy last year and I have the same feelings about it. It was my favorite one to type on and to just use, looked super nice in the black spec and would really like to use it.... IF all I was doing was basic web browsing, excel, word etc. But I need my laptop to also have the grunt for lightroom, photoshop and cad work so need that dedicated gpu for acceleration. If there was a surface laptop 4 *I hate to say it* Pro that had a dedicated gpu I would be all over it.
@@DavidGarcia-kx7we I am still on my old lenovo yoga 720 15" as I was not looking for a laptop at the time, was just there trying them out while my wife was looking. She ended up getting the Surface Book 3 for the convertibility of it but otherwise wouldn't recommend that one. It is a bit flakey with it's screen connection. For what you should get. The surface laptop is great if you don't need a gpu but if you do need a dedicated gpu I am not really sure what to point you towards. I am liking the look of the Asus laptops right now. Stuff like the flow x13 has been on my eye but I am not upgrading my laptop for a while so have not really been looking hard at what is out there. Really just depends on how you are going to use the laptop. If all you need is a rock solid school laptop that isn't going to be for gaming as well the surface laptop or xps line is incredible.
This is where the durability concerns come from...The car world pretty much knows that Alcantara on heavy touch points of a car are DESTINED to wear out. We use it on cars in-spite of its problems, not because it doesn't have any to begin with.
My whole family uses Surface devices, and they are picky when it comes to computers. Also, touchscreens! You don't always use it, but when you do, it works perfectly.
@@onion2787 The problem is that I've been waiting for a touchscreen Macbook for seven+ years, and Apple response is always: "no, you don't need it." Surface is the closest thing to it, and it works.
Alex: It is absolute trash.
Also Alex: I love it
Sounds like me describing my car xD
Wtf
I heard he is moving into a double wide next month.
Right? Oh, it has felt on the keyboard, MUST BUY! I don't get it...
Kind of like new zealand
"It's not as good as this better laptop, but I just like it."
Shill 100
@@swarnavasamanta2628 Keep crying.
@@swarnavasamanta2628 shill? The word spammed by stupid little kids
@@girlsdrinkfeck sure bootlicking fanboy
@@varnxxx says the fanboy who got butthurt
Alex: It has huge bezzels the I/O sucks it has bad battery life it needs a better screen, but aside from that (aka everything except the keyboard) its great"
Like he said, it had flaws, but every time you use it you think "oh man this feels nice why did I ever switch"... That means they also did a lot good :P
Battery life is actually quite good on the laptop 4, a significant improvement from previous gens
The keyboard has horrible deck flex. Alex was quite light handed on that, I tried it and I can assure you it's really, really bad. Sometimes the deck flex is bigger than the key travel itself. Unbearable.
@Filip Jovanovic depends what you call an allrounder. Quad core low-voltage, 16gb ram 1tb disk and good screen, under 1.3kg and not too big to lug around fits a perfect allrounder for me. Does everything besides big media or gaming. I use them as my workhorse for coding for years now. Still, lots of competition at cheaper AND more expensive prices, with varying build qualities.
But 3:2 screens in thin and lights (ahem and no MacBook) are still to rare to have lots of choice IMHO.
His thoughts are the same for every surface owner.
We love and hate them
Alex: unboxes any new laptop
Also Alex to the company that made the laptop: If u fix this, I will daily driver it
I really wanna know how many laptops does he have in his bag
@Filip Jovanovic That was smart. lol
Nothing’s perfect, and the closer you get the more expensive it is. Aaaaa
Microsoft be like:
If it ain't broke, don't fix it and if it is broke... There's a tomorrow.
Unless it's windows 11.
If it ain't broke, fix it till it's broke. If it is broke, break it more.
@@drew4678 Fun fact: The iPad was created because Steve Jobs came to ear that Microsoft wanted to create Windows Tablets on cooperation with other manufacturers.
If they fix stuff then there won’t be things to advertise as fixed down the line!
@@drew4678
Apple’s guilty of bad design probably more than Microsoft. From poor thermal systems to the butterfly keyboard to soldering in components, Apple has led the way with bad design often.
@@bizmonkey007 Yeah... But they somehow seem to be a good job now. The same cannot be said for Microsoft. Windows 11 is literal trash. I had rather they support Windows 10.
I've felt the same way with surfaces for a while.
They look STUNNING. But these mild spec bumps with no updates to their displays, IO, and more makes it a tough sell imo
Charging apple prices while having a large consumer base is a bad idea..
Agreed , I bought the surface laptop 2 when it came out . It looks pretty and does all the excels and other office work .I really like it over the high spec ones the newer ones feel trashier than the surface laptop 2 and outdated. hopedfully when i have to upgrade aorund surface lapop 6-7 , they fix it.
@@tushardhody8609 I hope so too dude.
Microsoft needs to get it together and do something big again
Honestly I love my surface go, but I gets harder and harder to justify getting a new one as there hasn’t been much of an improvement or price drop
I'm guessing they spent a ton of money designing the first one because they wanted to kick the OEM's in the pants and make them start putting out less crappy hardware... But since then probably spending a fraction just making minor changes since Dell and others are making much nicer stuff now.
Crab Rave: Has 8 million views
Also Crab rave : Has 4 million LMG views
1st time got some indian in a nice tech channel
@@soumyadeepbasak4565 Good to see more Indians in this part of the tech community.
@@soumyadeepbasak4565 bro you gotta look closely... I would say more than 20% audience of these tech channels come from India .. I am an Indian too lol
I am an indian too lol
I don't know why I read your comments in Indian English accent with moving my head slightly to the left and right 😂
All the love and respect to people from Indian
Alex:
I'm leaving XPS for Surface.
*Proceeds to shit on surface for 10 mins*
TLDR: "it's trash but it's fluffy so 10/10!"
Quite legit
@Meow get hackintosh
Two years? My laptop is eleven years old and still going.
Admittedly I was going to replace it this year, but stock availability etc etc.
He's in a workplace where he can get any laptop he wants, so 2 years is actually a really long time
most computers can run for like a decade with only maybe a few component swaps due to like a fan dying or a battery dying, but yeah
practically speaking though, if you are doing some heavier workloads on it, using a decade old laptop isnt very practical, since alex does CAD and stuff, which the more powerful the pc, the better, so replacing a laptop every 2 years for newer hardware is understandable
now, people that replace their computer every single time something comes out, now that is a bit unnecessary due to the marginal improvements. but i believe that 2-5 years is a good time to replace a pc, or at least upgrade it
@@azin6732 "...where he can get any laptop he wants"
Why would I WANT to constantly switch devices? I pick devices to fit my needs. They have a job to do.
If they can still do that job, it is a HUGE waste of time to vet a new device.
'Upgrades' are LITERALLY a bad thing if the current solution is doing a good job...
@@awesomestuff9715
"...if you are doing some heavier workloads on it..."
"...laptop..."
Yeah. There's your problem...
@@Prophes0r Just because you don't want to, doesn't mean everyone's the same way. If you're a tech enthusiast who needs to swap devices to construct proper reviews, why would you not use the device that you find more enjoyable?
I think he likes the build quality, the light weight and at the same time with great performance, which is great engineering from this laptop.
When are we getting Alex's Tech Upgrade? I thought his was next
I envision him just spending it all on a killer laptop, The Ultimate Laptop SetUp
he will just build an altar for his Dell XPS15.
Well you are right even Anthony who criticizes Intel the most got a tech upgrade.Alex seems to be the least Intel hater at Ltt even after their stupid rocket lake CPUs well the tiger lake ones were quite impressive though an the i5 11400f is a dirt cheap 6 core CPU while still taking blows with the previous champ but anything more than the 11600k is waste of sand
I don't know what the heck did I write these things for maybe the intel fanboy inside me wrote that
I got a Surface Laptop 1st gen for $200 few weeks ago, it's great! i5-7300U, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM so mid spec from 2017 in pristine condition.
damn that's a great deal, congrats on your laptop!
@@ryansony thanks, it also came with a brand new charger worth $30 and a decent laptop bag worth $50. For $220 I'm impressed however it wasn't this easy. I took a risk as it didn't boot and was bios locked, owner also said installing windows from USB didn't work so I had to fix it. I fixed it without soldering and a few things don't work as they have been disabled in bios I can't access but I'm fine with it as I don't use them and if I need them I'll use my phone to cast to the laptop with external programs.
-no webcam, ir sensor, mic, speakers (on board audio disabled)
Bluetooth works so I can use my phone to bring all those features back including sound.
Everything else works perfectly and my laptop is in 9.5/10 cosmetic condition.
"2.8 freedom units" LMAO!
came looking for this comment!
same also came looking for this
Remember when people used to say “Why’d you get a mac? You could’ve gotten a better Windows PC for cheaper.” Now you can get a shittier Windows PC for more than a macbook
exactly what i was thinking, at this price why not get a macbook?
@@deformercr6680 I know I'm a year late but some of us have androids or simply don't like MacOs
@@mrmaverick007 I use Android exclusively. And I am a hardcore Linux enthusiast (not releavant, but just making my case as a non apple fanboy).
I still think a macbook is the best premium bang for buck laptop you can get.
I just got the surface laptop 4 for 350 bucks used in good condition. For 350 I would only get a used Mac pro from 2015 if I am lucky. So for me since I like to buy second hand, Windows products have a way better value for money ratio
@@Flo-p1nhey buddy, im also thinking of getting one. Will it be good for coding and graphics work?
2.8 freedom units that got me laughing
Yeah. Of course this is top comment :D
Dankpods is getting famous !
Totally agree, when I was given an MS Surface at work I loved it. I actually preferred the old docking station even though it requires more desk space, I like not having to plug in cables... ever. I also liked the keyboard more than any other I've ever used, and its extreme portability and being lightweight were fantastic for going to meetings. Just hoped if it was all-day meetings, that a power jack was available. Mine only lasted about 2 years as a daily driver at work with a medium volume of meetings, so mine definitely had durability issues.
Microsoft devices make me feel how I imagine top gear presenters feel on long road trips when they say they make a connection with their cars. There are some wierd quirks but can't help but love them regardless
Can’t get enough of Riley putting his foot up the table and roaring like a cat
He totally was the one who spilt the beer.
Damn, that's a thicc headphone port at 3.5 inches! 1:35
Love it
Was about to post about that 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Nice review. I bought this Surface Laptop 4 13.5" (base AMD model) and I ended up returning it for several reasons:
- I found that 8GB was not enough RAM for me, as I was regularly maxing it out.
- Screen is extremely reflective, and I found the colors to be strangely warm.
- Noticeable keyboard flex.
- Annoying for the laptop to be so expensive, have no thunderbolt, very few ports, and I did not want to carry around another charger just for this latpop.
- I was having issues with the battery. It would say that it was at 220% battery, then 20%, then it would shut off (even after a full charge). I did a factory reset which seemed to have fixed the problem, but still not a good experience. I did purchase an open box version from Best Buy though.
So I returned it with the intention of getting the Core i5 version because I mostly just wanted more RAM, but then I watched tons of reviews and went with the Lenovo X1 Nano for ~$1100. It has thunderbolt, USB-C charging, smaller form factor, awesome keyboard, non-reflective matte screen, excellent battery life, and just wonderful laptop overall. As much as I am a fan of Microsoft and Windows, I'm super happy I chose the Lenovo instead.
' What did you end up buying?
@@melo3427 I actually ended up with the Thinkpad X1 Nano. Decided I wanted the matte screen and a ligjt machine. It's a Core i5 with 16GB RAM, and is plenty of power as a secondary device. Really happy with it so far.
How much does the fan kick in on the X1? I love the look of thinkpads, but I can't stand fan whining while I'm just browsing.
@@clavius5734 I've never heard the fan. Probably because the CPU is a lower wattage one. I really love that matte screen, visible in any environment. Highly recommend the machine!
Only things that annoy me are not enough ports (only 2 USB C ports). And also I've had an issue with connecting a Bluetooth mouse. There's a lag when you haven't used the mouse in a few seconds while it wakes up. I fixed it by going into the registry and doing some hacky stuff so the mouse isn't put to sleep, but this should've been fixed by Lenovo. Other than that, perfect machine for what I wanted.
Thanks for this comment. I was about the buy this laptop but then saw the cheaper X13 gen 2 (AMD model). I'm not sure the surface laptop 4 warrants the extra 150 bucks extra. Cheers.
I bought the surface laptop 3 when it came out, and I do not regret buying it at all. It really isn't much as like a tech beast like the XPS 13, but for a school laptop it's great it treats me well. I'm glad that this review came out because I was thinking about upgrading but so far I am not missing out on anything.
It seems to be the consensus with this laptop. People love it and can't explain why.
Because the money they get .......
@@bobzombii8038 Pretty sure the reviewers I listen to aren't taking money for reviews. They review too many devices and it would hurt their reputation.
It's because its Microsoft first party and looks like a MacBook, but feels flimsy like it's a nice throwaway workhorse considering they don't pay out of pocket themselves imo
@@lopwidth7343 they get a choice of any laptop they review but choose a throw away device? Right....
It's not the best at anything but the keyboard and form factor, but it's pretty good at everything else still.
I feel like I'm the only guy who doesn't care about the bezels on laptops like this. I think it looks completely fine.
I think as long they are not big chungus bezels and are not white, they are completely acceptable.
It's not so much about the look but it adds to the size of the laptop and if it being bigger isn't bad than it would be nice if that space was used up by a bigger screen
A small bezel on a touchscreen helps avoid accidental interactions IMO
We must be the only two people in the world I think
The bezels look fine and are fine. But let's say the same exact model with smaller bezels is released, you'd be surprised at how much more portable it is. On something that you'll bring everywhere, it actually makes a lot of difference imo.
Pretty darn sweet! Just wish I could install an OS without Surface recovery junk
Secure boot need to be disable and you can flash Linux with an USB.
@@Elsa-rq2ty 😂😂
Just disable bitlocker
You only need to set secure boot to "Microsoft and Third Part CA" and you can install Linux. The surface-linux kernel only partially supports the Surface Laptop 4 right now (Surface Laptop 3 is basically fully compatible) so I would first check the feature matrix to see what version of the Surface Laptop 4 would work the best beforehand.
Never had an issue installing different OSes on mine.
Be careful with the finish. It changes the feel of the keyboard quite a lot. The squishyness is real with the Alcantara. The metal one has a more distinct click. I know it sounds stupid but the difference is real and you may want to consider it.
I love the alcantara. Ive had a gray surface laptop 1 for 3 years now and it looks as good as new. You just have to be careful with food and pens around it. I wish, like reallly wish they kept the black alcantara. It's the color that makes most sense because it will look clean the longest and as a student id love to not worry about pen ink.
02:36 Yo! Two sponsors in one? "Thanks VESSI footwear for sponsoring this VIZIO" 😂
I had to check again lol 😂
If Microsoft can nail ARM the way Apple has, this laptop (with a few tweaks) might very well be the best on the market for causal users.
For Casuals ? It is 1500$ 🤡
so are macbooks?
@@trashbaitingkyle8911macOS is awful
Can Microsoft improve this laptop in the next generation while maintaining the form factor?? Thinner bezel, more battery, less keyboard flex, more thunderbolt 4 ports? If they can't do these, I'm going to be very disappointed.
That speaker demo sounded like it went from a pair of headphones on a table across the room to sitting centered at an orchestra. WOW. Way to go Dell.
@Aditya Bhattacharya HP has decent and clear speakers, but who gives a fuck just plug some high quality Bluetooth headphones or audiophile headphones in.
@@varunnarain50 I agree it's not a priority, but I do use the built in speakers a lot. I don't always want to deal with headphones/earbuds.
@@emissarygw2264 TWS earbuds solve everything. My laptop stays on my bed and I listen to podcasts while doing stuff around the house. Same with my phone.
@@varunnarain50 I could see it. Again, not a high priority, but for the occasions when you do use the speakers it's nice if they sound good. That's probably a lot more often for me than for you. I wouldn't pay $100 more for it, but it would play a factor if I was comparing two very similar laptops.
I will say, I used to use earbuds 99% of the time when gaming, working, in meetings etc. but when my buds broke and I started using some good desktop speakers instead, I found I really enjoyed that a lot more, to the point where I don't use headphones/earbuds at all anymore.
I've spent the last few weeks looking at Surface Laptop 4 reviews and impressions and was wondering why LTT and more importantly Alex hasn't talked about it yet; alas here I am, and it's here.
It honestly wasn't a big upgrade since it was really just a minor spec bump.
If u could- I'd just get the surface laptop 3 instead
i've got a surface laptop 2, and he's right. there's just something about these devices that make them a joy to use. just typing this right now, i'm reminded how good the keyboard is and how nice the alcantara top case feels under your hands. the screen is absolutely gorgeous IMO, everything is sharp and colors look really good, and the 3:2 ratio is also great for everything besides watching movies. a couple months ago i bought an M1 Macbook air, and i really like that laptop (its my current daily driver), but the keyboard and speakers on this surface laptop 2 are definitely better. i really can't understad why everyone was gushing over the macbook air speakers so much when the surface laptop speakers were louder and fuller sounding. and also, even on this 2 generation old model, windows hello works so incredibly well!!! that reminds me.... the webcam is also frickin fantastic. the biggest shortcoming is really lack of thunderbolt, but at least they added USB-C to the new ones.
It's just like an iphone. Absolutely a piece of shit, and everyone would still love it.
I love Surface aesthetics, but god damn am i glad i was able to refurb the one i own, cause fuuuuck that price
That price is pretty nornal for the class and not as outrageous it once was. That XPS15 is like a grand more.
@@jorismak no not at all, especially if you low spec it to match the shitty surface. It is a couple of hundrets more but does nearly everything much better
It's because they competed with MacBook pricing. Which is no longer viable because of the m1
@@MHWGamer depends on country I guess. 16gb 1tb i7 surface4 is still a tiny bit cheaper than a _starting_ price XPS15. I do like to xps series, but the thing they ask more money for is not always what people want to pay more money for. Don't need the GPU but it steels battery life on the 15 and makes it way more expensive, keyboard is awesome on both. Trackpad is awesome on both. Io is crap on both. Screen is 3:2 and calibrated on both. Xps has crappy pwm brightness though.
Not saying the XPS15 isn't the better machine, but 1000 bucks better and giving my eye strain? Surface isn't bad at all.
I'll still keep to think pads though, or HP or Acer swifts when budget is concerned. No LG Grams possible here.
@@jorismak here in germany the xps 13 is 150€ cheaper than the same spected surface laptop (or 50 if you want the 4k touch screen), btw they are both ridiculous spected for a 13 inch thin and light.
Why do you compare a 13 inch vs 15 inch in the firt place? The xps 15 with i7 h processor and a 1650ti and normal 2k display is 50 bucks more than the surace laptop I used to compare before that.
Dell xps laptops are crazy expensive in general, but Ms tops that (unjustified!)
As a Surface Pro 7 user, I agree. There's just something about the Surface.
Alex: This is brilliant, but I like this 😂
First off it sounded like you where holding back from giving it your honest and the best review possible, as to not sound like a fanboy. I know the xps is better in alot of ways but in my uses of the surface devices compared to others the bessels keep your fingerprints off the viewing area of the screen and your fingers from pressing something you don't want to press especially with the surface pro and surface book they just keep it on all of there lines of computers it could be a little smaller but it is the perfect size for me. Next is the speakers my laptop (the surface laptop 4) beats my surface book 2 and all of my friends laptops in sound quality it is very loud and I'd still put it on higher end speakers of computers, it is definitely no mid range speakers. It plays games like the Master Chief collection in basically full quality settings on the AMD Ryzen 5 16 gigs of ram so yes you can do some gaming on it. Next you can upgrade your storage which I don't even remember you mentioning in the video by taking it apart that is the biggest win for me. And I love the surface connect port I would never replace it for thunderbolt but I would like for the USB C port already on the device to be thunderbolt. But it is a very fun device to use and the screen ratio size really is a big win even if you're losing a bit of quality I do hope they fix it in the future but I love it now. Surface devices are such satisfying devices to use and fun And beautiful even with its bezels which I think look great. Would I buy it again 150% yes do I love it yes.
Well that's your opinion. Alex gave his
Surface laptop doesn't need bezels unlike Surface Book or Pro. That's just cost-cutting from Microsoft for a high-end device. It's unforgivable. Surface lines with a heavy usage have been shown times and again will have screen problem (search up flickergate), ghost touch, and poor hybrid sleep performance. Please don't game on that machine if you want to keep it longer.
ShortCircuit isn't the channel where they put out their "honest and the best review possible". It's an unboxing channel with opinions.
Microsoft doesn't want to "fix" glaring flaws of surface products like last gen cpus and gpus because it doesn't want to make OEMS angry and directly compete with them. Surface products are more like guideline to OEMS and demonstration to customers that windows laptops are not trash.
As a Nova Scotian living outside the province there’s always something comforting about Alex’s maritime accent in videos. Oat and aboat goin in yer cahr, etc. Dont let any of those west coasters shame you for it bud! 😂
This is 110% me with almost anything with a manual transmission. It’s slower, clunkier, “less refined”, but I love it. Sometimes numbers on paper don’t equal the final experience.
You guys NEED to look at the huawei matebook 14 and that, they're mid-range laptops but they're amazing for the price.
They won't untill the Video is not sponsored
I always hate it when LMG just ignores Chinese tech
Not sold in the USA
@@Elsa-rq2ty you make a great point, heavily agree with you
@@arya_amg LMG is a business
They won't make a Review untill they get sponsorship
friendship ended with XPS 15
surface laptop 4 is my new best friend
Why ?
I feel like one day Linus needs to make a video about asking whether engineers at the manufacturers whether they watch any review videos that they design.
I wish we had a Thunderbolt on this one!
Microsoft is really bad at hardware design while being excellent at software design
@@nayan.punekar I wouldn't say their hardware design is bad... Just dated
@@mguanipa2how's it dated this is brand new who the hell full buys a laptop with Io like this even dirt cheap laptops have better Io than this no thunderbolt only one usb type c and a type a what the heck and the display sucks too how do you call that dated even 10 year old dirt cheap laptops had better io
It is not there because it exposes intel processors to vulnerability attacks(at least for tb3)
Microsoft is not going to put a thunderbolt port on the surface products for security reasons. Microsoft's words, not mine.
It has to do with direct access to ram.
Dang, 3.5 INCH headphone jack?! At that point I'd rather not have one😆
It's the Super super Chunky style.
It's audiophile grade!
Look at it this way
Thicker headphone jack
Thicker bass
@@michelvanbriemen3459 raycon has entered the chat
I just bought the M1 Macbook air and it's funny because it fails on the things this one does right and viceversa. For example the palm rest is freaking cold and sharp to the point it can hurt your wrists, the charging wears the scarce thunderbolt ports and fragile cable, and the unlocking is so inconvenient because you have to place your finger every time and when you turn the laptop off you have to type your passcode. But then the display and performance are great for the price, the battery life is tremendously good and there's pretty much no computer that thin that feels so stiff with speakers that loud. It just proofs there's no perfect device, just devices meant for different consumers.
3:2 aspect ratio should be more common
"Slopey Slopes"
Ah yes, as compared to Rectangular Slopes
The Surface lineup has always felt like a best kept secret. I don't think I've ever seen one out in the wild other than my own. Unfortunately, the entire product stack is starting to feel decidedly dated. Especially compared to what Apple's offering these days. And for some bizarre reason they keep cutting features, like the Surface Pros not shipping with Windows 10 Pro anymore. While they're good quality machines, I get the impression that Microsoft doesn't really take Surface seriously.
That’s horrendous deck flex and completely disqualifying for any laptop over $400.
Ik it's because of the alcantara but still....I would have expected them to put a little bit more effort to reduce the flex
srsly my old ass xps17 which costed 700 has zero flex. Yes it is thicker but come on, 10 years later and a higher price tag should equal the quality
9:09 fyi Microsoft has long done this with Surfaces, the extra bit of heatpipe on the other side from the fan is basically to expand how much it can passively cool through the chassis.
I want Dynamax shoes so I can have a giant IRL Butterfree.
Why not a skyscraper?
@@CathrineMacNiel true
Review the Surface Dock by setting up a Dock at the office to convert your portable device to your desktop. You may never look back.
Reviewers are always complaining about lack of TB4. I have exactly zero thunderbolt devices. In fact, I do not know of a single person with an actual Thunderbolt device. If I go shopping I can find thunderbolt devices at the Apple Store for twice the price of USB-C devices. It is hard to find TB devices anywhere else because they are not popular and they are too expensive. Why do I need a TB4 port?
Normal people do not edit 8K video using an external GPU over a 10GB network. Normal people plug in phones, thumb drives, SD cards and HDMI cables and not much else.
always blows me away how good the sound quality on the xps 15 is
ipad passes faceid with mask on: WaW
surface does the same thing: SeCuRiTy RiSk
Face ID doesn’t work with mask…
As someone who owns a xps 15, I do feel that the xps 15 is sometimes too big and heavy, even though it’s one of the smaller 15-inch laptop. I wouldn’t trade it for surface laptop 4, but that’s just my opinion
Hi! I’m considering buying an XPS 15 but I heart a lot about its thermals. Is it really that bad? Please advice! Thank you
I can completely relate. I own Surface laptop 3 and definitely I will choose SL4 over another ultra options fro coding. I honestly never needed Thunderbolt as I manage files in cloud. There is something with that design I love. ♥️
, 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘒𝘚 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘞𝘈𝘛𝘊𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎, 𝘚𝘜𝘗𝘗𝘖𝘙𝘛 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘉𝘜𝘐𝘓𝘋 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘍𝘐𝘕𝘈𝘕𝘊𝘐𝘈𝘓 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘛𝘜𝘚 𝘏𝘐𝘎𝘏, 𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘌 𝘔𝘠 𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘌𝘙 𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘓 𝘉𝘌𝘕𝘚𝘖𝘕 𝘒𝘖𝘉𝘓𝘐𝘊𝘒 𝘖𝘕 𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛𝘚𝘈𝘗 𝘛𝘖 𝘎𝘌𝘛 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘐𝘕 𝘊𝘙𝘠𝘗𝘛𝘖 (XRP, 𝘉𝘛𝘊, 𝘌𝘛𝘏) 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌 𝘏𝘜𝘎𝘌 𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘍𝘐𝘛 𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌 𝘔𝘌.
+1~~7[~0[~3[~7[~7[~5[~0[~9[~3[~9].
This review, reminds me of a car review. When you have a car that has a small boot, is impossible to get into and out of and gets terrible gas mileage.. but it's the one you want to use everyday
Alex is a writer, so no wonder that he just loves it for the keyboard.
He's got those quirks that he wants removed and fixed, but he'll put up with it because a nice keyboard and soft wrist rests.
Most writers will sacrifice power for comfort.
I kinda prefer the Surface Book. The idea of a tablet that you can plug into a base with a full GPU is kinda cool I kinda wish they'd combine it with the surface pro's kickstand design though.
This review really summed it up in such a great way. I ve been using Dell XPS models since 2013 and my gf has had Apple Macbook Pros since the mid 2000s (which I also used, admired but mostly loathed for the sake of OS quirks) and now, for two days, I got the Surface Laptop 4 and I feel like I m falling for a cult... I ve only had it for 2 days (!!) so logically, I can t tell much but gee, the way it feels, the no fuss, no bloatware approach and the palm rest (alcantara version)/ keyboard just speaks to me like no other device before. Mine doesn t have as much sag in the middle of the keyboard as yours but it still has it more than I expected....usually I d moan about that but well, I actually don t mind, it still feels great! I d say the keyboard is a tad softer than XPSes but not as soft as Apple s and with more feedback...it s the right middle ground. I m just surprised it makes such a difference and I m sure you were onto something in your vid given height of the lower end of the palm rest- sth I always found irritating with MacBooks or the XPS 15 (less so with the 13). I d argue the touchpad is superior to Macbooks, it s somehow more sensitive and more in line with the rest. Haven t done much with it so far but it felt just right, am just worried that 8 GB of ram might be too little (i5, 512GB ssd will be good enough) and it really deeply pains me that you can t do the 180 with the screen. Even after 2 days seeing how the pen feels and reacts, it a such a great shame you can t do that (pen was probably a waste of money). Anyway, first device in years that got me emotional for some reason I can t really describe, it s the sum of the little things maybe.
Question, what actually uses thunderbolt? Like I have an iPhone, Xbox series, gaming pc (built last year) and a laptop and I've never come across it, yet LTT always talks about it? I have plenty of things that use USB-C but pretty sure lightning and USB-C only use the same physical connector and aren't the same right?
External gpus.Dp1.4 over thunderbolt to connect high refresh rate and/or high resolution.
It uses the USB-C connector and has a lot of bandwidth. 40 Gbps, and it works for power, displays, storage, and many more peripherals. It's the reason that Macs only have USB-C ports, since those USB C ports can be power ports, DisplayPort/HDMI/VGA/DVI/etc., USB-A ports, and pretty much anything.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)
Faster data transfer like with USB hubs like those from Caldigit, pcie drives, graphics cards, displays, I think the new iPad has it too. Main selling point was you can use that port for anything.
It's more about giving people the option. Thunderbolt essentially gives you PCIe connection, so you can connect a desktop grade GPU to a laptop through an eGPU enclosure. You can also get really fancy and expensive external hard drives. Again, definitely not anything everyone will use, but it is nice to be there if you need it.
In anything that is recent, or isnt an Iphone, has thunderbolt. Aka - USB C | Its better than micro usb and lightning pot. Your pc doesnt have it becosue its likely too old. My i5-9400f system has 2 usb C ports on it. USB-C is soooo much better than anything else out right now. A lot of keyboards have usb c for charging aswell.
A simple way to describe the Surface Laptop.... more than the sum of its parts.
Written on a Surface Laptop 1, I love this thing too Alex.
This is the most controversial breakup on UA-cam, no question.
I have an original Surface Laptop 1 (along with a 2017 Pro) and I absolutely love it. Genuinely the best laptop typing experience I've ever had. Still haven't had a need to upgrade. Glad it's not my only computer, but it's so nice to use when on the go.
Just get a Alcantara skin for Dell XPS 15 it'll fix everything 😅
I'm starting to think bezels shouldn't be so thin. They're the spots we would put our thumbs when trying to grip our devices, whether it's quickly lifting them (Nintendo Switch from dock especially) or opening them like this laptop... I don't want the touchscreen registering inputs or a non-touchscreen getting thumbprints when I'm just trying to grip my device. Also, can squeeze stuff under bezels and allow thinner screens, I think? Even then, if a device for carrying in the arm or throwing in a bag/carrying case is already less than half-an-inch thick, I would say good job. It's far more portable than my hefty 1.5 inch-thick 2007 laptop.
That heat pipe is likely to make it so that it can run better passively.
I bought a Surface Laptop 3 because of your review just over a year ago, and coming from Mac, it's one of my absolute favorite laptops. Yes, I wish for a dedicated GPU sometimes, and I 100% would have bought the AMD version had the offered it in the 13 inch size back then, but over all it's been excellent. It'll be a while before I upgrade, but the next one will more than likely be another Surface with the AMD chip. Here's hoping for a performance model one day with a dedicated GPU.
Otherwise, it may be that new 14in Razer...
I still love my surface book 2 its sad that i cant use it for work anymore
@@PaulCotton maybe windows 11. I think the surface book 2 is outside of the compatible specs for windows 11
"This NEEDS thunderbolt" Isn't that still particularly rare on AMD machines, since they offer AMD SKUs?
Also apparently Microsoft cites security concerns as to why they don't use Thunderbolt:
“If you have a well prepared stick that you can put into the direct memory access port, then you can access the full device in memory and all data that’s stored in memory. We don’t believe, at this moment, that Thunderbolt can deliver the security that’s really needed from the devices.”
thunderbolt 4 solves those issues
@@Freestyle80 You can also configure TB devices to be approved before they are able to connect, so this isn't really a big deal. But I know MS has used this security issue of TB as an excuse for not having it on the Surface products for a long time
Xps15 comes with dedicated GPU option... I know it doesn't matter to everyone but that's a big deal for some developers.
Why would a developer want a GPU?
@@YoloMonstaaa why not
@@Day-wm7nn Developers tools (editors, compilers, debuggers, code analyzers, etc) don't benefit from dedicated graphics at all. No one really does machine learning on a laptop since using a remote server is so convenient for that.
There are video game programmers who could benefit from discrete graphics, but it would be odd to recommend a product targeting that niche.
Afaik, some machine learning algos benefit from GPU power.
I purchased the 15" Laptop 4 and just love it. So glad I left Dell for this. It should be mentioned that the keyboard is more solid than the 13" which flexes. The 15" does not flex and the larger screen is more pleasing for watching UA-cam videos or movies. It came with Windows 10 and Windows 11 I upgraded to and have no issues. I don't care about Thunderbolt as I just use the laptop for internet, videos, email and Word/Excel. Microsoft has a great docking station for this laptop that will give you the added connections that some will want when using a 2nd screen, etc.
I remember the times were if you had a laptop that could watch youtube for more than 1-2 hours you had a long battery life now if your laptop cant last more than 10 hours it isn't grate.
Yeah I've used one for years I think first gen alcantera was iffy but now all good. As for speakers I've never really cared since I always use my headphones or hook up proper external speakers. It's a great road warrior laptop. I don't need it for gaming or video editing but it works great for watching vids on a long trip abroad, I have edited vids on it and just let it render overnight...
, 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘒𝘚 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘞𝘈𝘛𝘊𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎, 𝘚𝘜𝘗𝘗𝘖𝘙𝘛 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘉𝘜𝘐𝘓𝘋 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘍𝘐𝘕𝘈𝘕𝘊𝘐𝘈𝘓 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘛𝘜𝘚 𝘏𝘐𝘎𝘏, 𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘌 𝘔𝘠 𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘌𝘙 𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘓 𝘉𝘌𝘕𝘚𝘖𝘕 𝘒𝘖𝘉𝘓𝘐𝘊𝘒 𝘖𝘕 𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛𝘚𝘈𝘗 𝘛𝘖 𝘎𝘌𝘛 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘐𝘕 𝘊𝘙𝘠𝘗𝘛𝘖 (XRP, 𝘉𝘛𝘊, 𝘌𝘛𝘏) 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌 𝘏𝘜𝘎𝘌 𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘍𝘐𝘛 𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌 𝘔𝘌.
+1~~7[~0[~3[~7[~7[~5[~0[~9[~3[~9].
👆✍️.
I run a Laptop 2 for work and absolutely love it. The keyboard, touch pad, alcantara and the 3:2 is what sold it to me over every other option. Even without USBC is was well ahead of anything else for productivity.
However, I use the Mini DP port pretty regularly when I work from home and the USB needed to be Thunderbolt. So looks like I will skip this generation as well
5:09 Minecraft sound😂 lol
, 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘒𝘚 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘞𝘈𝘛𝘊𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎, 𝘚𝘜𝘗𝘗𝘖𝘙𝘛 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘉𝘜𝘐𝘓𝘋 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘍𝘐𝘕𝘈𝘕𝘊𝘐𝘈𝘓 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘛𝘜𝘚 𝘏𝘐𝘎𝘏, 𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘌 𝘔𝘠 𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘌𝘙 𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘓 𝘉𝘌𝘕𝘚𝘖𝘕 𝘒𝘖𝘉𝘓𝘐𝘊𝘒 𝘖𝘕 𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛𝘚𝘈𝘗 𝘛𝘖 𝘎𝘌𝘛 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘐𝘕 𝘊𝘙𝘠𝘗𝘛𝘖 (XRP, 𝘉𝘛𝘊, 𝘌𝘛𝘏) 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌 𝘏𝘜𝘎𝘌 𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘍𝘐𝘛 𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌 𝘔𝘌..
+1~~7[~0[~3[~7[~7[~5[~0[~9[~3[~9].
so:
screen is less color accurate, less bright, has enormous bezels and is smaller and also has shine form reflections
keyboard has enormous flex
touchpad is much smaller
there is very poor a/o and weird power delivery
battery is small
speakers are worse
how is it better than xps 15?
It would be better if microsoft added a alcantra material replacement
Bought the xps 15 four weeks ago... First one i received was completely wrecked, replacement worked 3 weeks and then the speakers started rattling. I am so sad i had to return it because it was just awesome to use. Now i am used to the xps-awesomeness and dont know what to get now...
I really wanted to get a Dell XPS for the speaker quality alone, but I've heard so many bad things about them, I'm just going to have to make myself look somewhere else.
In a perfect world, the XPS is the best laptop. The issue is that Dell makes them, and has the quality control of a blind 98-year-old
Dell wastes some great designs with the shittest quality control.
3:2 screen means it's extra taller even on the keyboard side.
Maybe the reason it feels more comfortable is that there is more space for your wrists to rest on.
has noisestorm acknowledged their constant use of crab rave lol
5:09 sounded like a minecraft villager.
I’m still holding out for the new MacBook Pro, but this definitely looks good. And yeah, not sure why this doesn’t have Thunderbolt.
I wouldn't recommend a macbook unless you are the type of person who uses chrome and notepad only.
Wait I said notepad... *facepalm*
I meant TextEdit
The MacBook ABSOLUTELY obliterates this when it comes to performance and even display/other physical attributes.
U tbh just really have to like windows not to go with one
@@mguanipa2 You mean the other way around?
I've been an apple customer since 2008, and all the way until 2020 ending with the M1 mac, which was the most weakest apple machine I have ever purchased in my entire life, also being incompatible with all my software (I work in 3D modelling) and games, it was the worst computer I have ever spent money on.
@@igameidoresearchtoo6511 I have a M1 MacBook Pro and I love the materials, battery, sound display and performance, I also have an issue with compatibility but in most cases theres either an early fix which is getting better or a fix is coming, I hate the lack of ports the thick bezels, the absolute lack of any graphics performance and the touchbar 🤣 but I still think it's leagues above anything from Windows as an all rounder
@@martinseal1987 Have you tried actual decent windows based laptops? well, I have, and I can tell you the M1 is unable to even compete in any way to it, super thin machines with decent cooling (Atleast better than the M1's overheating issues) and desktop like performance, in something that both cheaper and cleaner looking than any M1 macbook.
But that's only laptops, on desktop the M1 is even worse, so bad infact I can't ever describe it with words
SP Laptop 3 in Alcantara trim also has absolutely horrid deck flex, completely un-usable IMHO. The aluminum trim does not have this issue AFAIK.
3.5 inch?
1:34
Surface 4: Gets outperformed in almost every measurable way
Alex: Idk, I just like it, especially with the optional, more expensive version
, 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘒𝘚 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘞𝘈𝘛𝘊𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎, 𝘚𝘜𝘗𝘗𝘖𝘙𝘛 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘉𝘜𝘐𝘓𝘋 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘍𝘐𝘕𝘈𝘕𝘊𝘐𝘈𝘓 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘛𝘜𝘚 𝘏𝘐𝘎𝘏, 𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘌 𝘔𝘠 𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘌𝘙 𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘓 𝘉𝘌𝘕𝘚𝘖𝘕 𝘒𝘖𝘉𝘓𝘐𝘊𝘒 𝘖𝘕 𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛𝘚𝘈𝘗 𝘛𝘖 𝘎𝘌𝘛 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘐𝘕 𝘊𝘙𝘠𝘗𝘛𝘖 (XRP, 𝘉𝘛𝘊, 𝘌𝘛𝘏) 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌 𝘏𝘜𝘎𝘌 𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘍𝘐𝘛 𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌 𝘔𝘌
+1~~7[~0[~3[~7[~7[~5[~0[~9[~3[~9]
2.8 freedom units im dying :')
I don't get it
That's too bad, don't die :(
@@SpunkyGo0se
LooooL
“The XPS 9510 has all the best features you can get in a laptop. That’s why I’m leaving it to go to the 4 year old design of the Microsoft Surface”
-Alex
Man the lack of Thunderbolt literally rules this out for me :( it’s such a shame, everything else about it is near perfect.
Quick question, why does everyone go mad for thunderbolt. What devices/displays? Do you have that need thubderbolt?
@@rookie22222 external gpus are more expensive than a new laptop. i dont get it either. plus is seems to expose the motherboard to damage, which isnt what microsoft wants. instead of planned abscolence even found in Dell and Lenovo, microsoft actually has the quality control business model. which is great! also thunderbolt has security weaknesses.
Tried out the surface laptop 3 at best buy last year and I have the same feelings about it. It was my favorite one to type on and to just use, looked super nice in the black spec and would really like to use it.... IF all I was doing was basic web browsing, excel, word etc. But I need my laptop to also have the grunt for lightroom, photoshop and cad work so need that dedicated gpu for acceleration. If there was a surface laptop 4 *I hate to say it* Pro that had a dedicated gpu I would be all over it.
What laptop did you end up getting/using? I’m looking for something for school that is reliable and going to last some time
@@DavidGarcia-kx7we I am still on my old lenovo yoga 720 15" as I was not looking for a laptop at the time, was just there trying them out while my wife was looking. She ended up getting the Surface Book 3 for the convertibility of it but otherwise wouldn't recommend that one. It is a bit flakey with it's screen connection.
For what you should get. The surface laptop is great if you don't need a gpu but if you do need a dedicated gpu I am not really sure what to point you towards. I am liking the look of the Asus laptops right now. Stuff like the flow x13 has been on my eye but I am not upgrading my laptop for a while so have not really been looking hard at what is out there. Really just depends on how you are going to use the laptop. If all you need is a rock solid school laptop that isn't going to be for gaming as well the surface laptop or xps line is incredible.
That flex looks terrifying. Is it structurally sound?
Yes, I think it would simply touch the "stuff" there is underneath and really it isn't a problem at all
And the use ALCANTARA for the interior of nearly EVERY SUPERCAR! So the material can't be THAT bad...
This is where the durability concerns come from...The car world pretty much knows that Alcantara on heavy touch points of a car are DESTINED to wear out. We use it on cars in-spite of its problems, not because it doesn't have any to begin with.
These unboxings just make me appreciate macbook air/pro m1 more.
The background sound sounds in parts similar to my doorbell. Was more than one time on my way to the door... way beyond midnight....naked...
If only Microsoft could get over the anxiety of people stealing data from RAM using thunderbolt.
Fix the deck flex! I remember a HP from like 2008 had like none, simply cause HP added a piece of rubber under the keyboard inside the chassis!
For years now Microsoft has been so close to the perfect laptop yet they just don’t, for some reason
My whole family uses Surface devices, and they are picky when it comes to computers. Also, touchscreens! You don't always use it, but when you do, it works perfectly.
I have the S Pro 7 and I can confirm: Windows sucks on Tablets so let's hope for Windows 11.
@@onion2787 I think about it more like a notebook with touchscreen capabilities rather than a tablet.
@@DoctorNemmo Yeah. The problem is that the OS, Windows 10....its not exactly made for tablets wich is why you use it in laptop mode most of the time.
@@onion2787 The problem is that I've been waiting for a touchscreen Macbook for seven+ years, and Apple response is always: "no, you don't need it."
Surface is the closest thing to it, and it works.