Microsoft's Refreshed Surface Laptop 4 Announced Starting At $999 With Ryzen CPUs
As we previously discussed, this is primarily an internal hardware refresh, meaning that the basic design of the Surface Laptop 3 carries over to its successor. Like before, the Surface Laptop 3 is available with a 13.5- or 15-inch display with resolutions of 2256x1504 and 2496x1664, respectively.
Microsoft has gone with 11th generation Core i5-1135G7 and Core i7-1185G7 Tiger Lake processors on the Intel front with this refresh. If you prefer "Team Red," AMD Ryzen 5 4680U and Ryzen 4980U processor options are available. Unlike with the Surface Laptop 3, you can choose Intel or AMD processor in either 13.5- or 15-inch display configurations.
Although it is somewhat disappointing that Microsoft couldn't equip its AMD machines with the latest Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 processors, there is still an upside compared to the Tiger Lake SKUs. The AMD systems last one to two hours longer per charge than their Intel counterparts.
Given that there aren't any outward changes, you'll still find one USB-C port, one USB-A port, and a Surface Connect port. The 720p webcam supports Windows Hello biometric authentication, and there are Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Atmos technology. On the wireless front, the Surface Laptop 4 family supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. The 13.5-inch weighs just 2.79 pounds, while the 15-inch model tips the scales at 3.4 pounds.
Prices start at $999 for the Surface Laptop 4 13.5 with an AMD Ryzen 5 4680U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. The 13.5-inch model tops out with the Core i7-1185G7, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for $2,299. The base 15-inch system includes a Ryzen 7 4980U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD for $1,299. The flagship model consists of a Core i7-1185G7, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for $2,399. Surface Laptop 4 systems are shipping now, and come with a free set of Surface Earbuds.