The MacBook Air M2 and Surface Laptop 5, both come with ultra-sleek designs, a powerful power bank under the hood, and the battery life that keeps these machines for hours on the battlefield. Let’s take a look at the differences between them and who will win.
MACBOOK AIR M2 vs SURFACE LAPTOP 5: PRICE
Starting at $999/£999, the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 5 is very similar to last year’s Surface Laptop 4.
Unlike the M1-powered MacBook Air with the $999/£999 deal sticker, the MacBook Air M2 starts at $1,199/£1,249.
MACBOOK AIR M2 AND SURFACE LAPTOP 5: DESIGN
The MacBook Air M2 and Surface Laptop 5 have a lot in common in terms of design. This year, however, Apple revamped the Air’s design to make it look more like its MacBook Pro 14 sibling.
Microsoft isn’t confusing the design of its new Surface Laptops, sticking with its famously refined all-aluminum chassis. But Apple’s redesigned MacBook Air now has more prominent bezels on the Surface. That said, the Surface Laptop 5 comes in two sizes: 13.5 inches and 15 inches. Whether you’re after something more portable or need a larger monitor, Microsoft has options for you.
The MacBook Air M2 measures 12 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches and weighs just 2.7 pounds. The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 5 is slightly larger and heavier, measuring 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.57 inches and weighing 2.8 pounds. Of course, the 15 inches is bigger, measuring 13.4 by 9.6 by 0.58 inches and weighing 3.4 pounds.
The design shift presented by the MacBook Air M2 makes the Surface Laptop 5 look a bit dated now, as it offers a lighter, smaller laptop with a larger display.
MACBOOK AIR M2 AND SURFACE LAPTOP 5: PORTS
To be sure, ultralight laptops don’t have a ton of ports to choose from, but Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 5 has one that gives it an edge.
Both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch Surface Laptop models feature a USB-C port that supports USB4 and Thunderbolt 4, as well as a USB-A 3.1 slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port. Not many, but at least one USB-A port to connect a range of traditional PC peripherals.
As for the MacBook Air M2, you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and MagSafe charger. You get an extra Thunderbolt port, but we all need a USB-A port sometimes.
MACBOOK AIR M2 AND SURFACE LAPTOP 5: DISPLAY
The display is an essential part of any premium laptop, and the MacBook Air M2 and Surface Laptop 5 feature dazzling panels.
Either 13.5 inches or 15 inches. In the Surface Laptop 5, Microsoft brought more of the same, except with minor changes to the 15-inch model.
We’ll see the same 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen that supports 10-point multi-touch, but supports Dolby Vision IQ. However, the 15-inch model is slightly different, offering a 15-inch PixelSense touchscreen compared to last year’s model. They’ll still see the iconic 3:2 aspect ratio.
We haven’t tested the Surface Laptop 5, but given that it’s the same as the Surface Laptop 4, we know it’s a great panel that will stand up to anything without OLED.
The MacBook now has a 13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 pixel Liquid Retina display. When we measured the color reproduction of the MacBook Air M2, the Air recorded 75.9 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. When it comes to brightness, the MacBook Air shines. It averaged 489 nits compared to the M1’s 366 nits. That beats the Surface Laptop 4’s 349 nits, so the next model will need to bump up its brightness capabilities to match it.
MACBOOK AIR M2 AND SURFACE LAPTOP 5: PERFORMANCE
This year, Microsoft installed its acclaimed 12th-generation Intel CPUs in both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch Surface Laptop 5 models.
There are two options for the 13.5-inch model, including a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1235U processor or an i7-1255U CPU, while the 15-inch laptop comes with an i7-1255U chip. However, for commercial sales, you can expect an Intel 12th Gen i5-1245U CPU or i7-1265U processor. Microsoft claims it is 50% faster than its predecessor.
In the Handbrake test, the Air M2 transcoded 4K video to 1080p in 7 minutes and 52 seconds, beating the 10-minute average. When we ran the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test, the M2 Air’s 1TB SSD had a read speed of 2,800.1 megabytes per second, while the M1 Air hit 2,692.9MBps.
MACBOOK AIR M2 AND SURFACE LAPTOP 5: BATTERY LIFE
Microsoft is likely to stand out when it comes to battery life, as it claims several hours more than the MacBook Air M2’s 14 hours, 6 minutes.
Microsoft says the Surface Laptop 5 13.5 offers up to 18 hours of battery life, while the 15-inch option offers up to 17 hours of battery life.
The Surface Laptop 5 also had to outperform the Air’s fast-charging capabilities. In our tests, using the 67W power adapter, the Air was able to get 50% charge in 30 minutes. The Surface Laptop comes with a 60W power supply, which means it might not be that fast.
>>>>>>>>>>Laptop battery
