Microsoft’s Surface brand offers some of the best Windows hardware on the market. Best known for the innovative, tablet-like hardware designs, Microsoft has expanded over the years and now offers a full family of computers, from a standard laptop to a giant desktop.
Microsoft was an early innovator in mobile-friendly hybrid PC hardware. It’s hard to find a PC-maker today that doesn’t ape Surface’s kickstand-packing, detachable-keyboard-rocking design. It’s hard to find a nicer Windows experience than what Surface offers. The problem is one of choice: With such a diverse family of premium computers, which is best for your needs? Not to worry—we’ve sorted through the options and found the best Surface for everyone.
Updated for Autumn 2019: We’ve updated our guide with the Surface 3 series hardware.
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The Best All-Arounder
It isn’t as smart or stylish as the transforming, flexible models that made the Surface brand famous, but sometimes (maybe most of the time) what you really need is a laptop. Kickstands and clicky magnetic keyboard covers don’t work well in every situation, so we’re going with the Surface Laptop 3 as the best pick for most people. No, it’s not a tablet, but the Surface Laptop is a great laptop.
The Surface Laptop has a gorgeous, 13.5-inch high-resolution display, a lovely keyboard, a stellar glass trackpad, and a slim case. Ports are one place where the Surfaces skimp, but in 2019 you now get a USB-C port along with your good old-fashioned USB-A port. It also has a magnetic charging port. If you’re a klutz who trips over your power cord all the time, this can be a lifesaver. It severs the connection between the wall plug and the computer before the laptop goes flying across the room like a Frisbee.
In 2019 Microsoft added a 15-inch model to its Surface Laptop line (see our full review). The 15-inch model uses an AMD Ryzen chip rather than the usual Intel variety. Microsoft says it worked closely with AMD to tune the chip for the best possible performance. It’s not going to edit your next 4K feature film, but it’s plenty powerful enough for most of us working on documents, browsing the web, and checking email.
Microsoft also gives users some great tech standards, like a Windows Hello IR camera that lets you log into Windows with your face lickety-split. Once you get used to that it’s hard to ever go back to typing in your password. Even fingerprint sensors feel like a chore after this.
Surface Laptop 3—13-Inch, i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD—costs $999 at Microsoft’s Store or Amazon
The 15-inch model (AMD, 8GB RAM, 128 GB SSD) is also available from Microsoft in the base configuration and Amazon stocks the slightly more expensive model (AMD, 16GB RAM, 256 GB SSD).
The Best 2-in-1
The original Surface design, with its kickstand and keyboard cover, is still a joy all these years later. The upcoming Surface Pro 6 is a mobile device that bridges the gap between laptop and tablet pretty well.
No matter which configuration you land on, each Pro has 10th-generation Intel chips and an improved 12.3-inch high-res touchscreen with a document-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio. You also get a USB-A port, a magnetic charging port, a Windows Hello-compatible webcam, and a MicroSD slot for expanding the onboard storage. The Pro 7 update adds a long-overdue USB-C port, but it does not support Thunderbolt 3.
If you want your Pro purchase to last as long as possible, spring for the $1,199 configuration which will get you a faster i5 chip and a larger hard drive.
Surface Pro 7—i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD—costs $1,199 at Microsoft’s Store or Amazon
You Need the Keyboard: If you want the full Surface tablet experience, you’ll need to buy one of Microsoft’s Type Cover keyboards. This accessory is essential, but not included. Tack on an additional $129 for a simple black cover, or $159 for a fancier, Alcantara-covered version.
The Best for Students
The most affordable, smallest member of the Surface lineup is the 10-inch Surface Go. It’s a smaller and significantly cheaper Surface tablet. If your needs are minimal, or you prefer tiny computers, this is what you should buy. Despite its slower Intel chips, we enjoyed using it, and gave it a 7/10 when we reviewed it in 2018.
Because of its excellent Surface Pen compatibility, Go is awesome for note taking, and with a Type Cover attached, it’s a surprisingly good, if tiny, laptop. It might not be able to take on the iPad Pro in terms of sheer computing power or battery life, but Surface Go is nicely priced and good enough for college students, or anyone who has the budget for a second computer.
The tantalizingly priced $399 version might not be a great pick if you need Surface Go to serve as your main computer. Its smaller, slower storage drive and limited RAM might make multitasking and demanding apps feel slower. If you can, spring for the $549 config instead. Like the Surface Pro, the Go does not include a $100 Type Cover keyboard or Surface Pen, so remember to pick those up with your tablet purchase.
Surface Go—Pentium 4415Y, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD—costs $549 at Microsoft’s Store or Amazon
The Best for Power Users
This transforming powerhouse is the only Surface device with an optional graphics chip that’ll boost core performance, speeding up everything from Adobe Premiere to SolidWorks. The screen undocks from the keyboard, so you can use the display as a tablet for brief stints when watching movies or annotating documents with the Surface Pen. When our team reviewed this laptop, we gave it our WIRED Recommends seal of approval and a score of 8/10.
Available in versions with 13.5- and 15.6-inch screens, Surface Book 2 is the closest analog to Apple’s MacBook Pro series. Thanks to standard quad-core Intel processors and an optional, discrete Nvidia 10-series graphics chip inside the keyboard dock, you’ll get amazing performance for a portable. Plus you get the expected suite of Surface goodies—Windows Hello, a gorgeous high-res screen, a luxurious backlit keyboard, and a big, silky-smooth glass trackpad.
Because the Surface Book 2 hasn’t been refreshed this year, as of October 2019, keep an eye out for deals. We’ve seen the 15-inch model (i7, Nvidia dGPU, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD) going for as low as $1,800 ($700 off) on Amazon.
Surface Book 2—15-inch, i7, Nvidia dGPU, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD—costs $2,499 at Microsoft’s Store or Amazon
If you want to go all-out, the Microsoft Studio 2 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has even more power and a desktop design.
Caveats
Even though the Surface lineup has never been as diverse as it is now, there are still some imperfections that may impact your enjoyment of a shiny new Microsoft computer. The first annoyances begin when you add a device to your cart. If you’re grabbing a Surface hoping to use the famous, fabulous Surface Pen with it, you’ll need to buy it separately. In years past, Surface Pro and Surface Book included the pen, but no longer.
Ports are another mixed bag for Surface. The October 2019 refresh finally added USB-C ports to the Surface Pro, X and Laptop models, though there’s still no support for Thunderbolt 3. You get the connector support, but not the full speed.
Despite the USB-C ports, Microsoft stuck with its magnetic Surface Connect charger (confusingly, you can charge with USB-C, too). If you miss Apple’s MagSafe era this isn’t a bad thing, but if you’re looking forward to a one-connector future, Microsoft hasn’t delivered on that yet.
If you’re a little short on cash but still want to pick up a Surface, check out the Surface All Access program. Microsoft lets you buy a new Surface on an installment plan, for as little as $25 per month, and packs in Office 365 for the entire two years you’re paying off your device. Surface Pro and Go also get a Type Cover out of the deal. Unfortunately, Surface All Access is only available in Microsoft’s physical retail locations, and not online.
Reasons to Wait
The lineup has been refreshed for the fall of 2019, so it’s a great time to buy. We don’t expect updates to the Surface family until 2020.
Get Microsoft Complete
If you’re rough on your gadgets, plan on buying the Microsoft Complete extended warranty. Starting at $149, this gives you additional warranty coverage and accidental damage protection. You get two accidental damage claims, with only a $49 deductible, whether you take your device to the local Microsoft Store or ship it in for repairs. Given how much a Surface costs, it’s worth the peace of mind to add this protection to your new device.
Shop for Microsoft Complete
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