Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
VS
55.2Performance35.5
29.8Display27.3
67.2Battery69.5
88Portability82.8
7 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4)2 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
InnoReviews verdict
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) wins this laptop face-off, 57.4 to 49.5, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+20) and portability (+5). Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4)
- Stronger performance score: 55 vs 36
- Stronger portability score: 88 vs 83
- 62% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 3,700 vs 2,287
- 56% higher charging: 70 W vs 45 W
- 31% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 14,600 vs 11,125
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 13.6 ″+5% | 13 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | PixelSense IPS LCD (touchscreen) |
| Resolution | 2560x1664 | 1920x1280 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits+18% | 425 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M4 (10-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42-100) |
| Graphics | Apple M4 8-core GPU | Qualcomm Adreno X1-45 |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | LPDDR5X (unified) | LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage type | NVMe SSD | UFS 4.0 (removable) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,700+62%Top 11% | 2,287Bottom 7% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 14,600+31%Top 39% | 11,125Bottom 18% |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 54 Wh+8% | 50 Wh |
| Web browsing endurance | 15 h | 16 h+7% |
| Charging | 70 W+56% | 45 W |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 1.22 kg+2% |
| Thickness | 11.3 mm+28% | 15.6 mm |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x USB-C (USB 3.2, DisplayPort 1.4a), USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Webcam | 12MP Center Stage | 1080p Full HD |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Fingerprint (Windows Hello, in power button) |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Sequoia | Windows 11 Home (Arm) |
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