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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13.5 inch (Model 1950) review

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13.5 inch (Model 1950)

CHOICE Expert Rating

73%
What is the CHOICE Expert Rating?
Good points

Good Points

  • Very good keyboard
  • Very good touchpad
  • Very good screen luminance
  • Short time to charge to 80 per cent
  • Excellent viewing angles
  • Very good screen
Bad points

Bad Points

  • Lacks HDMI
  • Lacks an SD card slot

Type

Ultraportable
Ultrabook
Tablet mode
Operating system
Windows 11 Home

Recommended products

Recommended
Not recommended
Recommended for tablet use

Test results

CHOICE Expert Rating
73%
Performance score
58%
Tablet use score
N/A
Ease of use score
79%
Battery life score
69%
Display score
85%
Audio score
65%
Wi-Fi score
67%
Storage write-speed (MBps)
1638
Storage read-speed (MBps)
3287
Wi-Fi speed (MBps)
36
Average battery life – heavy usage (hours)
5:55
Charging time to 80% full (h:min)
1:07
Expert tester comments
A slim profile, relatively light weight, and a soft palm rest texture give the Surface Laptop 5 a luxurious feel. There is a minimalist design with only one USB-A and one USB-C port for external devices, but the USB-C port is Thunderbolt 4, which makes it convenient to plug in a hub when using it at a desk.

Sustainability

Shop Ethical rating
C
Warranty (years)
1
Replaceable battery
Replace/upgrade RAM
Slots for additional RAM
Replace/upgrade storage
Slot for additional storage
Replace/upgrade Wi-Fi
Country of origin
China

Related products

Availability
Discontinued model

Cost

Price
$1,699.00

Specifications

Screen size (inches)
13.5
Native screen resolution (pixels)
2256 x 1504
Processor (CPU) type
Intel Core i5-1235U
CPU frequency (GHz)
2.5
RAM (GB)
8
Video graphics type
Intel Iris Xe
Storage capacity (GB)
256
Available user space (GB)
198
Storage type
SSD
Wi-Fi version
6
Weight of laptop (kg)
1.3
Weight of power supply (kg)
0.27
Size (mm, H x D x W)
16 x 223 x 308

Features

Screen finish
Glossy
Touchscreen
USB-C
USB 2.0 ports
0
USB 3.0 ports
1
USB 4 as USB-C port
0
USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1 or 2, not Thunderbolt 3 or 4) ports
0
Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (as USB-C) ports
1
SD card slot (full-size)
SD card slot (micro)
HDMI port
Gigabit ethernet port
Rear camera
Backlit keyboard levels of brightness
3

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