My Experience - Surface Laptop 7 – Intel or Snapdragon Processor?

Quick intro

Honestly, it's a bit disappointing to admit, but this Snapdragon Surface is excellent so far. Every app I've tried is snappier, installed without issue, the battery life is impressive, and the performance is really good. There are no unusual drawbacks, and it even addresses hanging issues I’ve had with my Intel Core Ultra 7 Laptop. 

So, while it pains me to say this, I think I've found the device I'll be using for the foreseeable future. Sigh, Intel you will be missed. 

Let's get into it

Hello, again. I know no one has asked for it, but here are my thoughts and findings on the Surface Laptop 7th Edition with the Snapdragon processor. In the spirit of full transparency, I have used it for a total of 30 hours so far, so feelings may vary widely in another 30, but here’s what I’ve found!  

Apple to Apples on my comparison, my Surface Laptop 7th Edition with Intel was also new, only a week out of the box so a fair benchmark.  

Speed to deploy

Deployment was lightning quick. Internally, we use Intune for device deployment. Maybe the rapid deployment can be credited to our network or the presence of multiple deployed machines on it, which accelerates deployment across our network.

However, a week ago, I did exactly the same thing with a 32GB - Intel Core Ultra 7 Laptop, and it just seemed to be slower. Another item is that the Snapdragon Laptop seems quicker apply settings and profiles, reducing login requests and time to configure small things on the device based on my personal preference. Is this in my head? I don’t think so...  

Looking at some Team’s messages from when I deployed the device to provide some further context. 

Wednesday 25th April: 

• 9.14am – Pre-provisioning  

• 9.25am – Company portal Installed and Device Live 

• 10.34 am – Adam to Intune Engineer “Bruh, this device is a gun” 

10 minutes to live as a deployment speed from in the box. That is lightning.  

Application compatibility 

Honestly, I really wanted some of these applications to fail. However, much to my dismay - Everything. Just. Worked. 

While I'm not claiming to be a power user, I regularly use SaaS Apps; 1Password; Word; Excel; PowerPoint; and Teams — You know “sales guy” stuff e.g. Copilot. Our organisation utilises Keeper; Visio; Citrix; Power BI; various ticket management systems; monitoring agents; Adobe and more.  

I believe a little while ago I read that Adobe Acrobat Pro had issues running on this device, so I even installed that to try and have to use an emulator, but unfortunately, it seems to be working perfectly now. 

Part of me was slightly disappointed that there were no issues. For some reason, I kind of really wanted it to fail. 

Performance

This laptop performs noticeably better than my Intel Core Ultra 7 Laptop. However, that is running 32GB of RAM where the Snapdragon is 16GB. So, for those of you reading along at home - exactly the same OS, network, apps and versions BUT different processor, with lower RAM. This means the same performance for standard activities, and even better performance when using things like Copilot.

Honestly, I even feel like this machine boots faster than the Intel. 

Battery life 

The battery life seems good, really good! I was doing work on the couch for about 3 hours last night, and the impact on the battery from 100% dropped by 19%. Which honestly, to me, seems absolutely wild.

I am used to having a laptop that would hit power saver mode within 15 minutes of being off the charge, and the fact that it only dropped 19% with MANY tabs open means it was nowhere near the threshold to get to power saver mode, which is unreal.  

The other thing I’ll point out here is the work I was doing was mostly web browsing, doing some research, and asking some very basic questions to Copilot, so I would argue it wasn’t a heavy workload. However impressive, nonetheless.

Copilot functionality 

Most of my work with Copilot is primarily done in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app—either in Copilot Chat or within Copilot in Word. So, when I'm looking to test a device and try and put it through its paces, these are the places I will usually start. 

Considering Word, I managed to merge 8 documents into 1 to create a SoW (Statement of Work) template. From a creation perspective, which I recorded, it took about 40 seconds to pull it together. Analysing all documents as well as basic extrapolation into the format that I requested, which I think is pretty quick. 

Naturally, there were further adjustments and modifications I had to make to the document, as AI has its limitations initially, and individual preferences for outputs vary. So, you know, using prompts like “expand,” “enhance,” “points,” and “improve format,” I got to the output I wanted — all the fun things. 

So far, when using this device, I have had no hangs or dropouts of Copilot in these interfaces. Where with Intel Core Ultra 7, 32GB version, I do. Again, I've been using it for 30 hours, so this may not stay consistent over time. But from an initial review, the fact that I'm seeing a 16GB device outperform a 32GB device, for this kind of work, is pretty impressive. 

The only area where I've noticed Copilot in Word having difficulties, such as dropping prompts, timing out, or failing to function, has been with tables in Word, which may or may not be surprising depending on your experience with Copilot in Word.

Reading text in tables, moving text to tables or updating tables once they've already been created by yourself, someone else or Copilot is a challenge. If you haven't used it or aren't aware, rows and columns in tables and Copilot are not friends, as of yet anyway.  

This is not unique issue to Snapdragon, but more broadly across all - Intel or any Copilot interface that I have used so far. 

Price

So, what’s the price for each of the Surface Laptop 7, Copilot+ PC – Snapdragon and Intel? 

When considering the Surface Laptop, the price points for each configuration provide a clear picture of value. The Snapdragon with 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD comes in at AU$1,899.00, while the high-end Intel with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD is priced at AU$4,289.09.  

Comparatively, the performance enhancements and capabilities of the 16GB model cannot be understated. Despite being more affordable, it consistently surpasses the higher end 32GB Intel Core Ultra 7 machine in various scenarios.  

With a whopping price variance of AU$2,390.09 from the Snapdragon to the Intel.  

*Please note that the pricing provided is based on recommended retail price, which is available on the Microsoft website, at the time of writing this blog. Pricing should be validated. Please reach out if you need any help. 

In summary

My experience with the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 featuring Snapdragon has been truly impressive. Its performance, particularly when using Copilot, stands out. Although there are occasional issues with tables in Word, this 16GB device surpasses a 32GB one, managing demanding tasks effortlessly. The battery life is outstanding, maintaining power for about 3 hours with minimal depletion, making it ideal for prolonged use.

The deployment speed is lightning quick, and Intune integration has been seamless. Initial issues with document links were resolved, and the old UI in some Office app settings likely stems from configuration, but it doesn’t hinder usability. 

Performance-wise, it smokes a 32GB Intel Core Ultra 7 machines, running resource-heavy applications like Adobe Pro without a hitch. Signing into Microsoft apps feels more streamlined, with credentials seamlessly remembered across apps. Even with a significant price difference of AU$2,390.09 compared to the high-end Intel configuration, the 16GB model doesn't just hold its own—it might just create a new benchmark, one where I wonder if Intel will catch up. 

To sum up, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 with Snapdragon has exceeded my expectations. If you'd like to discuss this device or anything else, feel free to reach out and give me a call. 

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