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Surface Pro 10 for Business
With Intel Core Ultra chips, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage on top of a 120Hz display with an anti-reflective coating, this Surface convertible is a powerful, premium machine. Plus, pricing begins at just $1199, making it an affordable buy, too.
Pros
- Core Ultra chips
- 120Hz display
- Convertible design
Cons
- No H-series options
- Limited storage
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Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024)
$1204 $1299 Save $95
Apple’s latest MacBook Air features the company’s powerful M3 chips, Liquid Retina IPS displays, and up to 24GB of unified memory alongside support for up to 2TB of storage. This elegant laptop is a top-tier choice of computer if you want to dip your toes into the Mac world.
Pros
- M3 chips
- Beautiful display
- Sleek design
Cons
- Base storage isn’t enough
- Can get expensive
When looking for an excellent laptopyou can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. However, convertible laptops and Apple machines are popular picks, and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 10 and Apple’s latest MacBook Air are capable computers. But how do you choose?
That’s why we’ve got the ultimate comparison between the Surface Pro 10 and MacBook Air.
Price, specs, and availability
More affordable than you might expect
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 10 for Business arrives April 9th, though you can order now off the Microsoft site, and pricing begins at $1199 and goes up from there depending on your configuration. In terms of colors, you can choose between Black and Platinum.
Apple’s latest MacBook Air is on sale at your retailer of choice, and pricing begins at $1099. Although, the starter model has just 256GB of storage, so you’ll probably want to spend more. Color-wise, you can choose between Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver.
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Surface Pro 10 for Business Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024) CPU Intel Core Ultra 5 135U, Core Ultra 7 155U 8-core CPU (Apple M3) GPU Intel Graphics 8-core or 10-core GPU (Apple M3) Display type LCD, anti-reflective, 1300:1 contrast ratio, 600 nits, touch Liquid Retina (IPS), 60Hz Display (Size, Resolution) 13 inches, 2880×1920, 120Hz 13.6 or 15.3-inch, 2560×1664 RAM 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB LPDDR5x 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Gen 4 SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB Battery 48WHr Up to 18 hours Ports 2 Thunderbolt 4, Surface Connect, Surface Keyboard MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports Operating System Windows 11 Pro or Windows 10 Pro macOS Sonoma Webcam 1440p Surface Studio Camera 1080p FaceTime HD camera Dimensions 11.3×8.2×0.37 inches (287×208.6×9.3mm) 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (13-inch model) / 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches (15-inch model) Weight 1.94 lbs (879g) 2.7 pounds (13-inch), 3.3 pounds (15-inch) Speakers 2W stereo with Dolby Atmos Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers Colors Platinum, Black Silver, Starlight, Space Gray, and Midnight Price Starts at $1,199 Starting at $1,099
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Design and display
Sleek laptops as far as the eye can see
In terms of design, there are two distinct philosophies at play. The Surface is a convertible laptop/tablet hybrid machine, so you can remove its keyboard, pull out the kickstand, and use it with a pen like a tablet, or you can set it up like a traditional laptop. The MacBook Air, on the other hand, is a traditional clamshell laptop, albeit a particularly sleek, minimalist one with a premium look and feel. Both are attractive, well-built machines, nonetheless.
When it comes to sizing and weight, the Surface is the smaller, thinner, and lighter machine even compared with a 13-inch MacBook Air. Weight, in particular, is a pretty significant difference, considering that the Surface clocks in at 1.94lbs while the 13-inch MacBook is 2.7 pounds and the 15-inch model is 3.3 pounds. The MacBook isn’t a brick, but the Surface is more portable.
For display, the Surface has a 120Hz LCD panel with a 2880 x 1920 resolution, while the MacBook sports an IPS 60Hz Liquid Retina panel that has a 2560 x 1664 resolution on the 13-inch model and a 2880 x 1864 resolution on the 15-inch model. The Surface has the edge in responsiveness, thanks to its faster refresh rate, but the MacBook has the edge in image quality, thanks to IPS tech.
The Surface has a 1440p cam, and the MacBook has a 1080p cam. Of course, the Surface’s camera is higher quality, but the MacBook’s camera will be more than enough for the occasional Zoom meeting or FaceTime call. Altogether, the Surface is more portable, has a more responsive display, and features a better webcam, and the MacBook can provide better image quality.
Hardware and performance
M3 vs Core Ultra
So, what can you expect out of the hardware from these machines?
Well, the Surface sports up at an Intel Core Ultra 7 155U with 12 cores, 14 threads, up to a 4.8GHz boost clock, and 4 graphics cores. The MacBook Air, on the other hand, has an M3 chip with 8 cores, 8 threads, up to a 4.1GHz clock, and up to 10 GPU cores. You can get up to 24GB of unified memory on the MacBook, while the Surface features up to 64GB of RAM.
What does all that mean? Both are performant chips, make no mistake, but in general, if you’re looking to do some gaming or video editing now and then, the MacBook Air is more capable thanks to significantly more GPU cores. While if you plan on doing anything that requires a lot of cores and threads, the Surface is the overall better choice with 4 more cores and 6 more threads.
Nonetheless, neither of these laptops are great gaming machines, and if you’re looking for serious performance, neither are great picks. However, both of these computers are more than capable of web browsing, word processing, and running a variety of everyday applications. If you want more performance, though, Apple’s MacBook Pro is the next step up in terms of performance, while there are a slew of Windows laptops to choose from than run the gamut.
Between the two, though, it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want the most RAM or cores and threads you can get, you can opt for the Surface, while if you’d prefer more GPU muscle, or just a Mac, you can opt for the MacBook Air.
Battery life
Impressive showing from the MacBook
We haven’t had a chance to review the Surface just yet, but there are some takeaways.
With the MacBook, for example, you can expect excellent battery life. In our testingall-day battery life is very doable with an average workload, while we can get 3.5 hours of video editing done on a single charge, which is particularly impressive. On the other hand, Microsoft estimates up to 19 hours of usage on a single charge with the Surface, which is certainly a bold claim.
If you’re doing a processing intensive task, though, you would get much less than that estimate. However, with a relatively lean 15W Intel chip and no power-hungry GPU, all-day battery life with an average workload is probably possible, but stay tuned for our review. Either way, considering how impressed we were with battery life on the MacBook, it’ll be tough to beat.
Surface Pro 10 vs MacBook Air: Which should you buy?
Much of the choice comes down to preference
There isn’t a clear answer here, so this choice comes down to what you’re looking for out of a laptop. If you prefer a lighter, convertible design, a faster refresh rate, more RAM, and more CPU cores, the Surface is an excellent choice. However, if you care more about image quality and want enough GPU power to get some video editing done, the MacBook is a worthy machine.
Thanks to the versatility of its convertible design and some key hardware advantages, though, our overall top choice is the Surface. That being said, don’t think that the MacBook isn’t an impressive machine in its own right, as it most definitely is, and it’ll be the best choice for some people.
Surface Pro 10 for Business
Winner
With Intel Core Ultra chips, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage on top of a 120Hz display with an anti-reflective coating, this Surface convertible is a powerful, premium machine. Plus, pricing begins at just $1199, making it an affordable buy, too.
With powerful Core Ultra chips, up to 64GB of RAM, and a 120Hz display on top of a versatile convertible design, the Surface Pro 10 is an impressive all-around laptop that still manages to be lightweight, portable, and starts off at an affordable price.
On the other hand, Apple’s M3 chip is a capable piece of hardware, especially in terms of GPU performance, so if you’re looking for a sleek Mac laptop but don’t want to shell out for a MacBook Pro, the Air is a top-notch choice that won’t break the bank with its starter configurations.
Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024)
Runner-up
$1204 $1299 Save $95
Apple’s latest MacBook Air features the company’s powerful M3 chips, Liquid Retina IPS displays, and up to 24GB of unified memory alongside support for up to 2TB of storage. This elegant laptop is a top-tier choice of computer if you want to dip your toes into the Mac world.