Close to the Metal Ep. 47: The Surface Laptop is in the building

After dancing around the issue for several years, Microsoft has finally built a true laptop. The aptly-named Surface Laptop borrows heavily from the Surface Pro and Surface Book’s design elements, with a focus on the beautiful PixelSense display and fuzzy alcantara fabric surrounding the keyboard. It certainly looks the part, but there’s a lot more to high-end laptops than aesthetics. It’s also the first system to run Windows 10 S, a special version of the operating system that cuts out x86 app compatibility, leaving only software downloaded from the Universal Windows Platform to run. To a lot of users, that sounds like a downgrade from the regular version of Windows 10, because it is. It’s intended for administrators handling dozens or hundreds of systems, because it prevents the end user from installing any malware or custom software. It’s a direct attack on a piece of the market entirely owned by Chrome OS, except Microsoft forgot to drop the price. The Surface Laptop starts at $1,000, well above the $150+ Chromebook starting price, and the $300+ point where Windows 10 with Bing laptops are available. It includes more premium components, and a high-resolution PixelSense touch display, but not all of the parts are up to snuff with its competitors in the $1,000+ price range. So why would someone want to pay more, for less? We’ll talk about our time with Windows 10 S and the Surface Laptop, and maybe even glean some insight from our conversation last week with Panos Panay, and our very recent trip to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, all on this week’s episode of Close to the Metal. Close to the Metal is a podcast from Digital Trends that takes a deep dive into computing and PC gaming topics. Each show, we’ll focus in on one topic, and leave no stone unturned as we show off the latest in hardware and software. Whether it’s the latest GPU, supercomputers, or which 2-in-1 you should buy, we break down the complicated jargon and talk about how user experience is affected in the real world. Please subscribe, share, and send your questions to podcast@digitaltrends.com. We broadcast the show live on YouTube every Tuesday at 1pm EST/10am PST. If you want a large display but you don’t want to carry around a heavy laptop, then the thin-and-light 15-inch laptop category is for you. These machines tend to be fast enough for demanding productivity users, but they don’t have the discrete GPUs that make many larger laptops good for gaming and creative applications. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 has ruled the roost as the best example since it was introduced in 2024. The Apple MacBook Air 15 received an upgrade to the M4 chipset in early 2025, and it’s a strong competitor. Which one is better for you?
Specs and configurations You won’t always get the chance to enjoy discounts from Surface Laptop deals because offers involving this line of devices from Microsoft rarely happen, but there’s one from Best Buy right now if you’re interested. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, which originally sold for $800, is on sale with a $100 discount that brings its price down to $700. We’re not sure how much time is remaining before it goes back to its regular price, so if you want to secure the savings, you need to hurry up with your purchase. Less than a year after its release, the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is already has a discount from the 2-in-1 laptop deals at Best Buy. From its original price of $1,350, this powerful machine is on sale for $1,000, for savings of $350. You wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity! We’re not sure how much time is remaining before this offer expires though, so we highly recommend completing the transaction for this device as soon as possible. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.