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Surface Laptop 6 for Business
The Surface Laptop 6 for Business features Intel’s latest Core Ultra series CPUs, offering exceptional performance. With its slim, elegant design and powerful hardware, it is an ideal choice for business professionals looking to accomplish more than just document editing.
Pros- Has an Intel Core Ultra CPU (H-series)
- Responsive and vibrant PixelSense display
- Intel Arc graphics
Cons- Outdated design
- Bad glare ressistance
- Limited material and color options
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Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024)
The new MacBook Air from Apple boasts enhanced graphics performance and faster processing speeds, all within its classic and sleek design. It maintains the impressive battery life the laptop is renowned for, while also featuring a vibrant Retina display and Apple’s new M3 chip.
Pros- M3 CPU
- Lightweight design
- Long battery life
Cons- Limited AI capabilities
- Not enough to justify upgrading from M2
Microsoft and Apple are constantly competing for who can create the best laptop for consumers, with Apple generally being the more expensive option. But that is not the case this time with Apple’s MacBook Air M3 and Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 6 for Business being released a month apart with very competitive pricing.
Naturally, the biggest deciding factor when choosing between these two laptops will probably be whichever company you support. But if you are still on the fence about which laptop is superior, then follow along as we put these two laptops head-to-head.
Price, specs, and availability
Surprisingly, Apple costs a bit less
The Surface Laptop 6 for Business will be released on April 9th with a price tag of $1200 for the base 13.5-inch model and $1400 for the 15-inch. Both models come with either an Intel Core Ultra 5 or a Core Ultra 7 CPU (H-Series), depending on your choice.
For RAM, if you choose the Core Ultra 5, then you have the option of 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB of DDR 5, with the Core Ultra 7 model having an additional option for 64GB. You also have three different SSD options: either 256GB, 516GB, or 1TB of storage. If you fully upgrade the 15-inch model, the laptop will set you back around $3000.
The MacBook Air M3 was released on March 8th with a price $100 lower than the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, starting at $1100 for the 13-inch and $1300 for the 15-inch base model. The MacBook Air comes with its M3 8-core CPU and either an 8 or 10-core GPU. It also has upgrade options for its RAM with the choice of 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB. For storage, you can choose between 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB SSD. A fully upgraded 15-inch MacBook Air M3 will cost around $2300.
As a bonus, Apple also offers a $100 discount if you are a student or teacher. With the release of the M3 model, Apple will continue to sell its M2 model but it will be discontinuing its M1 model.
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Surface Laptop 6 for Business Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024) CPU Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, Core Ultra 7 165H 8-core CPU (Apple M3) GPU Intel Arc 8-core or 10-core GPU (Apple M3) Display type LCD, anti-reflective, 1300:1 contrast ratio Liquid Retina (IPS), 60Hz Display (Size, Resolution) 13.5 or 15 inches, 2256×1504 or 2496×1664, 13.6 or 15.3-inch, 2560×1664 RAM 8GB LPDDR5, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB LPDDR5x 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Gen 4 SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB Battery 47WHr Up to 18 hours Ports 1 Thunderbolt (2 TB4 in the 15-inch model), USB 3.1 Type-A, Surface Connect, optional Smart Card reader 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 1080p Surface Studio Camera 1080p FaceTime HD camera Dimensions 13.5-inch: 308x223x16.7mm, 15-inch: 340x244x16.9mm 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 13.5-inch: 1.38kg, 15-inch: 1.68kg 2.7 pounds (13-inch), 3.3 pounds (15-inch) Speakers Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers Colors Platinum, Black Silver, Starlight, Space Gray, and Midnight Price 13.5-inch: Starts at $1,199, 15-inch: Starts at $1,399 Starting at $1,099
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MacBook Air (M3, 15-inch, 2024) review: The Goldilocks laptop size
The 15-inch MacBook Air offers an immersive large screen experience while keeping a slim and light(er) body than the MacBook Pro
Design
Similar designs but different features
When comparing their design, both of these laptops look very similar with the biggest difference being the logo on the back and slightly different keyboards. Both Apple and Microsoft are promoting their laptops’ sustainability, with Apple claiming that 50% of their laptops are made from recycled materials and Microsoft claiming 25%.
The Surface Laptop 6 for Business has an aluminum body and comes in two colors: platinum and black. The trackpad and keyboard are what you would expect from a traditional laptop, except for Microsoft’s newly added Copilot key, which gives users a one-key press solution for AI tasks. In terms of ports and connections, the Surface Laptop 6 for Business has USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), USB-A, 3.5mm audio jack, and a Surface Connect port. The only difference between the 13.5-inch and the 15-inch model is that the 15-inch comes with 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, and select models may have an integrated smart card reader.
The MacBook Air M3’s design is almost identical to its predecessor in both screen size options, appearance, and colors, sporting an aluminum body with 4 color options available: silver, midnight, starlight, and space gray. The laptop’s keyboard doesn’t have a dedicated AI button, but it does have a fingerprint Touch ID key for easy access without needing to recall one more password. Both the MacBook Air 13-inch and 15-inch models come with the same connections: 2 USB4/Thunderbolt ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a MagSafe charging port. The only noticeable difference between the 13 and 15-inch MacBook Air, apart from the screen size and price, is that the 13-inch only has 4 speakers while the 15-inch has 6 speakers.
Display
Apple has finally added support for two monitors
The Surface Laptop 6 for Business has a PixelSense touchscreen display with surface pen compatibility. There are two screen sizes available for you to choose from: a 13.5-inch and a 15-inch display. The Surface Laptop 6 for Business display is great for work or play with rich color and a highly responsive touchscreen. Microsoft has added two highly anticipated features that Surface users have been begging for: a new anti-reflective screen and a new 1080p webcam.
The new anti-reflective layer for the screen will make it easier for you to work outside and still see what you are doing. The Surface Laptop 5 for Business only had a 720p webcam and had a reputation for having horrible glare when used in direct sunlight. Microsoft listened to their users, now including a 1080p camera that can take advantage of Windows Studio Effects. As a bonus, the new camera on the Surface Laptop 6 for Business also has facial recognition software that will let you unlock your laptop by just looking at it.
The MacBook Air M3, similar to the M1 and M2, uses a liquid retina display which has vibrant color and over 500 nits of brightness. The Air beats the Surface Laptop 6 which only has 400 nits. Apple claims that the laptop “has support for over 1 billion colors and boasts 2x the resolution of its competitors”, but compared to the Surface 6 for Business it only has slightly better resolution.
While the MacBook Air M3 has an incredible display when used for general tasks or watching movies with bright colors, the laptop struggles with darker scenes in movies and games as the black background appears lightened and hazy due to the display. One major update for the MacBook Air M3 over its predecessors is its ability to connect to two external monitors at the same time, but the laptop lid must be closed for this method to work. The primary external monitor will run at 6K 60Hz and the second monitor will run at 4K 60Hz.
Performance
M3 vs Intel Core Ultra
Source: Lenovo
Both the Apple MacBook Air M3 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 for Business have powerful hardware in them, so the performance between the two models seems neck and neck for the most part. Apple’s M3 CPU competes well against the Intel Core Ultra 7, beating it in single-core benchmarks. However, the Core Ultra 7 beats the M3 in multicore benchmarks using both Geekbench and Cinebench R23.
GPU-wise, the Surface Laptop 6 for Business uses an Intel Arc GPU, which has better compatibility with modern games when compared to Apple’s M3 chip. These machines both perform very well side by side though, so if game developers started optimizing games for Apple computers, then we might see how the full potential of the MacBook Air M3 competes. As it stands, both computers will easily be able to handle light gaming.
In terms of AI capabilities, the Core Ultra series has a slight advantage over the M3 due to Intel’s recent interest in bringing AI to its users. With its dedicated NPU and Microsoft Copilot features, the Surface Laptop 6 for Business should be able to handle any modern AI program and should be able to handle any new AI features that are developed after its launch.
This doesn’t mean that Apple is lagging when it comes to AI. Apple has been adding its own version of an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), the Neural Engine, to its M series laptops since the MacBook Air M1. When the MacBook Air M3 was announced, Apple stated that it would be “the world’s best consumer AI laptop”, and while that may be a stretch, they sure are giving Intel a run for their money. Both the MacBook Air M3 and the Surface Laptop 6 for Business have strong AI capabilities and should be able to handle most, if not all, AI applications you throw at them.
For internet and connectivity, both the MacBook Air M3 and the Surface Laptop 6 for Business are compatible with Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and have Bluetooth 5.3 technology. Both devices have similar connection ports except the Surface Laptop 6 for Business has an additional USB-A port available.
Battery life
They supply enough power to get you through the day
Both Microsoft and Apple claim that their laptops have a battery life expectancy of 18+ hours of “typical consumer use”, with the MacBook Air having 18 hours, the Surface Laptop 6 for Business having 18.5 hours for the 13-inch and 19 hours for the 15-inch. Unfortunately, both of these laptops fell short of this claim during our testing, with the MacBook Air having an average battery life of 8-10 hours and the Surface Laptop 6 lasting around 6-8 hours. Both of these averages are based on general work tasks like searching the internet, editing documents, messaging, calls, etc. If you are going to use the laptop to stream shows, play games, or use resource-intensive applications, then this average will be considerably less.
Both devices are capable of completing a day’s work without having to recharge, but if you are going to be using the laptops for more intensive work, then you probably should bring your charger along just in case.
Which computer is right for you?
If you are looking only at the performance of these two laptops, then they are pretty evenly matched with only slight differences between the two. So, at the end of the day, it boils down to your preference, platform, and operating system. It’s hard to recommend the Surface Laptop 6 for Business to users who have a myriad of Apple devices already. The platform and the OS are huge factors in the Apple vs. Microsoft competition, making it hard to switch sides once you have become comfortable with either company.
With that being said, if you have no preference between Apple and Microsoft, then we would recommend that you choose the Apple MacBook Air M3. While both of these laptops are amazing in their own regard, The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 for Business is a hard laptop to recommend for the general consumer as the laptop is meant to be bought in bulk by companies for their employees. The Apple MacBook Air M3 has more to offer the general user and that’s why we have chosen it as the winner of this match-up.
Surface Laptop 6 for Business
The Surface Laptop 6 for Business features Intel’s latest Core Ultra series CPUs, offering exceptional performance. With its slim, elegant design and powerful hardware, it is an ideal choice for business professionals looking to accomplish more than just document editing.
Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024)
The new MacBook Air from Apple boasts enhanced graphics performance and faster processing speeds, all within its classic and sleek design. It maintains the impressive battery life the laptop is renowned for, while also featuring a vibrant Retina display and Apple’s new M3 chip.
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