In the world of tech, not moving forward is the same as standing still entirely. Fortunately, the Surface Laptop 5 still has user-accessible storage, meaning you can upgrade yourself for much cheaper down the line. Microsoft continues its tendency to overcharge for memory and storage upgrades, charging $300 to go from 8GB to 16GB of RAM. Furthermore, the XPS 13 offers 512GB (or 1TB, depending on the day) of storage for the same price. There aren’t any larger storage options, such as 1 or 2TB.

Unfortunately, though, your customization options are limited and expensive.

That matches the MacBook Air M1, as well as the current price of the Dell XPS 13. It comes with a Core i5-1245U, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage – for $1,000. Speaking of the base configuration, the price scaling feels a little out of touch here too. Sandstone and Black are still on offer for the metal versions, as well as the Platinum Alcantara model – but Alcantara is only available in the base configuration. The Sage green color option, which first appeared in the Surface Laptop Go 2 earlier this year, is really the only thing new here. That’s very small, but in a world where the 0.44-inch MacBook Air M2 exists, the Surface Laptop 5 is no longer at the front of the pack. The 13.5-inch model is 0.57 inches thick, and the 15-inch model is just 0.01 inches thicker. Portability is another aspect where the Surface Laptop design has always excelled in, but no longer stands out. But what this camera really needs is a higher resolution. It’s not necessarily a horrible webcam, and Microsoft has made some software tweaks to improve the quality over last year’s model. The Surface Laptop 5 is no longer at the front of the pack in terms of portability. That bottom bezel, in particular, is just not a good look in 2022. It’s a look that no other laptop has copied verbatim, but its age is certainly starting to show. I do love the 3:2 aspect ratio screen, and the symmetrical bezels that surround the screen. In its fifth generation, five years since the initial launch, it’s desperate for a new look. I thought the Surface Laptop needed a redesign last year.

Microsoft surface latest model