Surface Laptop 4 13.5 vs. Razer Book 13: Which is the better buy?

True Ultrabook

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4

From $999 at Microsoft

Pros

• 11th Gen Intel CPUs
• AMD Ryzen 4000 CPUs
• Stunning design

Cons

• No LTE
• Limited ports

Microsoft gave the Surface Laptop family of notebooks a refresh in 2021 with the Surface Laptop 4. This upgraded release contains better Intel and AMD processors. You can expect to see the same great design and notebook performance.

Clean Design

Razer Book 13

From $1,199 at Razer

Pros

• Gorgeous, pristine design
• Brilliant IGZO display
• Plenty of ports

Cons

• Expensive
• No LTE

The Razer Book 13 is a tremendous first-gen Ultrabook, featuring a 16:10 display, fantastic speakers, a great keyboard and trackpad, and a premium all-aluminum chassis, this laptop does everything right, especially when it comes to performance.

The new Surface Laptop 4 features the latest 11th-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, or a customized version of AMDs Ryzen 4000 series R5 or R7 chips. While the Razer Book 13 is available with only Intel's chips, it has a better display and many more ports for the many different peripherals you may want to plug in. Are either good enough to earn a spot on our best Windows 10 laptops list?

Surface Laptop 4 vs. Razer Book 13: Specifications

	Surface Laptop 4	Razer Book 13
OS	Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro	Windows 10 Home
Processor	11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1145G7 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 AMD Ryzen 5 4680U AMD Ryzen 7 4980U	11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7
RAM	8GB LPDDR4x 16GB LPDDR4x 32GB LPDDR4x	8GB or 16GB LPDDR4X 4267MHz
Storage	256GB 512GB 1TB	Up to 512GB PCIe M.2 (upgradeable to 2TB)
Display size	13.5 inches 15 inches Touch	13.4 inches
Display resolution	2256x1504 2496x1664	1920x1080 3840x2400
Aspect ratio	3:2	16:10
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe AMD Radeon	Intel Iris Xe
Ports	1x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x Surface Connect, 3.5 mm headphone jack	1x microSD card reader 1x HDMI 2.0 port 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) (power, 4 lanes of PCI Express) 1x USB-A 3.2 Headphone/mic jack
Biometrics	IR camera	IR camera
Battery	Up to 19 hours	Up to 14 hours (full HD models) Up to 11 hours (UHD)
Weight	13.5-inch from 2.79lbs (1.27kg) 15-inch from 3.40lbs (1.54kg)	2.95 to 3.11lbs (1.34 to 1.4kg)

What's new with the Surface Laptop 4

• Intel 11th Gen Core processors with Iris Xe Graphics
• AMD Ryzen 4000 and Radeon Graphics (Surface Edition)
• Up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage (Intel only)
• No more 128GB option (256GB or higher)
• Dolby Atmos spatial-audio
• Ice Blue with Alcantara (13.5-inch Intel only)
• Up to 70% performance improvement
• Battery improvements
• Slightly faster Windows Hello login
• 15-inch models are only Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7
• AMD models now have Wi-Fi 6 and LPDDR4x

Surface Laptop 4 vs. Razer Book 13: Design and Display

The designs of the Surface Laptop 4 and the Razer Book 13 are similar yet different. They are both traditional laptops, but the Surface Laptop 4 has an optional unique Alcantara fabric on the keyboard deck, and is also slightly chamfered and wedge-like. The Razer Book 13 on the other hand is a square block of aluminum, with no chamfered edges or wedge design found.

You can get the Surface Laptop 4 in multiple colors including Platinum, Black, Sandstone, and Ice Blue. The Razer Book 13 on the other hand is available only in Mercury White. The bezels on the Razer Book 13 are thinner than those on the Surface Laptop 4, but not by much.

Both laptops feature exceptionally clean and minimalist designs, and will look great in a work environment or home office. In regard to the display, the Razer Book 13 comes out on top with its incredible IGZO display panel at either 1080p or 4K resolutions. The Surface Laptop 4's display is quite a bit dimmer and, if compared to the 4K Razer Book 13 panel, less sharp too. That said, the Surface Laptop 4 supports touch and Surface Pen input, and the Razer Book 13 does not.

Surface Laptop 4 vs. Razer Book 13: Performance

Both laptops ship with the latest mobile 11th-Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 chips. These are great chips with excellent performance in single-core tasks, and when paired with the Intel Iris Xe, provide excellent mobile GPU power when on the go. The Surface Laptop 4 can also be found with AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors on the inside, which provide much better multi-core performance over the Intel offerings.

That said, the AMD Ryzen 4000 has a slightly less powerful GPU, so if you're looking for a laptop that can do a bit of video editing with some headroom, the Razer Book 13 or Intel Surface Laptop 4 is a better choice.

Surface Laptop 4 vs. Razer Book 13: Pricing

Microsoft is pricing the Surface Laptop 4 at $999 for the base model, which is considerably less than the starting price for the Razer Book 13, which comes in at $1,200.

Surface Laptop 4 is a beautiful Ultrabook

If you're looking for a traditional laptop with the latest specs, great battery life, and a beautiful design, the Surface Laptop 4 is an excellent choice.

Latest and greatest

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4

The best Surface Laptop

From $999 at Microsoft

Microsoft's Surface Laptop 4 takes everything the company has learned so far with this product line and throws in the latest from Intel and AMD for the most powerful Microsoft notebook yet.

Buy the Razer Book 13 for more graphics power

If you're in need of a 2-in-1 device that's also a great laptop, with a beautiful high-resolution display and real graphics power for on-the-go work and play, the Razer Book 13 is for you.

Great Ultrabook design

Razer Book 13

Stunning Ultrabook

From $1,199 at Razer

The Razer Book 13 is a tremendous first-gen Ultrabook, featuring a 16:10 display, fantastic speakers, a great keyboard and trackpad, and a premium all-aluminum chassis, this laptop does everything right, especially when it comes to performance.