SURFING THE SURFACE WAVE

The best everyday ultra-portable notebook I've tested in 2025

- WITH MARK KAVANAGH

MICROSOFT recently introduced a more affordable and compact 13-inch Surface Laptop that I've been testing for several weeks.

Buying a Surface notebook delivers an Apple MacBook style experience as both the Windows 11 software and the hardware are made by the same company.

I love the portability of the new slim and light 13in model. I have taken it everywhere with me with ease and used it as my primary computer without any hiccups. It weighs slightly less than a 13in MacBook Air but the all-aluminium chassis feels as robustly made and looks as stylish as its Apple rival.

The anodised finish on the notebook lid effectively minimises fingerprint smudges.

The bright and colourful 13in 1,920 x 1,280 (full HD) resolution display has a 60Hz refresh rate and a 3:2 aspect ratio that is so handy for productivity tasks.

It's worth noting how dim the screen can go with the brightness reduced to the minimum.