Microsoft Surface Laptop, 13-inch

Not the fastest, but the stunning design and extreme portability add up to fantastic value for undemanding users

- JOHN LOEFFLER

I have been begging Apple to release a purple MacBook for years, so when I found out that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch would come in Violet - pastel purple to you and me - I elbowed my way to the front of the review queue. I'm not disappointed: this laptop is simply stunning.

When finished in boring, default Platinum, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is as close to a MacBook Air for Windows as you're going to find, but the Violet and Ocean colourways lift it above all rivals. The machined aluminium finish of the chassis works brilliantly in these pastel hues, all set off by the darker, matte colour of the keycaps and trackpad.

This is also a brilliantly portable device despite not being as slim and light as its obvious Windows rival, the Asus Zenbook A14 (see p84). That weighs a featherweight 980g and measures 13.4mm tall, so on paper it may seem that the Surface Laptop 13-inch is decidedly porky at 15.6mm thick and 1.3kg. However, I found carrying the Surface Laptop around was hassle-free: it slipped into all my bags and was still compact enough that I could use it on a long-haul flight (which I genuinely did) without any issues.

And battery life is stellar. It lasted for more than 17 hours in our standard battery tests, outlasting the Apple MacBook Air 13in (see issue 368, p54) by a good two hours, so on-the-go charging almost becomes a nonissue. If you do need to bring a USB-C charger, it only requires 45W of power so shouldn't take up much space in your bag. You'll need to pay Microsoft a further £50 if you want its Surface USB-C Wall Charger.

Arm wrestling