Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Higher-End 13.5″ Touch-Screen Thin & Light Laptop

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Cobalt Blue)

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is the 2nd generation of Microsoft’s popular 13.5-inch thin-and-light notebook. The main upgrades over the older Surface Laptop 1st Gen are newer and faster 8th Generation Intel Core processors instead of previous 7th Gen chips. Starting at $999, the Surface Laptop 2 features the quad-core 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U or i7-8650U, with noticeable improvements over their dual-core 7th Gen counterparts. Especially when it comes to heavier computing tasks and benchmarks. The only downside is that only the basic Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics is available. The previous model of the laptop has faster Intel Iris graphics on the 7th Gen Core i7 chip. The 1st Gen Surface Laptop is also available with a lower-power and lower-budget Core m3 processor. A similar option is missing on the new version of the laptop.

Microsoft has also added a new matte black chassis color option, besides old platinum, burgundy, and cobalt blue. The old graphite gold color isn’t available on the new model.

The rest of the notebook is the same as on the Surface Laptop 1st Gen. Except a lack of the basic 4GB RAM option, which is a good thing. RAM size is now either 8GB or 16GB, which are both great for multitasking. The laptop still ships with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of fast solid state drive storage.

The 2.8-pound 0.57″ thin laptop retains the same extremely sharp 2256-by-1504-pixel display with touch and active pen input support (pen sold separately), IPS wide viewing angles, productivity friendly 3:2 aspect ratio, and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass on top of it.

The chassis design remained the same with Alcantara fabric finish on the keyboard deck and aluminum display lid. The keyboard does have backlight.

The rest of the laptop features hasn’t been changed. There are stereo speakers beneath the keyboard keys, a 720p web camera, cam for face recognition, single USB 3.0 port, mini DisplayPort video output, combo mic/headphones audio jack, Microsoft’s proprietary Surface Connect jack for charging and docking, 802.11AC-compatible Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

According to Microsoft, the laptop’s battery can provide “up to 14.5 hours” of local video playback on a single charge.

Looking for Surface Pro 6 Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals? Check out our Surface deals page.

Specifications

Here are the specs of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 with descriptions of its features. For comparison against other laptops, you can use the "Compare Specs" button.

Brand	Microsoft Microsoft is very well known for its software, including Windows operating system and Microsoft 365 and Office productivity suites. But, they also make the popular Surface laptops and convertibles.
Laptop Type	Standard non-convertible laptop This laptop features a clamshell-only design, without the ability to convert into a tablet. Ultraportable (small laptop) The light weight and small dimensions make this ultraportable laptop easy to carry around or travel with.
Screen Size	13.5-inch This is a small display size, typical for ultraportable laptops. There are however laptops with even smaller screens, with diagonals of 12.5" or less.
Screen Resolution	2256x1504 pixels (very good sharpness) This screen resolution provides a decent image sharpness and a lot of space on the display for the user interface and programs. It's slightly better than the popular Full HD. However, these resolutions aren't as good as the premium-class 4K Ultra HD and similar.
Touchscreen	Finger multi-touch input The screen supports finger touch input, including multi-touch gestures. Active digitizer pen input The screen supports active digitizer pen input, besides the common finger multi-touch input. In comparison to simple capacitive pens you can use on any touchscreen, active digitizer pen input provides advanced features like pressure sensitivity. Check with the laptop seller whether the active pen is included in the package.
Other Display Specs	IPS type Displays based on IPS technology provide much wider viewing angles than the budget-class TN screens.
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i5-8250U 8th Gen (enables smooth everyday computing) Intel Core i7-8650U 8th Gen (decent for heavier tasks, besides enabling effortless daily computing)
Graphics (GPU)	Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics of 8th Gen Core i3, i5, i7 (for light gaming)
System Memory (RAM) Size	8GB RAM The 8GB RAM size is the standard one in 2023. It provides comfortable multi-tasking for the most home and office users. Keep in mind that 8GB may be not enough for some demanding programs and many newer games. 16GB RAM 16GB and greater RAM sizes are recommended for heavy multitasking, gaming, and specialized programs that require a lot of RAM.
Data Storage	128GB SSD 128GB is a relatively small storage space. However, it is usable if you don't store a lot of large files like movies and don't install a lot of programs. 256GB SSD 256GB is a decent capacity. If you tend to download and store a lot of large files like movies and install many programs, 512GB or more is a better choice. 512GB SSD 512GB or larger storage capacity is recommended if you store a lot of large files and install many programs. 1000GB (1TB) SSD 1TB is an excellent storage capacity. The sizes above 512GB, including 1TB, are recommended for those who store a lot of large files.
DVD Optical Drive	None
Keyboard & Input	Backlit keyboard without dedicated number pad The keyboard has backlit keys for easier typing in the dark. There's no separate numeric pad you can typically find on the right side of the keyboard on many laptop models. Touchpad with click buttons built into the surface The left and right click buttons are built into the surface of the touchpad, as opposed to separate physical buttons. Touchscreen Active digitizer pen (optional)
Speakers & Audio	Stereo speakers As usual, the device features a pair of built-in stereo speakers.
Camera	Front-facing web camera Laptops usually feature a frontal webcam located on the display bezel. This laptop is no exception. HD 720p resolution This is the most common web camera resolution in laptops. However, it's low in comparison to camera resolutions of modern smartphones, so it can't produce as sharp picture. Face-recognition camera The dedicated infra-red face recognition cameras in laptops are used for Windows Hello log-ins, without password typing.
Wi-Fi Wireless	802.11AC The 802.11AC is the previous-generation wireless networking standard. It's also known as Wi-Fi 5. 802.11AC is succeeded by 802.11AX Wi-Fi 6 with data transfer speed and multi-device connectivity improvements.
Ethernet Network Port	No This laptop has no Ethernet LAN port for wired internet and networking connectivity.
Mobile broadband (4G LTE)	No
Bluetooth	Yes This laptop has a built-in Bluetooth module. It enables you to connect the computer to Bluetooth mice and other Bluetooth peripherals, smartphones, and other Bluetooth-equipped devices.
USB Ports	1 x USB 3.0 A standard full-size USB port.
Video Output Ports	1 x mini DisplayPort DisplayPort is a digital video output port. It is not as widely used as HDMI. The laptop has a compact "mini" version of DisplayPort on its side.
Media Card Reader	None The laptop has no SD card slots. For reading from and writing to SD and microSD memory cards, you'll have to use a separately sold memory card reader via a USB cable.
Other Features	TPM (Trusted Platform Module, a security feature)
Battery	"Up to 14.5 hours" of video playback
Weight	2.8 pounds
Height	0.6"
Width	12.1"
Depth	8.8"
Windows Version	Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Home is aimed at the regular home and office computer users. Only select business users need the Professional edition. Windows 10 Home users are eligible for a free upgrade to the latest Windows 11 Home. Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 Pro version adds some business-specific features in comparison to the standard Windows Home. Windows 10 Pro upgradeable to the latest Windows 11 Pro for free.
Warranty	1-year A typical laptop warranty.