Surface Laptop 4 13.5” vs. ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021): Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Laptop 4 13.5” and ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Laptop 4 13.5” Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 4 13.5” is better than ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021).

Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop 4 13.5” supports a faster memory speed than the ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021). It supports up to 4267MHz versus 3200MHz of system memory on the ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021).

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 4 13.5” - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) - DDR4
3,200 MHz
About 52% lighter

Surface Laptop 4 13.5” weighed 2.79 pounds, 52% lighter than the 5.73 pounds ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021).

WeightSurface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Pound
2.79 lbs.
5.73 lbs.
Kilogram
1.27 kg
2.60 kg

ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) Pros

Reasons that ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) is better than Surface Laptop 4 13.5”.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-11900H inside ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) has a 66% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Laptop 4 13.5”.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) - Intel Core i9-11900H
8,121
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
Surface Laptop 4 13.5” - AMD Ryzen 7-4980U Microsoft Surface Edition
6,365
Surface Laptop 4 13.5” - Intel Core i7-1185G7
4,864
Surface Laptop 4 13.5” - AMD Ryzen 5-4680U Microsoft Surface Edition
4,614
Surface Laptop 4 13.5” - Intel Core i5-1145G7
4,450
Surface Laptop 4 13.5” - Intel Core i5-1135G7
3,980
Supports larger memory

ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Laptop 4 13.5”. It supports up to 48GB versus 32GB of system memory on the Surface Laptop 4 13.5”.

Max system memory size
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
48 GB
Surface Laptop 4 13.5”
32 GB
Upgradable memory

ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) comes with one SODIMM slot that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Surface Laptop 4 13.5” since it has onboard memory.

MemorySurface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Slots
Onboard
x0,1
TypeLPDDR4XDDR4
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6 125W TGP vs. integrated

28% larger display

ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) has a 17.3-inch screen size 28% larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 4 13.5”.

Display size
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
17.3-inch
Surface Laptop 4 13.5”
13.5-inch

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Surface Laptop 4 13.5” Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 16GB - 512GB Solid State Drive - Matte Black
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 16GB - 512GB Solid State Drive - Matte Black
By Microsoft
$985.00
$1,699.99 42% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5-inch Touch-Screen – AMD Ryzen 5 Surface Edition - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5-inch Touch-Screen – AMD Ryzen 5 Surface Edition - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$398.99
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5” Touch-Screen – AMD Ryzen 5 Surface Edition - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Platinum
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5” Touch-Screen – AMD Ryzen 5 Surface Edition - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Platinum
By Microsoft
$543.99
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) Price
ASUS ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) Gaming Laptop, 17.3” 165Hz IPS Type QHD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD, Per-Key RGB Keyboard, Thunderbolt 4, Windows 10, GX703HM-DB76
ASUS ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) Gaming Laptop, 17.3” 165Hz IPS Type QHD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD, Per-Key RGB Keyboard, Thunderbolt 4, Windows 10, GX703HM-DB76
By ASUS
$3,898.00
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 Gaming Laptop, 16" QHD 240Hz Display, 13th Gen Intel 14-Core i9-13900H, GeForce RTX 4070 140W, 64GB DDR5, 2TB PCIe 4.0, VR Ready, Thunderbolt 4, RGB Keyboard, WiFi 6, Win 11 Pro
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 Gaming Laptop, 16" QHD 240Hz Display, 13th Gen Intel 14-Core i9-13900H, GeForce RTX 4070 140W, 64GB DDR5, 2TB PCIe 4.0, VR Ready, Thunderbolt 4, RGB Keyboard, WiFi 6, Win 11 Pro
By ASUS
$2,124.99
ASUS 2023 ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming Laptop, MUX Switch, 16” FHD 165Hz, Latest 10-Core i7-13620H CPU, RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6, Thin & Light, RGB, Win 11 H, W/Mouse Pad (32GB RAM | 2TB PCIe SSD)
ASUS 2023 ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming Laptop, MUX Switch, 16” FHD 165Hz, Latest 10-Core i7-13620H CPU, RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6, Thin & Light, RGB, Win 11 H, W/Mouse Pad (32GB RAM | 2TB PCIe SSD)
By ASUS
$1,379.90

Availability

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Released20212021
Release Date
  • Introduced: April 13, 2021
  • Released: April 13, 2021
Announced on May 11, 2021
Pricing
  • $999.99
    AMD Ryzen 5 8GB 256GB Platinum Only
  • $1,199.99
    AMD Ryzen 5 16GB 256GB Platinum Only
  • $1,299.99
    Intel Core i5 8GB 512GB
  • $1,499.99
    Intel Core i5 16GB 512GB
  • $1,699.99
    Intel Core i7 16GB 512GB
  • $2,299.99
    Intel Core i7 32GB 1TB Matte Black Only
-
Generations-

Exterior

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Dimensions12.1” x 8.8” x 0.57” (308 mm x 223 mm x 14.5 mm)15.51” x 10.39” x 0.78” (394 x 264 x 19.9 mm)
Weight
  • 2.84 lb (1,288 g)
    Sandstone and Matte Black
  • 2.79 lb (1,265 g)
    Cobalt Blue and Platinum
5.73 lbs (2.60 kg)
Colors
  • Metal
    Matte Black Sandstone
  • Alcantara
    Ice Blue Platinum
Black
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with a soft-touch feel and full 1.3mm travel.
    • Large palm rest with premium Alcantara® material for maximized typing comfort.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 115 mm x 76.66 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Full-size backlit chicklet keyboard
    5° angle lift 1.9 mm key travel 0.15 keycap dish Per-Key RGB Aura Sync N key rollover
  • Hotkeys
    Volume up Volume down Microphone mute ROG Armoury Crate
  • Integrated Fingerprint Sensor
  • Trackpad - 125% larger and more accurate matte glass precision trackpad.

Display

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Size13.5 Inches17.3 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI)
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • 100% sRGB color, individually calibrated
  • 17.3” 4K UHD 120Hz Display
    16:9 Aspect Ratio 3840 x 1600 IPS 120Hz refresh rate 3ms response time 500-nits Dolby Vision Patone Validated 100% DCI-P3 Anti-Glare
  • 17.3” WQHD 165Hz Display
    16:9 Aspect Ratio 3840 x 1600 IPS 120Hz refresh rate 3ms response time Nvidia G-Sync Patone Validated 100% DCI-P3 Anti-Glare

Ports

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Surface Laptop 4 13.5” Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.2 Gen 2
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect™ +
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Headset jack
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) Ports
Image Source: ASUS
  • 1 x Thunderbolt™ 4
    with USB 4 Type-C, DisplayPort™ 1.4 and  100W Power Delivery 3.0.
  • 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
    Supports DisplayPort™ and  100W Power Delivery 3.0.
  • 3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0b
  • 1 x RJ-45 jack
  • 1 x SD Card Reader 
    Supports UHS-II up to 312 MB/s.
  • 1 x 3.5mm Audio jack
  • 1 x DC-in

Internal Specs

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Processor
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 5 4680U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.10 → 4.00 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 15W
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.00 → 4.40 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 15W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.40 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W
  4. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1145G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.60 → 4.40 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W
  5. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 5 4680U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    7 Graphics Cores,
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    8 Graphics Cores,
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  4. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1145G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  5. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB 32GB
4266 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Up to 48GB DDR4 3200MHz SDRAM
1 x 16GB on-board memory and 1 x SO-DIMM slot up to 32GB of DDR4 SDRAM.
Discrete Graphics-
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 - 6GB GDDR6
    Supports ROG Boost up to 1802MHz at 115W (130W with Dynamic Boost).
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 - 8GB GDDR6
    Supports ROG Boost up to 1660MHz at 125W (140W with Dynamic Boost).
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 - 16GB GDDR6
    Supports ROG Boost up to 1645MHz at 125W (140W with Dynamic Boost).
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD
  • Single
    • 512GB 1TB
      M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
  • Dual
    • 2 x 512GB 2 x 1TB
      M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
      Supports RAID 0.
  • Triple
    • 3 x 512GB 3 x 1TB
      M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
      Supports RAID 0.

Connectivity

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.Intel® Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ performance (802.11ax)
BluetoothBluetooth Wireless 5.0 technologyBluetooth 5.2
Ethernet- Gigabit LAN
Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.

Battery

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Size45.8 Wh90 Wh
4-cell Li-ion battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 19 hours of typical device usage
    AMD™ Ryzen™ 5 models.
  • Up to 17 hours of typical device usage
    Intel® Core™ i5 models.
-
Power Supply
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)
  • 280W power adaptor
    Propriety charger.
  • Supports charging via USB-C
    Supports USB Type-C PD 3.0 up to 10W.

Software

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Windows 10 Pro
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial
Armoury Crate 1M Xbox Game Pass GameVisual Scenario Profiles Multiwheel Android/iOS App Office 365 Trial

Camera & Audio

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
HD Front-facing camera
720p (1280 x 720) camera.
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
  • 2 x 1W tweeter with Smart Amp Technology
  • Audio by Dolby Atmos
  • Built-in array microphone
  • AI mic noise-canceling

Misc

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
The fingerprint sensor on the power button
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Secured-Core PC
    For Surface Laptop 4 powered by AMD RyzenTM Microsoft Surface Edition
  • Windows enhanced hardware security
    For Surface Laptop 4 powered by 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors
  • BIOS Administrator Password and User Password Protection
  • Kensington Lock
  • Fingerprint Authentication
In the box
  • Surface Laptop 4 13.5”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • ROG Ranger BP2701 Gaming Backpack
  • ROG Delta headset
  • ROG Chakram Core mouse P511
  • TYPE-C, 100W AC Adapter
    Output: 20V DC, 5A, 100W, Input: 100~240V AC 50/60Hz universal
Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Surface for Business customers: Includes Advanced Exchange, an expedited replacement service, at no additional cost
-
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only
-

Key Features

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)
At Glance
Released in Early
2021
3:2 2.2K
13.5”
1504p 60Hz
Weight
2.79 lb
1.27 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1185G7
4C/8T, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,404
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,864
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Laptop 4 13.5” Ports
Released in Mid
2021
16:9
17.3”
1600p 165Hz
Weight
5.73 lb
2.60 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-11900H
8C/16T, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,430
Single Core
Geekbench 5
8,121
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Upgradable up to
48GB
3200 MHz DDR4
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3080
16GB GDDR6 125W TGP

Comparison Summary

Surface Laptop 4 13.5” vs. ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)

Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop 4 13.5”, a 13.5-inch machine, in early-2021. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.80 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 17.3-inch ROG Zephyrus S17 was introduced by ASUS around the same year in mid-2021. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-11900H with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB GDDR6 125W TGP.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”1
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4680U Microsoft Surface® Edition87659.75%
2
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition1,09074.35%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G71,19581.51%
4
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1145G71,31389.56%
5
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G71,40495.77%
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)1
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H1,466100.00%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H1,43097.54%
01,466

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”1
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4680U Microsoft Surface® Edition4,61456.82%
2
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition6,36578.38%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G73,98049.01%
4
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1145G74,45054.80%
5
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G74,86459.89%
ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)1
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H7,90897.38%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H8,121100.00%
08,121

The Surface Laptop 4 13.5” has a 13.5-inch display which is considerably smaller than the 17.3-inch ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021). In addition, The Surface Laptop 4 13.5” weighs 2.79 lbs. about 105% lighter than the 5.73 lbs. ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021). Moreover, measured at 12.1” x 8.8” x 0.57”, the Surface Laptop 4 13.5” is much more portable than the ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021) at 15.51” x 10.39” x 0.78”.

Surface Laptop 4 13.5”ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021)

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Laptop 4 13.5” supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For ROG Zephyrus S17 (2021), it supports up to 48GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with memory module slots on the motherboard. It also has three M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed.

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