Surface Laptop 4 15” vs. Surface Laptop 3 15”: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Laptop 4 15” and Surface Laptop 3 15” specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Laptop 4 15” Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 4 15” is better than Surface Laptop 3 15”.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2019

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Laptop 4 15” has a 77% better multi-core CPU performance score than the AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition inside Surface Laptop 3 15”.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Laptop 4 15” - AMD Ryzen 7-4980U Microsoft Surface Edition
6,365
Surface Laptop 4 15” - Intel Core i7-1185G7
4,864
Surface Laptop 3 15” - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Laptop 3 15” - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Surface Laptop 3 15” - AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition
2,741
Surface Laptop 3 15” - AMD Ryzen 5-3580U Microsoft Surface Edition
2,438
Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop 4 15” supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Laptop 3 15”. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 2400MHz of system memory on the Surface Laptop 3 15”.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 4 15” - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Surface Laptop 3 15” - DDR4
2,400 MHz

Surface Laptop 3 15” Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of Surface Laptop 3 15” over Surface Laptop 4 15”.

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Surface Laptop 4 15” and Surface Laptop 3 15”.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 32GB

Both laptops supports up to 32GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Surface Laptop 4 15”
32 GB
Surface Laptop 3 15”
32 GB

Prices

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

Surface Laptop 4 15” Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 32GB - 1TB Solid State Drive - Matte Black
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 32GB - 1TB Solid State Drive - Matte Black
By Microsoft
$979.99
$1,099.00 11% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15-inch Touchscreen 256GB SSD AMD Ryzen 7 (8GB RAM, Windows 10 Home, Latest Model) - Platinum, 5UI-00001
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15-inch Touchscreen 256GB SSD AMD Ryzen 7 (8GB RAM, Windows 10 Home, Latest Model) - Platinum, 5UI-00001
By Microsoft
$541.01
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 – 16GB - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) - Matte Black (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 – 16GB - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) - Matte Black (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$747.00
Surface Laptop 3 15” Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, 15" Touchscreen Notebook, Intel Core i7-1065G7, 16GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Display(2496×1664), CAM, WiFi, Platinum, Windows 10 Pro(Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, 15" Touchscreen Notebook, Intel Core i7-1065G7, 16GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Display(2496×1664), CAM, WiFi, Platinum, Windows 10 Pro(Renewed)
By Microsoft
$449.89
$475.00 5% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Tablet 15" 2K Touchscreen Laptop, Inter Core i7-1065G7,16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Type-C, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Tablet 15" 2K Touchscreen Laptop, Inter Core i7-1065G7,16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Type-C, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$459.00
New Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15in Touch-Screen AMD Ryzen 5 Edition - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive Matte Black (Renewed)
New Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15in Touch-Screen AMD Ryzen 5 Edition - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive Matte Black (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$387.99
$499.99 22% OFF

Availability

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
Released20212019
Release Date
  • Introduced: April 13, 2021
  • Released: April 13, 2021
  • Introduced: October 2, 2019 (Microsoft October Event)
  • Pre-ordered: October 2, 2019
  • Released: October 22, 2019
Pricing
  • $1,299.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 8GB 256GB Platium Only
  • $1,499.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 8GB 512GB
  • $1,699.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 16GB 512GB
  • $1,799.99
    Intel Core i7 16GB 512GB Matte Black Only
  • $2,399.99
    Intel Core i7 32GB 1TB Matte Black Only
Starting at 1,199$
Generations

Exterior

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
Dimensions13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57” (339.5 mm x 244 mm x 14.69 mm)13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57” (339.5 mm x 244 mm x 14.69 mm)
Width: 13.4” (339.5 mm)
Depth: 9.6” (244 mm)
Height: 0.57” (14.69 mm)
Weight3.40 lb (1,542 g)3.40 lb (1,542 g)
ColorsMetal
Matte Black Platinum
  • Metal
    Matte Black Platinum
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.
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with the 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.

Display

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
Size15 Inches15 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 2496 x 1664 (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
  • 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

Ports

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
Surface Laptop 4 15” 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
Surface Laptop 3 15” Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect™
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Headset jack

Internal Specs

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
Processor
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.00 → 4.40 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 15W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.20 → 3.70 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.10 → 3.70 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4MB L3 Cache, 15W
  4. AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4MB L3 Cache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    8 Graphics Cores,
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    Radeon™ Vega 9 Graphics
    9 Graphics Cores, 1300 MHz
  4. AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics
    11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB 32GB
4266 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
8GB 16GB 32 GB
2400 MHz DDR4 RAM
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD

Connectivity

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
  • Wi-Fi 5: 2x2 MIMO IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible
BluetoothBluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology

Battery

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
Size45.8 Wh45.8 Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 17.5 hours of typical device usage
    AMD™ Ryzen™ 7 models.
  • Up to 16.5 hours of typical device usage
    Intel® Core™ i7 models.
Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trialMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
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
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • Surface Laptop 4 15”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Laptop 3 15”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Surface for Business customers: Includes Advanced Exchange, an expedited replacement service, at no additional cost
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only
Supports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only

Key Features

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”
At Glance
Released in Early
2021
3:2 2.5K
15”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
3.40 lb
1.54 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 15” Ports
Released in Late
2019
3:2 2.5K
15”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
3.40 lb
1.54 kg
Up to
AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition
4C/8T, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
721
Single Core
Geekbench 5
2,741
Multi-Core
With integrated
Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics
11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
2400 MHz DDR4
Surface Laptop 3 15” Ports

Comparison Summary

Surface Laptop 4 15” vs. Surface Laptop 3 15”

Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop 4 15”, a 15-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 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 15” was introduced by Microsoft about two years earlier in late-2019. It comes with up to a quad-core AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition with a boost clock speed up to 4.00 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics (11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Laptop 4 15”1
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition1,09077.64%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G71,404100.00%
Surface Laptop 3 15”1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G71,00271.37%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G71,08877.49%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition70350.07%
4
AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition72151.35%
01,404

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Laptop 4 15”1
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition6,365100.00%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G74,86476.42%
Surface Laptop 3 15”1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G73,69157.99%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G73,72258.48%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition2,43838.30%
4
AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition2,74143.06%
06,365

Both Surface Laptop 4 15” and Surface Laptop 3 15” have the same 15-inch display size. In addition, they both have the same weight at 3.40 lbs. Moreover, measured at 13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57”, the Surface Laptop 4 15” share the same chassis as the Surface Laptop 3 15”.

Surface Laptop 4 15”Surface Laptop 3 15”

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Laptop 4 15” 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 Surface Laptop 3 15”, it supports up to 32GB 2400 MHz DDR4 memory. Like Surface Laptop 4 15”, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed.

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