Microsoft says you'll get 23 hours of battery life with the new Surface Laptop. Spoiler alert: you won't. But the good news? What you actually get is still pretty darn impressive.

Let's Get Real About Those Numbers

Those 23-hour claims? That's Microsoft testing under perfect lab conditions—basically having the laptop sit there doing almost nothing with the screen dimmed way down. In the real world, you're going to get different results.

What You Can Actually Expect

Surface Laptop 7th Edition (The New ARM One)

This is where the ARM processor really shines. I'm talking genuine all-day battery life:

Normal work stuff: You'll easily get 15-16 hours. I mean emails, Word docs, web browsing, maybe some video calls. That's a full work day plus your commute with juice to spare.

Heavy productivity: Even when I'm running Teams, Excel with huge spreadsheets, and have 20 browser tabs open, I'm still getting 12-14 hours. That's unheard of for Windows laptops.

Binge watching: Netflix for 10-11 hours straight? Yeah, it'll do that.

Surface Pro 11

The tablet version gets slightly less, but it's still great:

• Pure tablet use: 12-14 hours of reading, light apps
• With the keyboard doing work: 10-12 hours
• Heavy multitasking: 8-10 hours

Pro Tips to Squeeze More Life Out of It

Turn down that screen brightness: This is the big one. Your screen at 100% brightness is just burning through power. Drop it to 60% and you'll gain 3-4 extra hours without really noticing the difference.

Manage your background apps: Teams is a battery vampire. So is OneDrive if it's constantly syncing. Check what's running in the background.

Unplug unnecessary stuff: That wireless mouse, USB hub, or external monitor all sip power throughout the day.

The Sleep Mode Gotcha

Some people complain about the laptop draining battery while it's supposed to be asleep. This is usually caused by USB devices or certain apps preventing proper sleep. Quick fix: go into power settings and adjust what's allowed to wake your computer.

Bottom Line

Will you get 23 hours? Nope. Will you get legitimately all-day battery life for the first time in a Windows laptop? Absolutely. The ARM Surface devices have finally solved the battery problem that's plagued Windows laptops forever.

Just don't expect miracles—expect really, really good battery life instead.

So you're wondering if your shiny new Surface can handle some gaming? Well, I've got some good news and some not-so-good news for you.

The Reality Check

Let me start with this: Microsoft didn't design Surface devices for gaming. They're productivity machines that happen to have enough power for some light gaming on the side. Think of gaming as a nice bonus, not the main event.

If You Have the New ARM Models (2024)

Those fancy new Surface Laptop 7th Edition and Surface Pro 11 with Snapdragon chips? Gaming is... rough. Here's why:

The Anti-Cheat Problem

This is the big one. Most popular online games use anti-cheat software that absolutely refuses to work with ARM processors. So if you're hoping to play Valorant, Apex Legends, or pretty much any competitive shooter, you're out of luck. The games won't even start.

Performance Takes a Hit

Even games that do run have to go through emulation (basically translation software), which makes everything 15-30% slower. It's like trying to have a conversation through a translator—it works, but it's not ideal.

If You Have an Intel Surface

Much better! These older Intel-powered models can actually handle some real gaming:

• Rocket League? Totally playable at 60fps
• Older Call of Duty games? Yeah, on medium settings
• Indie games? Most run great
• The latest AAA blockbusters? Maybe on low settings with some patience

What Actually Works Well

Casual Gaming: Anything from the Microsoft Store, browser games, card games—all good.

Retro Gaming: Want to replay some classics? Perfect for that.

Streaming Services: Xbox Game Pass streaming works fantastic on Surface devices.

My Honest Take

If gaming is really important to you, buy a gaming laptop. Seriously. You'll spend the same money and get way better performance.

But if you need a great productivity machine that can handle some light gaming when you're bored? The Intel Surface models are pretty decent. Just don't expect miracles.

The ARM models? Amazing for work, terrible for gaming. Pick your priority.

If you're considering a Microsoft Surface with one of those new ARM processors, let's talk about what you're actually getting into. It's not all bad news, but there are definitely some gotchas you should know about.

The ARM Situation: What's Changed

Microsoft decided to ditch Intel chips for Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors in their newest Surface devices. The idea? Better battery life and always-on connectivity. The reality? Some of your favorite software might not work anymore.

Think of it like trying to run Mac software on a PC—it's the same basic problem, just in reverse. Microsoft built something called Prism to help translate old software, and it works pretty well most of the time. But "most of the time" might not cut it if that one essential app you rely on is part of the remaining percentage.

Where You'll Hit Walls

Gaming Is Rough

Let's be honest—if you're a gamer, ARM Surface devices are probably not for you right now. Anti-cheat software hates emulation, which means a lot of popular online games simply refuse to launch. No Valorant, no Apex Legends, no Fortnite with anti-cheat enabled. It's frustrating because the hardware can handle these games, but the software gatekeepers say no.

Work Software Can Be Hit-or-Miss

Got some older business software your company still uses? There's a good chance it won't play nice with ARM. I'm talking about things like:

• That ancient version of QuickBooks your accountant insists on using
• Specialized industry software that hasn't been updated in years
• VPN clients that dig deep into Windows (looking at you, corporate IT departments)

Hardware Accessories Are Tricky

Your printer might work fine, but the fancy software that came with it? Maybe not. Brother straight-up says they don't support ARM processors, and Logitech still hasn't updated drivers for some of their webcams.

The Good News

Here's what does work, and works really well:

• All the Microsoft stuff (Office, Teams, Edge)—obviously
• Google Chrome runs like a dream
• Zoom, Spotify, WhatsApp—all native
• Even serious creative tools like Blender and DaVinci Resolve have ARM versions now

Microsoft claims 90% of what people actually use day-to-day now has ARM support, and honestly, that feels about right.

Should You Take the Plunge?

Here's my advice: make a list of every piece of software you can't live without. Then spend 20 minutes googling each one with "ARM64" or "Windows on ARM." If even one critical app doesn't work, either wait or consider an Intel Surface instead.

The ARM Surface devices really are impressive—the battery life alone might convert you. Just make sure you're not sacrificing essential functionality for those extra hours of use. You can check current Surface pricing here to see if the trade-offs make financial sense for your needs.