Battery Test: Microsoft Surface 7 vs. Apple M3 MacBook Pro

The Phone Buff team conducted a comprehensive two-day battery test, Microsoft Surface 7 Laptoppowered by Snapdragon X Elite i processor MacBook Pro Apple M3 from 2024Equipped with the M3 Pro chip, both laptops were put to a test to assess their battery life and performance across a variety of tasks. The test included web browsing, productivity workflows, video calling, standby mode, video streaming, and gaming to provide a thorough assessment of each laptop’s capabilities. The video below provides a detailed look at how both laptops fared. Let’s get into more detail.

Price and specifications comparison

Both the Surface Laptop 7 and MacBook Pro are priced at $2,000, and offer top-of-the-line features and performance. The Surface Laptop 7 comes with Snapdragon X Elite chipwhile the MacBook Pro offers M3 Pro System. Plus, the MacBook Pro has a 30% larger battery and is stunning mini LED displayincreasing its overall attractiveness.

Web browsing performance

During the web browsing test, the Surface Laptop 7 saw its battery charge drop by 24%, while the MacBook Pro saw a more efficient 16%. MacBook Pro is more energy efficient when it comes to web browsingso users can spend more time surfing the web without worrying about battery life.

Workflow efficiency

In a performance test that simulated typical work tasks, the Surface Laptop 7 showed a 21% drop in battery charge, while the MacBook Pro had a slightly larger drop of 25%. This suggests that Surface Laptop 7 is more efficient for productivity tasksallowing users to work longer on a single charge.

Video Call Efficiency

Both laptops showed a consistent 6 percent drop in battery life during video calls, indicating that they offer similar effectiveness for virtual meetings and video conferencing. Users can expect both devices to perform reliably during long video calls without significant battery drain.

Standby performance

When left in standby mode, the MacBook Pro showed just a 2% battery drop, while the Surface Laptop 7 had a slightly higher 4% drop. It shows MacBook Pro’s remarkable battery-saving performance when not actively in usemaking it ideal for users who often leave their laptops on standby.

Video Streaming Performance

The Surface Laptop 7 showed its strengths in streaming video, reducing the MacBook Pro’s lead to just 4%. Surface Laptop 7 performs better for streaming video contentproviding users with longer viewing time without the need for charging.

Gaming performance and battery life

In the gaming test, the MacBook Pro delivered higher frame rates, providing smoother gameplay. However, this came at the cost of draining the battery faster. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop 7 delivered lower frame rates but maintained better battery life during gaming sessions. This trade-off suggests that Surface Laptop 7 is more efficient in gaming in terms of battery lifewhile MacBook Pro focuses on performance.

Overall Battery Life and Performance

Despite the smaller battery, Surface Laptop 7, powered by Snapdragon X Elite processormanaged to extend the battery life of the MacBook Pro by 7 minutes. The faster battery drain of the MacBook Pro can be attributed to its higher performance in terms of screen resolution, speakers, and GPU capabilities.

In summary, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and the Apple M3 MacBook Pro offer clear advantages in terms of battery life and performance across a variety of tasks. While the MacBook Pro excels in web browsing and standby performance, the Surface Laptop 7 shows better performance in productivity workflows, video streaming, and gaming battery life. Ultimately, choosing between these two laptops comes down to the user’s priorities and specific needs.

The most important conclusions from the battery test:

• • MacBook Pro performs better when browsing the web and in standby mode
  • Surface Laptop 7 is more efficient for productivity tasks, video streaming and longer battery life for gaming
  • Both laptops offer similar performance in video calls
  • The Snapdragon X Elite system in Surface Laptop 7 shows impressive performance despite its smaller battery
  • MacBook Pro offers a better overall experience, but at the cost of faster battery drain

Source and image credit: Phone Buff

Filed Under: Apple, Laptops, Top news

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