For a balance of performance and portability with a focus on engineering tasks, consider the HP Dragonfly Pro 14". It offers a more powerful GPU, which is beneficial for demanding applications, and a high-resolution display with excellent color accuracy, albeit with a lower refresh rate. Its compact size and lightweight design enhance portability, making it suitable for on-the-go use. However, it comes with a slightly higher price tag and less battery life compared to the Surface Laptop.
On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is a solid choice for general use and business applications, with a larger screen that's great for productivity and a battery life that will last you through a typical workday. It's slightly more affordable and has a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals, though its GPU is less powerful, which might limit its capabilities for intensive graphics tasks. The Surface Laptop also boasts a premium build quality and a very good keyboard, making it comfortable for long work sessions.
Ultimately, if you prioritize graphics performance and portability for tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning, the HP Dragonfly Pro is the way to go. If you're looking for a larger display, longer battery life, and a more cost-effective solution for general productivity, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 would be a better fit. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
Very good for general use
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.1/10
8.1/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
405.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has a better screen than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.4/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$1,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has a price of $1,400 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" costs $1,200.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers HP Dragonfly Pro 14" to be very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
6.6/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and HP Dragonfly Pro 14" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
7.8/10
7.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and HP Dragonfly Pro 14" are both good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.8/10
7.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.8/10
7.8/10
7.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Battery
10.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has 10 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has 9 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.0in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers HP Dragonfly Pro 14" to have very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" compare to other laptops
"I’d say that the HP Dragonfly Pro checks off most of the boxes for this freelancer. It feels nice to use, is zippy and responsive, has great speakers, and even has a relatively sane price. Although it’s an unorthodox choice to pick AMD for this kind of machine, it’s clear that when Ryzen is given a chance to shine, it can kick a lot of butt."
Get a great deal on the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.