If budget is a primary concern and your tasks are mostly web browsing, document editing, or media consumption, the HP Stream 14" could be a suitable and cost-effective option. On the other hand, if your needs include more demanding tasks like 3D modeling, video editing, or gaming, and you're ready to invest more, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio would provide significantly better performance. The Surface Laptop Studio also offers features like a high-resolution touchscreen, convertible form factor, and better build quality, but this comes with a higher price tag and potentially less battery life due to the more powerful hardware. If portability is key, the HP Stream is lighter and easier to carry around, though the Surface provides a more premium, versatile experience. 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 Stream 14"
Very good portability
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.4/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
7.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for general use, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
The HP Stream 14" has a basic Intel Celeron processor and lower screen resolution, which suffice for everyday tasks but may struggle with more demanding applications, whereas the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio boasts a powerful Intel i7 processor, a high-quality IPS touchscreen with a higher resolution, and superior graphics capabilities suitable for a wider range of advanced uses. Additionally, the Surface Laptop Studio offers more storage, a longer battery life, and a built-in flexibility to switch between laptop and tablet modes, making it a more versatile and future-proof choice despite being less portable and more expensive than the HP Stream 14".
Gaming and AI
5.7/10
6.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair for gaming and AI, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
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
5.7/10
7.3/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for engineering and design, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
The HP Stream 14" is less suited for engineering and design tasks due to its basic Intel Celeron processor and lower-end integrated graphics, coupled with a lower resolution TN screen, which contributes to less vivid color reproduction and narrower viewing angles.
Content Creation
6.7/10
7.4/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for content creation, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
6.5/10
7.3/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for software development, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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.
Screen Quality
5.2/10
8.0/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.4in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen than the HP Stream 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The HP Stream's screen may not offer the clarity and vibrancy required for detailed work due to lower resolution and brightness, impacting general use and making it less suitable for engineering tasks that depend on accurate colors and fine details. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio shines in general use and professional design applications with its higher resolution and brightness, along with wider color gamut coverage, ensuring precise color work and clear visuals. However, for gaming and 3D, the Studio's lower refresh rate could limit the smoothness of fast-paced visuals, despite its decent resolution and panel quality.
Build Quality
5.5/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the HP Stream 14" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$299
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The HP Stream 14" has a price of $299 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
The HP Stream 14" has 7.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has 8 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
14.4in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers HP Stream 14" to have very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the HP Stream 14" and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
"With half of the main system memory and a fraction of the storage that we recommend in any budget Windows laptop, the HP Stream 14 does not impress. Perhaps it doesn't need to, depending on your reference point. For the price, you're getting a functional laptop with Windows 10, which already places the HP Stream 14 above most Chromebooks on that merit alone. Still, in this price range, you can't do much worse, but you can do better. In fact, for just $100 more, you can grab the much superior budget option, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14."
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the HP Stream 14" or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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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