A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Ultra 16
Company ProductName Specs











Surface Laptop Go 3
Company ProductName Specs











What we think

Chevron down
PerfectRec Logo
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you prioritize a larger screen with higher resolution and more powerful processing performance for tasks like video editing or gaming, the LG Ultra 16 with its AMD Ryzen processor, higher RAM, and more storage could be a better fit. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is lighter and more compact, which makes it easier to carry around, and it still offers a high-quality build and a touchscreen, which the LG model lacks. The Surface Laptop Go 3 would be well-suited for everyday tasks like web browsing, office applications, and media consumption. The LG Ultra 16 is better for performance-intensive tasks, and the Surface Laptop Go 3 for portability and touch screen convenience. 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 LG Ultra 16
  • Good for engineering and design
  • Excellent battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
  • Good overall build quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Very good speakers
  • Good keyboard

Key differences

Chevron down

General Use

7.7
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.2
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
270.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The LG Ultra 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for general use, though the LG Ultra 16 is somewhat better.

Screen Quality

6.2
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
270.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The LG Ultra 16 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for software development, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.

Battery

17.0 Hours
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
8.0 Hours
The LG Ultra 16 has 17 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has 8 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the LG Ultra 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

6.5
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has good build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality.

Cost

$1,000
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
$788
Product image
Product image

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

$1,600

The LG Ultra 16 has a price of $1,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $788.
Image of Laptops
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop

Key similarities

Chevron down

Gaming and AI

6.2
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.1
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The LG Ultra 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.

Engineering and Design

7.0
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.8
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Ultra 16 to be good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.

Content Creation

7.7
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.3
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Ultra 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.5
Ultra 16
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The LG Ultra 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for software development.

Give feedback

We’re constantly working to improve.

How the LG Ultra 16 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 compare to other laptops

Chevron down

Spec Comparison

Chevron down
LG Ultra 16Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
LG Ultra 16Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

GENERAL

Price
$1,000
$788
Release Date
March 1, 2023October 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
14'' x 9.8'' x 0.64''11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62''
Weight
3.63 lbs2.49 lbs
Width
14.02"10.95"
Depth
9.78"8.12"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 7730UIntel i5-1235U
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
00
Storage
512 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
17 Hours8 Hours
Battery Capacity
72 Wh41 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
16"12.4"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 12001536 x 1024
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
270 nits337 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
6.5/107.8/10
Portability Score
7.9/109.3/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
10/107.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6.8/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
7/108.4/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
NoNo
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
21
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
11
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

Chevron down

LG Ultra 16

See more

Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Sebastian Jentsch | October 2022
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

See more

Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Joe Osborne | October 2023
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."

Get a great deal on the LG Ultra 16 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

About LG

LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.

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.

Give feedback

We're constantly perfecting our model

Laptop guides you might be interested in

Chevron down

FAQs

Chevron down

FAQs about laptops

Questions about PerfectRec >

Why trust us

Chevron down
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.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
125,295
Recommendations made
27,148
Consumer hours saved

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.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

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.

Craig Russell

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.

Featured in

Color LTT LogoGeekwire logo9to5 Mac logoPhone Arena LogoColor Daring Fireball logo