For general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" offers a touchscreen and higher resolution display, which is great for productivity and entertainment, though it comes at a slightly higher price. It also has a more powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, which will handle everyday tasks with ease and is suitable for some light gaming and creative work. However, its battery life is shorter at 9 hours, and it's less portable due to its larger size and weight.
The LG Ultra 16, on the other hand, is more affordable and has a longer battery life of 17 hours, making it a better choice for those who need a laptop that can last through a full day of work without charging. It's also more portable, with a lighter and thinner design. While its performance is slightly less than the Surface Laptop, it's still capable of handling general use effectively. The LG's screen has a lower resolution and lacks a touchscreen, but it does have a 16:10 aspect ratio which provides more vertical screen space for work.
If you prioritize portability, battery life, and cost, the LG Ultra 16 is the way to go. However, if you want a higher-resolution touchscreen, better performance for light gaming and creative tasks, and don't mind a bulkier laptop with less battery life, then the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" would be the better choice. 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
Excellent battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
7.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and LG Ultra 16 are both good for engineering and design, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
8.1/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
270.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has a better screen than the LG Ultra 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
17.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The LG Ultra 16 has 17 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.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.4/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has good build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The LG Ultra 16 has a price of $1,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" costs $1,200.
The LG Ultra 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" are both good for general use.
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
6.2/10
6.6/10
3.6/10
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
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and LG Ultra 16 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.
Content Creation
7.7/10
7.8/10
6.9/10
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and LG Ultra 16 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
7.5/10
7.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and LG Ultra 16 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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.0in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and LG Ultra 16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the LG Ultra 16 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" compare to other laptops
"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."
Get a great deal on the LG Ultra 16 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
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.
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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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
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