The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is an excellent choice if you're looking for a more affordable and portable device for general use, with decent performance suited for everyday productivity tasks, and a good battery life. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 18, while more expensive, offers superior performance with a high-end processor and advanced graphics, making it ideal for intensive tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, gaming, or engineering software. It has a larger screen and higher resolution, but this also makes it less portable and can affect battery life compared to the Surface Laptop. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 18
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
8.5/10
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
400.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
7.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.1/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is designed for general use with a balance between portability and performance, featuring a CPU and RAM configuration suitable for everyday tasks, a high-resolution touchscreen for good screen quality, and a longer battery life. The Razer Blade 18, while also very good for general use, focuses on higher-end performance with a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, a larger and higher quality display without a touchscreen, but due to its larger size and increased power demands, it is less portable and has a shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
8.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is only fair.
The Razer Blade 18, with a high-end GPU and a faster screen refresh rate, excels in gaming and 3D applications, ensuring smoother visuals and better performance in graphically intensive tasks. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has a less powerful GPU and lower refresh rate, making it less optimal for such demands, although it still provides a decent experience for less intensive use.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
9.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 18 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.
The Razer Blade 18 is excellent for engineering and design use due to its higher-powered CPU, double the RAM, and superior dedicated GPU, which are critical for demanding tasks and project complexity; additionally, it has a larger and higher resolution screen that benefits design work. In contrast, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has a good CPU and integrated GPU that can handle engineering software, its performance is more modest and better suited for less resource-intensive projects, though it gains an edge in portability and has a touchscreen, which the Razer lacks.
Content Creation
7.4/10
8.6/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.
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
7.2/10
8.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" is good.
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
7.2/10
8.9/10
13.5in
SIZE
18.0in
2256 x 1504
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
The Razer Blade 18 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Surface Laptop 5 offers a high-resolution display with good brightness, making it visually appealing for everyday tasks, while the Razer Blade 18's display also provides excellent resolution and brightness but with a larger screen size. When it comes to engineering and design, the Razer Blade 18 stands out with a wider color gamut coverage, essential for accurate color work, although the Surface Laptop 5 still delivers respectable color fidelity. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, which are key for smooth motion and a responsive gaming experience.
Battery
7.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has 7.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 18 has 4 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
Excellent
Fair
13.5in
SIZE
18.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has excellent portability, while the Razer Blade 18 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 18 has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,200
$3,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has a price of $1,200 and the Razer Blade 18 costs $3,200.
"The Surface Laptop 5 remains afloat as a solid machine. It's just not one that stands out in any particular way. Just like the last one. The biggest upgrade were some new components, but they perform in the same range as other laptops with them, and frequently at the bottom of that range. I suspect Microsoft's settings are very conservative to help keep cooling and battery life within reason in the older chassis design."
"Razer made a powerful laptop in the Blade 18, showing off a beautiful and fast display and the same high-quality build we’ve come to expect from this product line. It’s also quite expensive, which is hardly a surprise, but bears repeating even in this price range. It’s pricier than the Scar 18 despite an inferior GPU and half the storage, so you really have to want the Blade 18’s design to justify the cost."
Get a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" or the Razer Blade 18
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.
About Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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