The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is significantly less expensive, more portable, and has a better battery life than the MSI Summit E16 Flip, making it suitable for general use and carrying around. However, the MSI Summit E16 Flip has a larger screen, significantly better performance for 3D applications, machine learning, engineering tasks, and gaming due to a more powerful processor, graphics, and more memory and storage, but it is heavier and costs more. 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 Go 2
Excellent portability
Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Summit E16 Flip
Good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.0/10
7.9/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
401.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use, though the MSI Summit E16 Flip is somewhat better.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is lightweight and highly portable, with a smaller screen and solid battery life, suited for everyday tasks but limited by modest CPU and RAM, making it less capable for demanding applications. In contrast, the MSI Summit E16 Flip offers a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, a larger and higher-resolution touchscreen suitable for detailed work, and additional features like a 2-in-1 convertible design, but it is heavier and might be less convenient to carry around.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
6.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the MSI Summit E16 Flip is somewhat better.
The MSI Summit E16 Flip excels in gaming and 3D performance with its Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, offering smoother visuals and gameplay. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is equipped with a less powerful Intel Iris Xe graphics card and a standard refresh rate of 60 Hz, resulting in fair performance that may not handle demanding game visuals as effectively.
Engineering and Design
6.5/10
7.7/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Summit E16 Flip is good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers moderate computing power with an i5 processor, integrated graphics, and a smaller, lower resolution screen, making it less suited for demanding engineering and design tasks that benefit from a stronger CPU, dedicated GPU on the MSI Summit E16 Flip, and a larger, higher-resolution display that renders detailed visuals more precisely. Moreover, the MSI Summit E16 Flip provides better multitasking capabilities with twice the RAM, and its dedicated graphics card significantly enhances performance for engineering applications that rely on GPU acceleration.
Content Creation
7.1/10
7.9/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for content creation, though the MSI Summit E16 Flip is somewhat better.
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
7.0/10
7.6/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for software development, though the MSI Summit E16 Flip is somewhat better.
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
6.9/10
8.0/10
12.4in
SIZE
16.0in
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
401.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The MSI Summit E16 Flip has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and MSI Summit E16 Flip both have high-resolution, bright displays with suitable panel types for clarity and color reproduction, making them good for general use and detailed tasks like engineering and design. However, the color gamut coverage on these laptops, which meets the needs of engineers and designers for accurate color work, might not extend to the wider range needed for certain design tasks. For gaming and 3D applications, despite their good resolution and panel quality, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, which are key for smooth motion and fast-paced visuals.
Portability
Excellent
Good
12.4in
SIZE
16.0in
2.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$565
$1,413
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a price of $565 and the MSI Summit E16 Flip costs $1,413.
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
"The MSI Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop with pen, 16:10 display, and RTX 3050 Ti. The Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop from the business segment that primarily targets creative users. MSI combines a 16-inch touchscreen in the 16:10 format with a powerful midrange GPU. While the 2-in-1 laptop from MSI isn't meant for everybody, it should definitely attract some followers. The touchscreen display (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) covers the DCI-P3 color space. This is accompanied by stable viewing angles, a good color reproduction, short response times, and a good contrast level."
Get a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 or the MSI Summit E16 Flip
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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