For general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 offers excellent value with its lower midrange price, delivering solid performance and battery life with the added convenience of a touchscreen. It's also highly portable and has a good keyboard, making it a strong choice for everyday tasks and mobility. However, if you're looking for a device that excels in performance, particularly in 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering tasks, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 is the better option despite its higher price. Its OLED display with higher resolution and refresh rate provides vibrant colors and smooth visuals, which is great for multimedia consumption and fast-motion content. The Samsung also offers a larger screen, which can be beneficial for productivity. Additionally, it comes with more RAM and storage, which is advantageous for more demanding applications. The Samsung's versatility as a 2-in-1 convertible adds to its appeal if you desire tablet functionality. Ultimately, your decision should be based on whether you prioritize the portability and cost-effectiveness of the Surface Laptop Go 3 for everyday tasks or the superior performance and display quality of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 for more intensive use cases. 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 3
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has no clear advantages over the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14.
Advantages of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
7.9/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
337.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.3/10
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for general use, though the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 is somewhat better.
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.
Engineering and Design
6.8/10
8.0/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
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.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.0/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
7.1/10
7.9/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for software development, though the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 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
6.8/10
8.7/10
12.4in
SIZE
14.0in
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
337.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 has 10 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.
Cost
$788
$1,350
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has a price of $788 and the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 costs $1,350.
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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.
Portability
Excellent
Excellent
12.4in
SIZE
14.0in
2.4 lbs
WEIGHT
2.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 both have excellent portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.6/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14 compare to other laptops
"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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 or the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14
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 Samsung
Samsung Electronics is one of the largest technology corporation by revenue. Based in South Korea, they are very well known for their wide range of phones, tablets, TVs and appliances. Their main line of laptops is the Galaxy Book series, launched in 2017. This range includes 2-in-1 convertible devices and standard notebooks, with a focus on portability and value for money.
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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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.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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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.