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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 5, 2024·
For general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 offers excellent portability and battery life with a lower midrange price, making it a great everyday companion. Its screen is good for everyday tasks, and it has a decent performance for typical office applications. However, it's not suitable for intensive gaming or demanding graphics tasks. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16, while pricier, provides a significant performance boost, especially in 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, thanks to its powerful GPU and CPU. The OLED screen with high resolution and refresh rate is excellent for fast motion and vibrant colors, ideal for media consumption and creative work. It's also more future-proof with better connectivity options like Thunderbolt ports. However, it's less portable due to its larger size and weight, and the battery life is shorter compared to the Surface Laptop Go 3. If you need a lightweight, efficient laptop for everyday tasks and value portability and long battery life, the Surface Laptop Go 3 is the way to go. But if you're looking for a powerhouse that can handle more demanding tasks and you're okay with a bulkier device, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 is 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
- Excellent portability
Advantages of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.2
8.3
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
8.6/10
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is good.
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
6.1
6.7
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 is somewhat better.
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.
Engineering and Design
6.8
8.2
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 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
8.5
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 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
8.1
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
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 16 is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
6.8
8.7
12.4in
SIZE
16.0in
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 16 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 16 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.
Portability
Excellent
Very Good
12.4in
SIZE
16.0in
2.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$800
$1,350
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has a price of $800 and the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 costs $1,350.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
7.8
7.6
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 | Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$800 | $1,350 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2023 | May 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | 14'' x 9.9'' x 0.48'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.49 lbs | 3.42 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 10.95" | 13.99" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.12" | 9.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1235U | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E84 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 61.8 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 12.4" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1536 x 1024 | 2880 x 1800 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 337 nits | 400 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 8.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.4/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 or the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16
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.
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