For a balance of performance and portability with a high-quality screen suitable for general use and some engineering tasks, consider the Razer Book 13. It offers a faster processor and better graphics performance, which is beneficial for light engineering work, though it's slightly pricier and has a shorter battery life compared to the Surface Laptop. On the other hand, if you prioritize battery life, a larger and higher resolution touchscreen with superior color accuracy, and a newer operating system, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is the way to go. It's also slightly more affordable and has a unique 3:2 screen aspect ratio, which is excellent for productivity tasks. However, it falls short in graphics performance and has fewer ports, which might limit connectivity options. 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 Razer Book 13
Very good overall build quality
Excellent portability
Excellent battery life
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
Very good speakers
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
7.7/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" and Razer Book 13 are both good for engineering and design, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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
7.3/10
7.8/10
13.4in
SIZE
13.5in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
507.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has a better screen than the Razer Book 13 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
14.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Razer Book 13 has 14 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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
8.5/10
7.4/10
The Razer Book 13 has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,389
$1,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Razer Book 13 has a price of $1,389 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" costs $1,200.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" and Razer Book 13 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
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" and Razer Book 13 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
7.6/10
7.7/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" and Razer Book 13 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
7.7/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" and Razer Book 13 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
Excellent
Very Good
13.4in
SIZE
13.5in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Razer Book 13 to have excellent portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Razer Book 13 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" compare to other laptops
"The Razer Book is like an XPS 13, but faster. The Book 13 combines the design philosophy and performance of a Blade Stealth with the 16:10 display of a Dell XPS 13 for an impressive piece of hardware. Office users who want something more stylish than the typical Dell, HP or Lenovo will certainly find themselves drawn to this Razer subnotebook. If your priorities are to have the best-looking and fastest 13-inch laptop in the office over auxiliary features, however, then the Book 13 proudly fulfills that niche."
Get a great deal on the Razer Book 13 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
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.
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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