Apple’s M-line chips finally have some competition, as Snapdragon X Elite chips are out and running in Microsoft’s latest Surface laptops. Definitely, Microsoft made some big claims, saying that its Surface Pro is faster than the 15-inch M3 MacBook Pro, and whatnot.
Now, PhoneBuff has conducted a battery test stacking up the M3 Pro MacBook Pro against the newly launched Surface 7. Frankly, these two are different laptops, with different chips, running different operating systems, but they do share a common factor: both of them are priced around $2,000.
Moreover, PhoneBuff chose them because they share 14-inch screens with 120Hz refresh rates, sleek designs, and top-tier processors in the market today.
However, there are key differences that make the battery test quite detailed. The MacBook Pro sports a higher resolution display at 3024 x 1964, compared to the Surface 7’s 2400 x 1600. Additionally, Apple’s laptop packs a 70 Wh battery, while the Surface 7 settles for a 54 Wh one. Another distinction lies in their audio setups; the MacBook Pro flaunts a 6-speaker system, while the Surface 7 opts for stereo speakers.
M3 Pro and Snapdragon X Elite Are Even
It’s largely a tie between the two. The M3 Pro MacBook Pro initially outlasted the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Surface 7 in battery life, except during intensive gaming. Notably, the MacBook Pro ran Tomb Raider at 2-3 times the frame rate of its competitor, which ultimately drained its battery 7 minutes earlier.
PhoneBuff points out that a 7-minute difference is no big deal in the grand scheme. Had the MacBook Pro not pushed such high frame rates, it could have potentially lasted over 30 minutes longer than the Surface 7. On the flip side, even with a smaller battery, the Surface 7 did surprisingly well.
And the most important thing at all: Macs have the fantastic macOS, whereas Windows (and much more Linux with all its flavors) is horrible (read, anti-intuitive, cumbersome and hard to use).