The most premium work laptop I tested in 2025 lets you finally ditch Wi-Fi for good

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5G

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Surface Laptop 5G for concern is disposable to endeavor customers starting astatine $1,499.
• It's 1 of the astir premium productivity-minded laptops of the year, with an awesome physique and always-on connectivity.
• It's costly and there's nary OLED option.

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Microsoft's Surface Laptop 5G for concern is 1 of the astir premium Windows laptops of the year, with a sleek carnal build, haptic trackpad, crisp display, and awesome show for concern users and the endeavor setting.  

Its standout feature, however, lies nether the (ahem) surface: It features a six-antenna array for 5G connectivity, supporting some carnal nano SIM cards and eSIM exertion from large carriers. 

Also: A twelvemonth later, here's wherefore I support coming backmost to the Surface Laptop

In conjunction with Wi-Fi 7, the purpose present is seamless connectivity that works successful the background, eliminating manual switching betwixt Wi-Fi and 5G, arsenic the instrumentality automatically connects to the strongest signal, whether you're connected the bureau Wi-Fi oregon retired successful the field.

Along these lines, the laptop dynamically switches betwixt the six antennas located astir the beforehand and sides of the device, prioritizing the 1 that is slightest obstructed by the user's hands, lap, oregon outer objects.  

The Surface Laptop 5G for Business is the latest summation to Microsoft's Surface laptop family, offering a much professionally minded configuration of the Surface Laptop. It is equipped with an Intel CPU, arsenic opposed to the Qualcomm Snapdragon ARM-compatible version. 

Build and hardware 

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You've got an Intel Core Ultra 5 oregon 7 268V, 16GB oregon 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM, a removable Gen 4 SSD up to 1TB successful capacity, and an Intel Arc GPU. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 let for further compatibility connected apical of the 5G, arsenic good arsenic 2 USB-C / USB4 ports, 1 USB-A, and of course, the nano SIM tray connected the close side. 

The 120Hz, max 600 nit, PixelSense touchscreen show is crisp and vivid, with nary warping oregon bending successful its aboveground erstwhile viewed from the side, and constructed from a azygous sheet with nary carnal bezels. The glossy aboveground does bespeak immoderate light, but thing much than is typical, resulting successful a precise good-looking picture.

Also: How to wide your Windows 11 PC cache (and enactment a halt to lag for good)

In my reappraisal of the user Surface Laptop, I lamented its deficiency of an OLED display, and I consciousness the aforesaid mode here. For the price, there's nary crushed wherefore this laptop doesn't person an OLED, particularly considering its positioning arsenic a top-tier concern laptop.

With that aside, the physique connected the Surface Laptop 5G is thing abbreviated of premium. At 3.06 pounds, it's airy and slick, yet inactive feels important and well-built, passing the one-handed unfastened trial with flying colors and staying stationary connected the table acknowledgment to its rubberized grips.

Also: Microsoft's 12-inch Surface Pro improves connected its champion traits - and it's already connected sale

The keyboard feels likewise well-designed, with a matte slate-colored sheet that offsets the metallic assemblage (more connected that successful a moment). The haptic trackpad is simply a precise bully interaction -- it's the close size, responsive, and rounds retired the package. 

The wrist remainder and bottommost sheet is simply a unsocial material. It's not plastic, but it's decidedly not metallic; it's creaseless -- silky, even, and satisfying to enactment on. It's not conscionable astir feels, though. The anodized aluminum casing is optimized for the antennas located beneath the surface, arsenic emblematic integrative oregon aluminum physique materials would obstruct the signal. 

The occupation with 5G

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During my investigating of this laptop, the 5G was really fantastic to use. Not worrying astir being tethered to Wi-Fi was a game-changer, and I had astir nary transportation issues connected the Verizon web arsenic I moved astir New York. 

Let maine reiterate that the intended demographic for this laptop is concern users successful the endeavor mounting -- not arsenic a standalone user PC. This means that its 5G connectivity would apt beryllium deployed by an IT squad earlier being distributed to the extremity user.

Although determination are consumer-facing PCs from different companies that diagnostic 5G connectivity, getting them acceptable up with a bearer tin beryllium costly and technical. We inactive person a ways to spell earlier 5G connectivity connected laptops is arsenic casual arsenic picking a cellphone plan.

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In that sense, the terms of this laptop corresponds with this committedness to the endeavor market. It's $500 much than the Surface Laptop for Business with the Snapdragon X Plus processor, scaling up to and beyond the $2,000 people with the higher-tier hardware. 

Enterprise-only laptops are typically much pricey than mainstream laptops, true, but erstwhile the astir awesome devices are made this exclusive, it narrows the market. I besides deliberation determination is simply a genuine involvement successful 5G exertion for laptops, but again, until manufacturers person an inducement to marque it much accessible, it volition enactment wrapped up successful endeavor packages. 

Features and regular use 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

When I reviewed the Surface Laptop with the Snapdragon X Elite spot past year, I praised its marathon artillery life, earning a spot connected our best artillery beingness laptop list. 

On the Surface Laptop 5G, the 54Wh artillery is somewhat little robust, arsenic the other modem and antenna operation takes up abstraction and requires power. With that said, you're inactive looking astatine large artillery longevity, earning astir 20 hours of video playback and upwards of 16 hours of emblematic bureau usage successful balanced mode. 

Also: Are enactment headsets a gimmick? I tested a pair, and it really made calls much enjoyable

Lastly, if you're utilizing this laptop for work, you're astir surely utilizing it for video calls. The Full HD (1080p) front-facing Surface Studio Camera produces precise bully representation prime that approaches MacBook territory. Combined with the dual workplace mics and 5G connectivity, you've got a laptop that is improbable to driblet during a telephone oregon roboticize your voice. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5G for Business offers a top-tier acquisition for endeavor users who request reliable, always-on connectivity. Although an OLED show would seal the woody connected a premium concern laptop, it inactive looks great, and paired with the haptic trackpad, slick build, and commendable hardware, it makes for a bully package. 

If you're a concern idiosyncratic looking for a thin-and-light laptop with 5G connectivity, this is 1 of the champion choices connected the market. 

However, its terms point, aimed astatine the endeavor space, is prohibitive for idiosyncratic consumers, whom Microsoft volition nonstop toward its consumer-oriented merchandise line. It conscionable goes to amusement that laptop manufacturers tin make premium, well-designed products that deed each (or astir all) the close marks; they conscionable won't bash truthful without a warrant connected a terms constituent that's conscionable arsenic premium.