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Apple MacBook Neo vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13"

Two of the laptops in our most energy-efficient laptops, ranked on official energy star power figures comparison, lined up spec by spec. Every figure comes from the manufacturer pages linked below, and the scores use the same published formula as the full ranking.

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#1 of 70 in Laptops

Apple MacBook Neo

10.0/10

Best for: Official TEC 5.6 kWh, official sleep 0.1 W

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#2 of 70 in Laptops

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13"

10.0/10

Best for: Official TEC 6.3 kWh, official sleep 0.3 W

Check price at Amazon

Spec-by-spec comparison

Green marks the better published figure. "Not listed" means the manufacturer doesn't publish it.

SpecApple MacBook NeoMicrosoft Surface Laptop 13"Weight
Official TECThe official Typical Energy Consumption (TEC) of the certified configuration, in kWh, published on the ENERGY STAR Computers V9.0 record. Lower official TEC is a lower certified annual-energy figure. It is a laboratory result for the configuration shown, not a utility bill we measured. Official values outside the reference range are clamped at the range ends for scoring only; the official figure is still shown. 5.6 kWh 6.3 kWh 45%
Official sleep powerThe official Sleep Mode power published on the ENERGY STAR record, in watts. Lower official sleep power means less certified power while the computer is in sleep. If the field is blank it is shown as Not listed. Official values outside the reference range are clamped for scoring only; the official figure is still shown. 0.1 W 0.3 W 30%
Official short-idle powerThe official Short Idle power published on the ENERGY STAR record, in watts. Lower official short-idle power means less certified power in that idle test state. Official values outside the reference range are clamped for scoring only; the official figure is still shown. 2.5 W 2.3 W 25%
Official ENERGY STAR unique ID4,572,8904,015,773info
Official model nameMacBook NeoSurface Laptop 13"info
Official model numberA34042095info
Official product typeNotebookNotebookinfo
Official TEC5.6 kWh6.3 kWhinfo
Official sleep mode power0.1 W0.3 Winfo
Official short-idle power2.5 W2.3 Winfo
Official long-idle power0.5 W0.3 Winfo
Official off-mode power0.1 W0.2 Winfo
Official system memory8 GB24 GBinfo
Official CPU cores68info
Official processor brandOtherQualcomminfo
Official processor nameA18 Pro ChipSnapdragon X Plusinfo
Official CPU base clock4 GHz3.2 GHzinfo
Official storage technologySDDSSDinfo
Official ENERGY STAR date certified2026-02-17T00:00:00.0002025-03-10T00:00:00.000info
Official battery capacityNot listed48.3 Whinfo
Source-data note (official battery capacity)The ENERGY STAR record lists a total battery capacity of 0 watt-hours. That official published figure is outside the range typical for this field, so it is shown here as a source-data note and is not treated as a scored official battery capacity.Not listedinfo
Official integrated display size13 in13 ininfo
Official integrated display resolution3.6 MP2.46 MPinfo
Official touch screenNoYesinfo
Official 'marketed as a workstation'NoNoinfo
Other official certified configurationsThe ENERGY STAR record lists 2 official certified configurations under this official model. This page uses the official configuration with the lowest official TEC (5.6 kWh). Other official TEC values listed for this model include 6.1.Not listedinfo
Official external power supply ratingNot listed45 Winfo
BytePick score10.0/1010.0/10100%

Where each one comes out ahead

Apple MacBook Neo

Better published figure on: Official TEC, Official sleep power.

What we like

  • Official ENERGY STAR record lists a TEC of 5.6 kWh.
  • Official ENERGY STAR record lists sleep-mode power of 0.1 W.

Watch out for

  • Official ratings are for the certified configuration shown; other official configurations of this model can list different TEC, memory or processor figures.
  • Official battery capacity is Not listed (or the published official figure was inconsistent with a typical watt-hour value).

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13"

Better published figure on: Official short-idle power.

What we like

  • Official ENERGY STAR record lists a TEC of 6.3 kWh.
  • Official ENERGY STAR record lists sleep-mode power of 0.3 W.

Watch out for

  • Official TEC is a certified laboratory annual-energy figure for this configuration, not a utility bill we measured.

Verdict

On published specs these two score the same. Specs don't capture sound character or feel, so weigh the pros and cons above too.

  • Choose the Apple MacBook Neo if this sounds like you: official TEC 5.6 kWh, official sleep 0.1 W.
  • Choose the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13" if this sounds like you: official TEC 6.3 kWh, official sleep 0.3 W.
Apple MacBook Neo on AmazonMicrosoft Surface Laptop 13" on Amazon
Spec sources

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