Notebooks
Microsoft Surface Laptop for Business 8th Edition, Privacy Screen
13.80", 512 GB, 32 GB, CH, Intel Core Ultra X7 368H
Surface Laptop tested: Microsoft keeps prying eyes at bay
3/6/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
Press F1 and the screen goes dark for anyone sitting next to you: Microsoft has equipped the Surface Laptop with a privacy screen. The Surface Laptop was tested and I became my own neighbour.
First things first: only the smaller version of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business features the «Privacy Screen». On the 15-inch model of the laptop, the view of the screen cannot be restricted. However, you’ll find the new haptic touchpad in both sizes. This also applies to the Intel chipsets, which Microsoft now only installs in its business models. For the consumer models, the manufacturer relies on Snapdragon chips from Qualcomm.
A giant leap for Microsoft, a small step for laptops
I’m no spy, but I haven’t been able to stop myself from glancing at laptop screens on the train from time to time. I could, for example, have learnt a great deal about the head-up display of a car that hasn’t been unveiled yet. In that respect, the «Privacy Screen» on the Surface Laptop is aimed at the right target group for business customers.
Privacy screens that restrict the field of view prevent prying eyes from seeing company internal information or private messages. They are not a revolutionary innovation. When I started at Galaxus seven years ago, I could use the F2 key to restrict the field of view on my HP laptop. For Surface devices, the only option until now was to use a screen protector, which permanently restricts visibility.
Whilst the «SureView displays» from HP have been using 3M technology since 2016, Microsoft’s «Privacy Screen» works in a similar way to the «Privacy Display» on the Galaxy S26 Ultra – only with a larger screen. This involves selectively dimming individual pixels to reduce visibility from the side.
For Microsoft, the «Privacy Screen» is something new. Unlike a stuck-on privacy film, it does not permanently restrict my view of the screen. It can be switched on and off by pressing F1. This is important because the screen also becomes darker from a normal viewing angle. The maximum brightness drops from a measured almost 450 nits – Microsoft specifies up to 600 nits – to just over 100 nits. That’s still enough for me in most cases. But I’m glad I can switch the function off when no one is looking over my shoulder.
The «Privacy Screen» hasn’t quite hit the mark for me yet. For my sense of privacy, the Surface Laptop doesn’t restrict the viewing angle enough at maximum brightness. The person sitting next to me on the train, or even a row behind me, can still see what’s happening on my screen. Especially in the part of the display that’s closer to them.
Attractive 3:2 touchscreen
Regardless of the privacy feature, I like the Surface Laptop’s touchscreen. With a 3:2 aspect ratio, it isn’t as narrow as 16:10 or even 16:9 models. I like the extra screen space when working. The bezel around the screen is narrow, but one small thing bothers me: the bezel above the display is wider than at the sides.
The 13.8-inch screen features a resolution of 2304 × 1536 pixels, delivering a sharp display with a pixel density of 201 ppi. If necessary, the refresh rate automatically increases to up to 120 hertz.
A touchpad with haptic feedback
The second major innovation in the Surface Laptop is the haptic touchpad. It makes moving the cursor a breeze, and the click has only a slight travel. The highlight, however, is that it vibrates – for example, when I drag a window right to the edge of the screen. The subtle feedback is barely noticeable, but it’s helpful. It’s one of those things you only miss when it’s no longer there. In the settings, I can adjust the intensity of the vibration across four levels.
Another special feature is the ability to enable «adaptive touch input». With this enabled, the touchpad also responds to knuckles, palms or other body parts. Only the touch gestures are then disabled. However, as I don’t use them, I don’t miss them.
The keyboard has a short travel with a light actuation point. This makes it very quiet when typing. Microsoft has omitted a fingerprint sensor despite the business target audience. Face recognition is the only biometric option for using Passkeys or unlocking the device via Windows Hello.
Plenty of power with the latest generation of chips
If you want a Surface Laptop with an Intel chipset, you’ll have to opt for one of the business models. My test unit, featuring the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H, is the most powerful variant supplied by Microsoft and comes with 32 gigabytes of RAM. The cheaper variants feature a Core Ultra 7 366H or the Core Ultra 5 335.
For comparison, I’m looking at the current Surface Laptop for consumers, of which we only had the version with the weakest Snapdragon X to hand, as well as the one-year-old Surface Laptop for consumers, of which we only had the version with the weakest Snapdragon-37494" title="Microsoft Surface Pro for Business, tested with the latest Intel chip">Surface Pro for Business (Core Ultra 7 268V) and the latest Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro (Core Ultra X7 358H).
In terms of CPU performance, I’ve mainly seen gains in multi-core performance compared to the Snapdragon and the Ultra 7. In single-core tests, only the Snapdragon lags behind.
The differences are more pronounced when it comes to graphics performance. Here, the Intel chip in the business model of the Surface Laptop offers significant added value compared to the consumer version. This is down to the integrated Arc B390 graphics chip. The Galaxy Book6 Pro also uses this chip. Last year’s Surface Pro features the Arc 140V, whilst the two Snapdragon devices use the Snapdragon X Adreno (X1-45).
Good battery life
The battery of the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop has a capacity of 54 watt-hours (Wh). This means the notebook lasts a respectable 15 hours and 12 minutes in the PCMark 10 battery test ( «Modern Office» – 200 nits brightness, Wi-Fi and other features disabled). During pure video playback, the runtime increases to 19 hours and 30 minutes. Under gaming conditions, the battery lasts only 1 hour 52 minutes, which is excellent by comparison.
With its larger battery – 78 Wh – the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro achieves just 1 hour 40 minutes in the gaming test. However, it lasts longer in office use when playing videos. The Surface Laptop also manages its power more efficiently than the one-year-old Surface Pro 11, which has an almost identical battery capacity of 54 Wh.
For the Snapdragon model of the Surface Laptop, only the video battery test is available for comparison. Here, the consumer model lags behind the business version by 18 hours and 5 minutes.
Stylish aluminium chassis with all the essential ports
The smaller version of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business weighs 1.35 kilograms. The aluminium chassis is neatly finished and gives the notebook a sturdy feel.
The Surface Laptop features a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a USB-A port (USB 3.2). It also has two USB-C ports that support USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4. These are not only used for charging the battery and data transfer, but also allow up to three monitors to be connected via DisplayPort 2.1. Although there are only three ports, this should be sufficient for most purposes. On the other side, Microsoft has also included its proprietary Surface Connect port, for which compatible power adapters are available. This would leave both USB-C ports free for other uses.
The Surface Laptop 8 for Business is expected to be available from us from the end of July.
CH keyboard
DE keyboard
Notebooks
New
EUR4779,–
Microsoft Surface Laptop for Business 8th Edition, Privacy Screen
13.80", 512 GB, 32 GB, DE, Intel Core Ultra X7 368H
You can find all configurations of the Surface Laptop 8 with «Privacy Display» here.
In a nutshell
I would love to work with this
If the company paid the extra price for the business functions of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business, I would take it as a work device in a heartbeat. I'm impressed by the performance and workmanship and I can currently get by with fewer connections. I like the format of the display and the privacy screen, which protects me from prying eyes. It's still not perfect, but I don't pay as much as I would with classic notebook screens.
The haptic feedback is a nice addition to the touchpad, which you only realise you need when it's no longer there.
For private use, I hope that Microsoft will also bring the "privacy screen" to the consumer version in the future. Until then, the significantly higher integrated graphics performance of the Intel chips remains the main argument for spending more money.
Pro
- Significantly more graphics performance than Snapdragon devices
- Decent battery life
- Privacy screen keeps prying eyes away
- Special services for business customers
Contra
- Comparatively expensive
- No fingerprint sensor
- Privacy screen makes the display darker
Notebooks
Microsoft Surface Laptop for Business 8th Edition, Privacy Screen
13.80", 512 GB, 32 GB, CH, Intel Core Ultra X7 368H
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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