Microsoft has spent years promoting Windows 11 as being faster, smarter, and more efficient, especially on its own Surface hardware. However, a recent review of the new Surface Laptop suggests that the operating system still struggles to deliver a smooth experience on systems with just 8GB of RAM, even when running on Microsoft’s own premium hardware.
What’s particularly interesting is that this isn’t a comparison between a budget Windows laptop and a premium Mac. Instead, it’s Microsoft’s own expensive $950 Surface Laptop going head-to-head with Apple’s entry-level $699 MacBook Neo, and the results raise some uncomfortable questions about Windows 11’s memory efficiency.
The Verge’s review found that the Surface Laptop with 8GB of RAM frequently ran into performance issues during everyday workloads. Simple multitasking involving a video call, document editing, and several browser tabs was enough to push memory usage close to its limits. According to the review, Windows 11 was already consuming around 6.7GB of RAM under relatively light use, leaving very little headroom for applications before the system began slowing down or hanging.
The specifications of this new laptop are:
- 8-Core Snapdragon X Plus processor
- 23 hours of battery life
- 13-inch Touchscreen with full-HD resolution (not a Retina display competitor)
Some of the issues highlighted include:
- Regular slowdowns during normal multitasking
- System hangs while using video conferencing alongside web browsing and documents
- Windows 11 consuming nearly all available memory before demanding applications are opened
The review ultimately recommends opting for at least 16GB of RAM if you’re buying a Windows 11 laptop today.
That stands in stark contrast to the experience reviewers have had with Apple’s new MacBook Neo. Despite also shipping with 8GB of unified memory, reviewers found the MacBook Neo to be perfectly capable of handling the everyday workloads it was designed for, including web browsing, productivity apps, email, streaming, and even dozens of browser tabs before noticeable slowdowns appeared.
The difference isn’t simply about the amount of RAM. Apple’s unified memory architecture, tight hardware and software integration, and aggressive memory management allow macOS to use available resources far more efficiently than Windows 11. That doesn’t magically make 8GB suitable for professional creative workloads, but it does mean users can comfortably perform typical day-to-day tasks without constantly running into memory limitations.
Perhaps the most surprising part of this story is that the criticism is aimed squarely at Microsoft’s own hardware. If Windows 11 can’t consistently deliver a smooth experience on an expensive Surface Laptop configured with 8GB of RAM, it raises concerns for the many budget Windows laptops that continue to ship with the same memory configuration.
Apple received plenty of criticism when it introduced the MacBook Neo with 8GB of RAM. Yet months later, reviews continue to show that macOS handles that limited memory far more gracefully than Windows 11 does on comparable hardware. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s own flagship laptop has become an example of why 8GB may no longer be enough for Windows in 2026.
