I purchased the Surface Laptop 4 with a Ryzen 7, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It was listed as being in “Satisfactory” condition, so I was expecting cosmetic issues and maybe the charger to be missing. I had purchased an “excellent” condition laptop that did not have the charger in the box, so I was expecting some issues.

This laptop is in beautiful condition. I can find no scuffs, scratches, dings, blemishes or even fingerprints on this device. It looks like a brand-new laptop and the charger was in the box. Even though I did not have the fun of a full unboxing experience, I am amazed that I was able to pick this unit up for a third of what mint would have cost. I’m glad I took the gamble.

My first impression was this is a beautiful device. The matte black finish and industrial design give it a premium look and feel. It feels well balanced and light for its’ size. The screen lid lifts with one finger revealing a backlit keyboard with three (four if you count no light) levels of brightness. The keys are ever so slightly cupped with a shallow but satisfying amount of travel and the angled base provides a comfortable landing space for my wrists when typing.

Something that is annoying about this laptop is how the ports are located on the lower body. The way the bevel is makes it difficult to connect to all the limited ports. Even the charging port is a struggle. I find that I need to tilt the laptop up so I can get things to connect.

The PixelSense touch screen is bright and slightly reflective. It works with my finger and the three generations of Surface pens that I have. There are magnets in the lids right and left corners so my Slim pen lives there. I have brightness set at 50% and can easily view everything in a normal light. The colors are vibrant and crisp on either light or dark mode. The camera is very nice and can be used for Windows Hello. This option allows the laptop to unlock in a heartbeat and is something Apple should and to their models. The screen bezels are thick when compared to other laptop screens at the normal price point and the only thing that detracts from the viewing experience. Even with the thick bezels there is plenty of viewing room on this 15″ screen.

The Ryzen 7 is snappy and even with only 8GB of RAM it has been able to handle the programs (Photoshop, Sketchup, and the Microsoft suite) I need to use for my workflow.

After my initial device set up there were 474GB available for storage. The storage uses NVMe SSD and I do not see lag when working.

I would say that I was the winner on this purchase. So far my expectations have been exceeded and I would say that Best Buy surpassed the quality standards that described this laptop.

This would be a great laptop for a student or businessperson. I would recommend it and would encourage checking out even laptops listed as “Satisfactory”. You might be pleasantly surprised.