Surface Laptop Studio review: Redefining what a Windows laptop can be (again)
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Expensive but expertSurface Laptop Studio review: Redefining what a Windows laptop can be (again)
While the Surface Laptop Studio'due south pattern isn't entirely new, no i has done information technology quite to this level with such groovy results. 
Surface Laptop Studio: Only is information technology art? Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Fundamental
In 2022, Microsoft introduced the Surface Book in one of the most noteworthy product reveals ever. With its never-before-done detachable display, later iterations of Surface Book delivered the ability of a modest workstation but the flexibility of a tablet PC when required. The idea seemed ingenious, almost too adept, and still years after, the idea has fizzled as people questioned its practicality and tradeoffs in performance.
Surface Laptop Studio is the spiritual successor to Surface Book and, and in many ways, feels merely like it did. It'due south a bigger, heavier, and indeed, a more powerful PC compared to Surface Laptop iv.
This fourth dimension, the Microsoft trick is that new pull-information technology-forward display, one Acer and Sony VAIO, have been dabbling in for years. However, unlike those PCs this is a Surface. Everything is more premium with unique features like a 120Hz display, haptic pen and touchpad, quad-audio, a distinctive design, and balance between all the components. It all adds upwardly to an incredible automobile despite a few odd choices and early rough edges.
Aimed at mobile creators and engineers I've spent the concluding few days with Microsoft'south most expensive mobile PC yet. I've learned quite a chip about what it can practise and what it can't, with a lot of detail that yous won't find elsewhere. So, is Surface Laptop Studio a boom or a bust?
Let'due south find out.
Surface Laptop Studio
Bottom line: Surface Laptop Studio delivers a powerful, flexible, workstation-style PC perfect for artists, engineers, and some low-cal gaming. No other laptop currently does everything information technology can exercise at this level. But, similar all Surfaces, you pay for that experience.
Pros
- Exceptionally engineered
- Very good functioning and battery life
- Excellent keyboard, haptic pen
- Vivid, color accurate, 120Hz display
- The all-time touchpad on any PC
- Thunderbolt 4
Cons
- Reflective brandish
- Charger is underpowered
- Sound needs more than bass
- Bluetooth can exist finicky
- No SD card reader
- Switching postures tin be awkward
Surface Laptop Studio: Cost, availability, and specs
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Primal
Surface Laptop Studio is now available in the U.S. and Canada, with 47 additional markets coming sometime in early on 2022, with the filibuster due to the ongoing flake shortage.
Consumers tin purchase the laptop through Microsoft, Best Purchase, or Amazon, while those wanting the commercial version can society through Microsoft, or through retail partners.
| SKU | Price |
|---|---|
| Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 128GB storage, Iris Xe | $i,599 |
| Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, Iris Xe | $ane,799 |
| Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti | $2,099 |
| Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB storage, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti | $2,699 |
| Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 2TB storage, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti | $3,099 |
Pricing begins at $ane,599 for a Core i5 processor with integrated graphics (Intel Iris Xe), 256GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM.
The Core i7 models send with a more powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics processor, while the commercial version uses an identical NVIDIA GeForce RTX A2000 for ISV-certified professional person software. Both GPUs take similar architectures, retentiveness, and performance, with the RTX A2000 having a slightly higher GPU boost clock (1,207.5MHz vs. one,035MHz) and error correction code (ECC) memory. ECC is vital to commercial applications like CAD, video, and 3D programs, but not gaming.
Surface Laptop Studio: Specs
| Category | Surface Laptop Studio |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Pro Windows x Pro |
| Processor | 11th Gen Intel Core i5-11300H Core i7-11370H |
| RAM | 16GB, 32GB LPDDR4x |
| Graphics | Iris Xe (i5) NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti Laptop (i7) NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop (i7, commercial) |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB SSD Upgradeable |
| Display | fourteen.4 inches 2400x1600 201 PPI three:two aspect ratio Dolby Vision Up to 120Hz Bear on |
| Ports | Ii Thunderbolt 4 3.5mm audio Surface Connect |
| Audio | Iv Omnisonic speakers Dolby Atmos Ii far-field mics |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth five.1 |
| Camera | Front-facing 1080p IR camera |
| Keyboard | Backlit |
| Touchpad | Precision Haptic |
| Pen | Surface Slim Pen 2 (Not included) |
| Security | IR photographic camera Firmware TMP (consumer) Hardware TPM two.0 (commercial) BitLocker (commercial) |
| Battery | 56.3WHr Up to 19 hours (i5) Upward to 18 hours (i7) |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x ix.0 x 0.7 inches (322.6mm x 228.6mm x 17.8mm) |
| Weight | i5: 3.83 pounds (i.7kg) i7: four.0 pounds (i.8kg) |
The superlative-tier configuration for Surface Laptop Studio includes a Core i7, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, and an RTX 3050 Ti GPU costing around $3,100. The same version with an RTX A2000 GPU is $3,800.
The models used for this review feature the Core i7, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, with one using the A2000 and the other 3050 Ti. The price is around $2,699 for the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti model, while the 1 with the RTX A2000 is $3,399.
Business editions also send with Windows 11 Pro or Windows 10 Pro (+$100 license), while the consumer variants utilise Windows xi Home.
Pricing also does not include the new haptics-enabled Surface Slim Pen two, which is an optional $130 buy.
At that place's cypher like it
Surface Laptop Studio: Blueprint and features
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Primal
The overall look of Surface Laptop Studio is distinct. To my optics, it continues the "Brutalist blueprint" aesthetics with a hint of Dieter Ram's minimalism nosotros've seen in other Surface products. The summit lid looks like Surface Pro. When opened, the rounded corners and edges lend themselves to an Apple MacBook Pro. But peeking underneath information technology is altogether distinct with a curious pedestal-base of operations and aggressive venting. It reminds me a bit of Xbox One S, which also has a similar stepped design.
Few have wondered if that base would backbite from use in the lap or cause it to be unbalanced. Information technology does not. That stepped pattern gives some extra grip points when grabbing the laptop, and the larger front lip lets the Surface Slim Pen ii magnetically stick while existence completely flush and out of the way. I think it's an ingenious, functional layout and makes this PC dissimilar any other in the world.
For the starting time fourth dimension, Microsoft is using a pull-it-forward display in a Surface PC. The concept isn't new as Acer first tried information technology with the Aspire R7 in 2022 and VAIO in 2022 with the VAIO Duo xiii. HP used it with the 2022 Spectre Folio. Indeed, Acer is still making such devices like its ConceptD Ezel series.
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
But Microsoft is the first to exercise it this fashion and at such a premium level.
The pull-information technology-frontward concept is straightforward. Yous use Surface Laptop Studio like an average workstation laptop, only with a flick, you can bring the screen forward ("phase style") where the keyboard is hidden, but the touchpad is still visible for navigation. This configuration is platonic for watching a video, briefing calls, immersive reading, and light sketching. The shift brings the brandish about seven inches closer to you, significantly altering the viewing experience.
This kind of flexibility with this much power is non unprecedented, but information technology is rare.
It doesn't stop at that place. Pull it forward again, and now you can lay downward the display at a slight angle ("studio mode"), which makes it ideal for extended drawing sessions or manipulating onscreen data using the Surface Slim Pen two.
Yous can do all these postures without ever lifting the Surface Laptop Studio off your lap or desk, which is cumbersome on fourteen- and 15-inch laptops. And, different a PC with a 360-degree swivel, the keyboard never gets dingy when in stage fashion nor pushes back from taps because information technology locks into place thank you to some magnets.
If this all looks familiar, it's because Microsoft effectively combined the concepts of its desktop-bound Surface Studio, the tablet-like Surface Pro, and the portable ability of Surface Book into i device.
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows FundamentalSlightly recessed keys keep them from dirtying the display when airtight.
And the idea works. This kind of flexibility with this much power is non unprecedented (see Acer), but it is rare.
Surface Laptop Studio weighs 4 pounds (1.8kg), not calorie-free just non also heavy. It's a very dense machine, and unlike Surface Book, at that place is no gap thank you to the swivel. While Surface Volume felt a flake delicate due to that curved, unfolding hinge, Surface Laptop Studio feels tough. It is easy to carry, and the chapeau opens with one hand.
At that place isn't much for ports, but ii Type-C on the left-hand side, while on the right, at that place is the magnetic Surface Connect for charging or use with the Surface Dock and a headphone jack.
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
Simply, for the first fourth dimension, Microsoft fabricated those Type-C ports Thunderbolt iv. Information technology'south a big deal as information technology ways you could utilize Surface Laptop Studio with an external GPU (eGPU). Still, the most likely employ is for Thunderbolt 4 docks, like the new Surface-certified Kensington SD5750T, or a Thunderbolt external drive where I was able to transfer 7.3GB of videos in just nine seconds. It's a long-overdue technology for Surface and one its target audience will enjoy.
The keyboard is excellent and is closer to the Surface Laptop with its non-metallic night grayness keys and snappier feel than the slightly mushier metal keys on Surface Book. There are four levels (one being off) for backlighting, and the contrast makes these keys easy to see in any condition.
The touchpad is the best of any Windows PC, menstruation, and it feels very like to what Apple uses in the MacBook Pro. That's considering this is Microsoft's start haptic touchpad, which ways information technology doesn't move or click. Instead, it simulates clicking. I've written extensively on this topic as haptic touchpads solve many problems — they can exist huge, don't interruption, are more authentic, and are configurable. While Microsoft takes credit for it, I can reveal that Sensel, whom I have interviewed previously, is behind the engineering hither. This touchpad is massive, super shine, and under Settings, users can set how much "kick" the touchpad gives. It'southward only phenomenal, and every PC maker needs to adopt this technology now.
The sound is excellent, only information technology needs a bit more bass and fullness. Information technology is undoubtedly loud as Microsoft uses quad speakers for the first time. Two (bass) push out from the sides while the other 2 (mids and highs) emanate under the keyboard like Surface Laptop. The result is no visible speaker grills anywhere, which is something unique to Microsoft.
The sound profile also changes based on the posture of the brandish, which is fascinating. When audio is playing, the mids and highs become more prominent if you shift from laptop to phase mode. Microsoft believes the sound should match the current mode of Surface Laptop Studio, and it is another excellent example of the amount of particular that went into executing this design. Sound is also augmented with the inclusion of Dolby Atmos for increased spatial operation.
The single front end-facing camera is a 2.1 MP total Hard disk one. I've said it before, and it withal holds that Microsoft makes the all-time web cameras on any laptop, and that applies here. Color, attribute, and sharpness are all well higher up average and class leading.
Flanking the camera are dual microphones and infrared sensors for Windows Hullo to allow logging in to Windows 11 with face recognition, which is uncommonly fast.
Interestingly, Microsoft skipped Xbox Wireless for direct connecting to an Xbox controller (it was included with Surface Book three 15-inch). But Microsoft notes that Bluetooth five.1 advanced so much it was unnecessary. Indeed, connecting an Xbox controller with Bluetooth gave force feedback, something that only Microsoft's proprietary Xbox Wireless could practice previously. That said, I did experience some disconnects with the controller, which was frustrating.
And so close to perfect
Surface Laptop Studio: Brandish and inking
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
Microsoft uses a unique xiv.4-inch 2400x1600 touch display with 201 pixels per inch (PPI) and a 120Hz refresh rate. That size falls between Surface Book three's 13.v-inch and fifteen-inch screen with a college 3000x2000 (267 PPI) and 3240x2160 (260 PPI) resolution, respectively. I wouldn't be shocked if Microsoft makes a bigger 16-inch version of Surface Laptop Studio down the line.
Like all Surface products, it has a tall 3:2 brandish aspect instead of 16:9 or the increasingly mutual 16:10, making information technology ideal for inking, but less so for watching 16:ix movies.
I can't say I've noticed a difference in PPI and resolution between Surface Volume and Surface Laptop Studio; still, some may be dissatisfied. Microsoft tried to find the right rest betwixt audience, price, and bombardment life like all laptop makers. While higher resolution would be preferred, it also increases the cost of the device while reducing how long the laptop lasts off the plug.
Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos + Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) is an crawly feel. Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Primal
Color accuracy is amend than whatever mobile Surface product to appointment and is higher up average for this class. It measures at 100% sRGB, 81% AdobeRGB, and an impressive 88% DCI-P3. That'due south a big improvement over Surface Volume 3's 97% sRGB, 72% AdobeRGB, and 72% DCI-P3. Those results are nonetheless behind the Dell XPS 17 with 100% sRGB, 100% AdobeRGB, and 97% DCI-P3, just are ahead of the Dell XPS 13 and its impressive 3.5K OLED display.
Brightness is also decent. Whereas Surface Volume iii was 495 nits, this measures 508, just above Microsoft'southward 500 claims. Likewise, this screen tin get incredibly dim at just 2.0 nits, making information technology platonic for working in a nighttime room late at night.
For the offset time, Microsoft is also using Dolby Vision, a course of high-dynamic-range (HDR), which enhances contrast with video content. When combined with movies graded for Dolby Vision, you become deeper blacks, better dissimilarity, and richer colors.
Dolby Admission app is an optional install. Source: Windows Central
By default, there are no settings for Dolby Vision, merely users tin install the Dolby Access app in the Microsoft Store. That app tin can tune audio (Dolby Atmos), and video (Dolby Vision) with some presets.
The display bezels are thin, though not the thinnest, but at to the lowest degree are proportionally equal all around. It's a skilful expect and balanced.
The 120Hz refresh charge per unit is striking and set as default out of the box (unlike Surface Pro 8, which is 60Hz by default). Users can go into settings and reduce the brandish to 60Hz to relieve on bombardment. Windows eleven at present supports Dynamic Refresh Rate, which lets displays instantly shift between 60Hz (idle) and 120Hz (scrolling, inking). Disappointingly that feature is not yet enabled, although Microsoft expects a firmware update after to let it to. The aforementioned applies to "Wake on Approach."
Surface Laptop Studio in studio mode. Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
That 120Hz is also responsible for the lack of latency with Surface Slim Pen 2. The higher refresh lets the ink "menses" amend, simulating a real inking feel. That pen as well supports haptics, a blazon of "force feedback." Haptic inking only works if the app supports it, simply there are quite a few that already practice, including:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Journal
- Microsoft Whiteboard
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Adobe Fresco
- Sketchable
- LiquidText
- Shapr3D
Users can command how strong the haptics feel under Settings, every bit well as turning it off. By default, it is gear up to 50% though I found turning it upward to near 100% is a meliorate experience. The feature makes information technology feel like friction when writing simulating using a pencil on newspaper. Irresolute to pen or marker changes it over again. And the pen gives a trivial "boot" when using Adobe Fresco and the lasso tool when you are nearing the grab points.
Pen haptic settings. Source: Windows Central
Pen haptics is a neat feature, just not quite jaw-dropping either as information technology's subtle. But when combined with the new pen tip in Surface Slim Pen 2, it positively enhances the overall experience. Toss in 120Hz refresh for no latency, the ability to tuck it away under the Laptop Studio'south keyboard deck (where it besides recharges), and the whole set is a very impressive advancement in digital inking.
Curiously, while Surface Laptop Studio does include an auto-brightness sensor, it does non feature 1 for adaptive color found in Surface Pro eight. Microsoft explained why when asked, which makes sense:
Surface Laptop Studio is our portable Studio for Creators who need the most accurate color reproduction for image and video editing. Our Customers ask to be in full control of their color setting. As such, Surface Laptop Studio relies on our pre-defined color profiles and individually calibrated displays from the factory rather than Adaptive Color. Our Surface Pro 8 Users are more mobile and appreciate Adaptive Color to help arrange towards different ambience changes automatically.
I am pleased to report that Microsoft does at present let users disable Intel's "adaptive contrast," long a bugaboo of Surface fans. Adaptive contrast dims blacks and reduces dissimilarity to decrease ability consumption, making it a valuable feature for the battery conscious. However, the experience can create jarring shifts in brightness when jumping between a primarily white web page and something predominantly black.
This is one of the best displays Microsoft has made yet.
Another clever trick not publicized is "Wake on Touch," and information technology is available equally an option under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touch > Touch the screen to wake. It works when the laptop is in stage or studio modes, and the ability button is obscured. Users tin tap the display, which wakes up the figurer and kicks in Windows Hullo to log back into Windows automatically. Attention to detail, indeed.
My only complaint with this otherwise infrequent screen is Microsoft'due south doggedness to omit an anti-reflective (AR) layer to reduce eye strain. HP, Dell, Lenovo, and peculiarly Apple apply AR in their pen-enabled products like the iPad Pro. AR keeps dissimilarity and color accuracy while making the device more comfortable to use under bright lights or fifty-fifty outdoors. It'southward a bluntly baffling oversight, and Microsoft has been unable to provide me with a justifiable answer for its absence.
Quite powerful
Surface Laptop Studio: Performance and battery
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Cardinal
Microsoft uses a unique processor with Surface Laptop Studio: A quad-core Intel 11th Gen Core i5-11300H or Core i7-11370H. We oasis't seen many of these fries used in laptops as they fall between Intel's U-series chips found in Ultrabooks and the 6- to eight-core 45-watt H-series processors. That makes them more efficient than what is used in the Dell XPS 15 and more powerful than the 10th-Gen Intel Cadre i7-1065G7 used in Surface Book three.
Measuring pure CPU functioning (no GPU) in Cinebench 23 Surface Laptop studio matches Apple tree's MacBook Pro with an M1 processor for single-cadre performance (Intel's force). All the same, it falls dramatically behind devices with half dozen- or 8-core CPUs, as one expects.
Things improve with PCMark x, which measures full Windows performance for productivity (but not gaming), blending CPU and GPU in various tasks, including photograph and video editing. Every bit a result, information technology is accurate to say Surface Studio Laptop is identical to the Razer Blade 15 (late 2022) gaming laptop with the 8-cadre i7-10875H processor and slightly ahead of the HP ENVY x360 with AMD Ryzen R7 5700U. That's very good.
Surface Laptop Studio is a powerful Windows laptop for piece of work, but but a mediocre 1 for gaming. That experience fits with Microsoft's intended use.
On 3DMark Night Raid, which is more than GPU intensive, the Surface Laptop blows everything else away. But that exam is meant for comparison Ultrabooks with integrated graphics, not discrete GPUs per se. It's included because Surface Laptop Studio falls between Ultrabooks and beefy workstations, making classification hard. Merely if you were curious if Surface Laptop Studio is much more powerful than Surface Laptop 4, the respond is a decisive yes.
Putting Surface Laptop Studio up against appropriate laptops with discrete GPU, it falls in the centre. In 3DMark Time Spy, it pulls ahead of the last-gen XPS 15 (9500) with a GTX 1650 Ti and octa-core processor but is far backside proper gaming PCs similar the HP OMEN 15 or Razer Blade 14 and fifteen laptops.
That'southward the takeaway message for functioning: Surface Laptop Studio is a powerful Windows laptop for piece of work, but only a mediocre one for gaming. That experience fits with Microsoft's intended utilize of Surface Laptop Studio.
Destiny ii at 1920x1200 tin can hands hitting ninety+ FPS. Source: Windows Key
Some other potent point, for once, is storage. Microsoft typically has mid-range SSD operation, but Surface Laptop Studio ranks almost the peak. The user-replaceable SSD came fourth in our tests with an impressive 3,500MB/due south sequential read and three,225MB/s sequential write consequence, even beating the Apple MacBook Pro (M1). Storage operation is vital as when combined with faster LPDDR4x RAM and a decent CPU/GPU it tin event in excellent overall arrangement performance, which is what we run into.
The Surface Slim Pen ii stays fastened via very strong magnets. Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
Related to that SSD, I did hear some minor gyre whine when plugged in and gear up to max performance while transferring information, but information technology is a non-issue in other scenarios.
For those interested, we didn't find much difference in performance between Surface Laptop Studio with GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics and RTX A2000 with ECC and a slightly college GPU heave clock. On PCMark 10, once more, measuring overall arrangement performance, the model with the A2000 scored 5,746 while the one with the 3050 Ti garnered a very like 5,698. In Fourth dimension Spy, the A2000 got v,034, and the 3050 Ti got v,077, which is within the margin of fault/sampling. Microsoft notes that the A2000 has a "cyberspace college performance throughput," then in some cases it may edge out the 3050 Ti, but merely marginally. But for companies with ISV-certified software (CAD, 3D rendering, etc.), the A2000 with ECC is critical and an first-class choice.
One exciting change by Microsoft is power profiles. When plugged in, Surface Laptop Studio automatically shifts to "best performance," just when unplugged, it goes dorsum to "recommended" (which balances bombardment with performance). Users can, of course, override the behavior in Settings, but I call back this is the right move with this laptop class.
Fan dissonance is also very good. The dual fans absolutely kick in when gaming or doing intense GPU work, only there is no high-pitched whine, just a lot of air being pushed. It is audible simply as well better than gaming laptops, mainly because the intakes and frazzle are all on the sides and not the bottom. During regular Windows usage (web, Office, email, video), the fans are silent.
For temperature, nether intense load, the unabridged keyboard deck does become warm simply never hot. Temps never peaked above 104°F (40°C) even at the exhaust points, which is remarkably good. Many PCs, including Surface Pro 8, get a skin temperature around 108°F (42°C) while gaming laptops can hitting a scorching 123°F (51°F) on the lesser.
Side profile in studio fashion. Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Fundamental
While Surface Laptop Studio is non a gaming laptop it can game. In loading up Destiny 2, you tin easily play full resolution (2400x1600) and still hit 46-65 frames per second with medium graphics. Knock that down to "Full HD" 1920x1200 and lxx-95 FPS achievable leveraging that 120Hz display.
In a disappointing move, Microsoft includes a 102W Surface Connect charger for Surface Laptop Studio. That'due south the same charger that shipped with Surface Volume two, merely non the larger 127W i that came with Surface Volume 3. And yes, that means under heavy gaming like Destiny 2, you lot volition lose around two% battery for every ten minutes of gameplay. That's non awful, as even after an hour, you may merely exist down fifteen%, but it's a weird choice.
If you're wondering whether it's a banger of a laptop ... the answer is a decisive yes.
Of course, you lot could spring for that 127W charger on Amazon ($94) and problem solved (I tested), but that'due south still lame.
Instant-on is also superb. Closing the laptop for the night, the following day, Surface Laptop Studio logged me into Windows 11 in three seconds.
The 56.3WHr battery is shockingly good. In synthetic benchmarks using PCMark x Modern Office, classified as "low-cal and medium office work," including a "realistic balance of writing, web browsing, and video conferencing," Surface Laptop Studio yielded an impressive 11 hours and 19 minutes. That was with the display fix to fifty%, auto-effulgence/adaptive color/dissimilarity disabled, and 120Hz refresh. Repeating the aforementioned test at 60Hz yielded xi hours and 41 minutes — not a huge deviation when doing basic work.
Going to the other extreme during PCMark ten's gaming battery rundown exam, which is consistent and very GPU heavy, Surface Laptop Studio eked out two hours and six minutes of constant gaming. That's with the brandish at 120Hz, 50% effulgence, max performance, and no machine-brightness enabled. That'due south not a lot, but better than almost gaming laptops, which often autumn below two hours.
Go along in listen, factors like brandish brightness and whether y'all are using 120Hz for the refresh charge per unit volition significantly bear on your feel. Tasks like gaming, rendering, or compiling (aka GPU-intensive scenarios) will also considerably bear upon those results. In our tests, we disabled bombardment-saving features like auto-display effulgence and adaptive dissimilarity, but we also kept brightness at 50%. If y'all regularly utilise Surface Laptop Studio at 120Hz at 90% brightness while playing DOOM Eternal, you lot'll cut those results in half.
A few choices
Surface Laptop Studio: Competition
Acer ConceptD seven Ezel 15.6 with 10th Gen Intel. Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Cardinal
Despite being a unique device without much competition, a few alternatives to Surface Laptop Studio are worth because.
The well-nigh obvious is the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel. The models sport a pull-it-forrard brandish design, support Wacom EMR inking, and have Pantone-validated screens. They tin be configured with much more powerful internals, including an Intel Cadre i7-11800H processor and upward to an RTX 3080 Laptop GPU. You also get many, many more ports. Pricing is unannounced, just Acer is known to be much more than affordable. You don't become Windows Howdy, a haptic touchpad, the haptic pen, or a 3:2 brandish aspect, just you lot can get a 4K display. Audio and the webcam will exist much worse, fans are louder, and the build quality (all plastic) is also where corners get cut.
A few alternatives to Surface Laptop Studio are worth considering ...
The HP Spectre x360 fourteen (and newer 16-inch model) are also 2-in-1s but with 360 hinges. They support inking (pen included, merely no storage), look amazing, and have excellent software tweaks. The 14-inch model is one of our acme-rated Ultrabooks. You do give up a discrete GPU and don't get any haptic pen or touchpad.
HP likewise has the fantabulous Elite Page, but information technology'southward ultra-mobile with a much weaker ARM processor. Still, y'all get the aforementioned pull-it-forrard brandish and pattern with pen storage and options for 4G LTE and even 5G.
If you want much more ability and only gaming, the Razer Blade 14 with AMD is a good bet, whereas the XPS 17 is good if you want a well-nigh-perfect 17-inch brandish in a 15-inch laptop. Both are straight clamshell laptops with no inking.
Microsoft's own Surface Pro 8 is perfect if you want many of the same features, including a 120Hz display, haptic Slim Pen two, excellent impact display, but in a smaller packet. You can fifty-fifty go it with LTE later in Dec 2022.
Finally, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme has a model with a touch on screen and even inking. Information technology's not a convertible, still, and it is still running tenth Gen Intel parts making a Gen 4 refresh imminent. It won't perform every bit well with its older 1650 Ti GPU and has weak bombardment life.
Creator class
Should you purchase the Surface Laptop Studio?
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
Who information technology's for
- Social content creators (editing video or photos)
- Professional person designers and creators (CAD, 3D, drawing)
- Developers
- STREAMi (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts, Maths, innovation)
Who it isn't for
- Those who want a gaming PC
- Those on a tight upkeep
- People who merely demand a clamshell laptop
Microsoft is clear about who should purchase Surface Laptop Studio. It's for those who work with data, engineers, designers, scientists, creators, and developers. Information technology's a professional person piece of hardware. While it may await fantastic if y'all don't need to describe or design, it is overkill at all-time and useless at worst. Microsoft touts the i5 model (no NVIDIA GPU) for "social content creators," i.e., those doing lighter work who practise need a pen for drawing or sketching upward ideas, and I retrieve that makes sense for those who want more than a Surface Pro 8.
What can I say if yous're not in those lines of work as well that this PC isn't for you? If you want a "Surface gaming laptop," this is not it. Similar Surface Book, you can game on it (and information technology's darn enjoyable), only at this price, you meliorate be able to justify usage of that brandish that heavily leans on inking or those other 2 postures.
The design, feel, look, and execution of Surface Laptop Studio is much amend than the first Surface Book.
As far as a successor to Surface Book, this laptop fixes a lot of things. At that place's Thunderbolt 4, a much stronger CPU, a better (and replaceable) SSD. The sound is louder, touchpad is better, and the display is more accurate. In that location's Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos now to enhance music and movies. The new haptic pen is superb. And I retrieve this laptop-style is much better than 360-caste hinges.
Turning to the "theory" of Surface Laptop Studio, I think Microsoft nailed it. This blueprint highlights the all-time of 2-in-1 PCs in an exquisitely premium package. It pushes boundaries with that high refresh 120Hz brandish and embraces haptics. The pattern is both unique, merely also functional. And like Windows xi, it's non cluttered or circuitous. It's a tool with purpose. Yeah, it'southward a bit awkward to transition dorsum from studio mode to laptop mode, only that tradeoff is worth it for the functionality you lot gain.
Surface Laptop Studio (L) vs. Surface Book 15 (R). Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
Equally far as grumbles, this is a get-go-gen device, and while it is incredibly stable and performant with Windows xi, there are some hardware quirks. Leaving out an SD bill of fare reader when rumors are Apple tree is bringing it back is a dumb movement. I've harped on no AR for the brandish. A real "floating" screen like Surface Studio would be even more fascinating (Acer already does this). Bluetooth could use a commuter update to fix some disconnection issues.
But these are pocket-sized grievances. The pattern, feel, look, and execution of Surface Laptop Studio is much better than the first Surface Book, which was plagued with software and hardware bugs. It didn't even get a existent GPU until version ii, and by then, people were already questioning the usefulness of the detachable display. And like many of Microsoft's hardware creations, Surface Laptop Studio's blueprint is polarizing, simply I'd argue that's the indicate of Surface — to challenge computing norms. Sometimes that works (Surface Pro iii), and sometimes it doesn't (Surface Book).
The jury is still out on Surface Laptop Studio, simply it is fairing much meliorate and then far.
That brings u.s.a. to the ultimate question of who buys Surface Laptop Studio. While in that location is piqued curiosity, it remains to be seen whether people will pay for it, peculiarly at this level. Time will tell. But putting hoity toity questions of economics bated, if you're wondering whether it's a banger of a laptop that near people would savour using every day? The respond is a decisive yes. Information technology's awesome.
Surface Laptop Studio
Bottom line: Surface Laptop Studio delivers a powerful, flexible, workstation-manner PC perfect for artists, engineers, and some light gaming. No other laptop currently does everything information technology can exercise at this level. But, like all Surfaces, you pay for that experience.
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Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007 back when this site was chosen WMExperts (and afterward Windows Phone Fundamental). His interests include Windows, Surface, laptops, and modern computing. Follow him on Twitter: @daniel_rubino.
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/surface-laptop-studio-review
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