Even amongst 2-in-1s, Microsoft’s Surface Book was type of a unicorn. You can open up its wings and use it like a typical laptop computer, however then with the push of a button, its display can detach and fly away, turning into a standalone pill floating by means of the wind. OK, I’ll have overdone the unicorn analogy, however you get the purpose: The Surface Book’s design was certainly one of a form.

Unfortunately, the Surface Book paid a worth for its eccentric construct, as a result of attempting to stuff all of the elements you’ll want to make a pc inside its pill half ends in a intelligent however cumbersome hinge, a heavy physique, and a tough improve path for future generations. But with the Surface Laptop Studio, Microsoft has created an advanced convertible that carries on the Surface Book’s legacy. It’s a cell artist’s dream machine.

A Digital Easel for the twenty first Century

The greatest distinction between the Surface Book and the brand new Surface Laptop Studio (merely the Studio from right here on out) is that as an alternative of that includes a 2-in-1 design, the Studio makes use of a 14.4-inch 2400 x 1600 touchscreen that opens like a traditional laptop computer, but additionally tilts ahead like an easel. This is one thing we’ve seen earlier than on different creator-focused laptops like Acer’s Concept D9, however on the Studio, Microsoft has refined that concept to a brilliant modern conclusion. The solely factor that provides the Studio’s uncommon design away is the skinny panel hole that runs throughout the middle of its lid, whereas the impact that hinge has on the system is profound.

For basic use and productiveness, the Studio capabilities identical to another laptop computer. But if you need to draw or brainstorm some concepts on a whiteboard, you may merely pull the Studio’s show ahead into what Microsoft calls Stage mode, creating an ideal floor (pun meant) for all kinds of content material creation. And then if you’d like a extra low-profile drafting desk setup, you may press down once more to show the Studio into a giant pill, supplying you with one other angle to work with whereas additionally holding the spirit of the Surface Book alive.

All in all, it’s a fairly an expertise. The Studio additionally sports activities a beautiful 120Hz display, glorious brightness (upwards of 450 nits), and wealthy, correct colours, making it really feel prefer it’s prepared that will help you work or create, regardless when you’re at residence or on the highway. One space the place I feel Microsoft might have stopped quick although is that the Studio’s tilting display solely has just a few preset resting factors. You get laptop computer mode, Stage mode, and pill mode, however if you’d like something in between, you higher have a lightweight hand, as a result of the Studio’s hinge isn’t actually designed to carry its posture exterior of these three foremost modes. This is a little bit of a bummer, as a result of if my reminiscence serves me proper, this is identical weak level a bunch of early Surface Pros suffered from till Microsoft upgraded their kickstands to assist a stiffer hinge that would keep its place at any angle.

Holding all the system collectively is Microsoft’s attractive magnesium and aluminum chassis, which includes a reasonably uncommon overhang that runs across the perimeter of the system and serves just a few completely different functions.

The most helpful operate the Studio’s lip offers is that it serves as a spot to stash Microsoft’s Slim Pen 2 (which sadly doesn’t come included) when not in use, clipping magnetically to the underside of the lip for straightforward storage and charging. Another useful benefit of the Studio’s overhang is that it retains the laptop computer’s recessed vents pushed again from the edges of its body, so that you’re much less more likely to get blasted by a gust of scorching hair. However, I think one ultimate bonus of the overhang that Microsoft won’t admit is that it ensures the Studio doesn’t look an excessive amount of like one other line of premium notebooks from a sure fruit firm, as a result of if the Studio had straight sides, it will invite much more comparisons.

One final be aware in regards to the Studio’s design: While it’s reasonably compact for a 14-inch laptop computer with this type of flexibility, it’s nonetheless considerably hefty, weighing in at 3.83 to 4 kilos relying on when you go for the Core i5 or Core i7 mannequin. That’s solely 1 / 4 to half a pound lighter than the 15-inch Surface Book 3, so there are some weight financial savings when in comparison with its predecessor, however it’s nonetheless not precisely ultraportable gentle.

A Haptic Stylus You Can Feel

If you’re merely searching for a laptop computer for basic productiveness, the Studio is much more than you want, as a result of what actually units it aside its stylus expertise. That’s as a result of whereas styluses with power suggestions can be found in additional specialised programs, they’re nonetheless reasonably area of interest. But now the Studio is bringing haptic styluses into the mainstream.

When mixed with the Surface Slim Pen 2 and its built-in G6 chip, the Studio is ready to present rumbles, vibrations, and even tactical bumps in supported apps—mainly any app that helps Windows Inking or has particularly built-in Microsoft’s power suggestions platform. This provides a very new dimension when drawing on a display. It even works in productiveness apps like Word and OneObserve, supplying you with useful little affirmation rumbles if you circle a phrase to focus on it, or draw a line by means of a phrase to delete it.

Now I’ve by no means claimed to be a Picasso, however this added layer of suggestions offers new depth to the Windows Inking expertise, and even with my untrained hand it typically feels just like the Studio is encouraging me to kind much less and choose up its stylus extra. It’s such a gratifying expertise, and despite the fact that it doesn’t work throughout each app, lots of the massive ones are already coated—together with the almighty Photoshop. So even with out being a capital-A Artiste, the Studio offers me a newfound ardour that encourages me to strive my hand repeatedly, and I gained’t be stunned in any respect when haptic stylus assist will get added to pens and pencils from competing manufacturers (I’m you Apple and Samsung).

First-class Keyboard and Touchpad

Normally, the keyboards and touchpads in your typical Windows notebooks are barely value mentioning, particularly with the pervasive whiff of elitism you typically hear from longtime MacBook followers who imagine that Apple simply does touchpads higher. But on the Studio, Microsoft has supplied a typing and mousing expertise that’s each bit pretty much as good, if not higher than what you get on just about another laptop computer—Windows or in any other case.

The Studio’s keyboard options three ranges of backlight depth together with a agency however not overly stiff keystroke, aided by Microsoft’s satisfyingly responsive Moving mechanical switches. But the Studio’s touchpad is the actual deal with, that includes a big glass panel with refined haptic suggestions and extremely correct gesture recognition. Frankly, it’s simply rattling good, and to any extent further, the Studio’s touchpad is my new excessive watermark that I’m going to match all the pieces else to.

Strong Performance, however Where’s the Support for AMD?

When the Studio was first introduced, lots of people took umbrage with Microsoft’s inclusion of built-in Intel Iris XE graphics or an elective Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU—the latter of which is what got here on our evaluate unit. But this can be a cell content material creation machine, not a gaming rig, and in my testing, that 3050 Ti is greater than sufficient to maintain issues feeling {smooth} and snappy.

Instead, the selection that ought to actually grind your gears is Microsoft selecting to go Intel-only for the Studio’s CPU. Don’t get me flawed, the Intel Core i7-11370H in our evaluate unit is speedy, however once I look at different 14-inch laptops just like the Razer Blade 14 and its Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU, I can’t assist however think about how way more highly effective the Studio would really feel with a contemporary AMD processor. In benchmarks like Geekbench 5, the Studio posted a multicore rating of 61,617 versus 112,796 for the Blade 14. That’s a fairly vital hole, and one which exhibits up in real-world checks too, with the Blade 14 taking simply 7 minutes and 26 seconds to transcode a 4K film to 1080p, in comparison with a slower time of 11:21 for the Studio. And in Blender, it’s an identical state of affairs, with the Studio’s CPU taking 7:07 to render a picture, whereas the Blade 14 took simply 3:48.

So whereas the Studio’s efficiency is nice, I’m nonetheless a tiny bit salty realizing how a lot better it might have been with AMD (particularly since we’ve already seen Microsoft embrace AMD on the Surface Laptop 4).

All the Extras

With a battery lifetime of 11 hours and 44 minutes on our wifi video rundown check, the Surface Laptop Studio is firmly above common, handily beating out the Razer Blade 14 (6:41) and the Alienware m15 R5 (7:27), however falling quick to lighter and fewer power-hungry ultraportables just like the Galaxy Book Pro (14:46) and even the Surface Laptop 4 (12:21).

As for ports, the massive improve for the Studio is assist for 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, which is likely to be the actual motive Microsoft went Intel-only, because it’s type of a problem for machine makers so as to add Thunderbolt to programs with AMD chips. And with the Studio designed to be equally proficient by itself or when linked to a number of exterior shows, sticking with Intel to get Thunderbolt feels quite a bit much less egregious.

Elsewhere, you even have a 3.5mm audio and assist for Microsoft magnetic Surface energy connector, which when paired with the Surface’s energy brick comes with the good thing about including a bonus USB 3.2 Type-A port. Though if I had my approach, I’d have axed the Surface connector altogether in favor of a 3rd (or fourth) USB-C port with USB Power Delivery. High-end MacBook Pros will get 4 USB-C ports, and in an ideal world, the Studio would too.

And whereas the Studio is clearly aimed extra at visible artists than musical magicians, the system’s quad “Omnisonic” speaker don’t fail to impress, and the Studio’s 1080p webcam captures sharp video, too.

Your Studio Awaits

Like its predecessor, the Surface Laptop Studio looks like a particular creature, and despite the fact that I actually like what I’ve skilled so far, I nonetheless really feel like I’m simply scratching the floor of its potential. Microsoft has delivered a system with a wonderful construct, a vivid and super-smooth show, and a refined design that gives a wealth of instruments and premium options throughout the board. Microsoft even tacked on a handful of intelligent tweaks, just like the drawing menu that pops up mechanically up everytime you take away the stylus from its magnetic perch.

However, the Studio’s greatest draw back is that it ain’t precisely low-cost, beginning at $1,600 for a Core i5 CPU with built-in graphics, and going as much as a minimal of $2,100 if you’d like that discrete RTX 3050 Ti GPU. A completely loaded mannequin with a GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD prices a wallet-clutching $3,100. But for artists who can admire all of Microsoft’s delicate touches and nice particulars, the Surface Laptop Studio looks like a curated machine that blends excessive tech with helpful options.