The new Surface Laptop Studio 2

Microsoft, which long has been known for it’s operating system Windows OS, also manufactures it’s own line of laptops and tablets called the Microsoft Surface. Microsoft recently announced the newest addition to this lineup. The new Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2. There are several different configurations of the Surface Studio 2 that will appeal to all varieties of computer users. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 joins an already impressive lineup of laptops from Microsoft including the the Surface Laptop Go 3, the Surface Go 4 and the advanced Surface Pro (many of which features are found on this laptop).

The new Surface Laptop Studio 2 running the latest version of windows OS; windows 11 is an absolute beast. It is one of the most powerful Microsoft Surface products to date. With this release, Microsoft is looking to directly compete against the Apple Macbook, offering up to 2x the processing power of it’s predecessor.

Windows 11 has been designed to operate seamlessly with apps from the Microsoft Store and with Third Party compatible apps. It’s touch sense on the new surface laptop studio 2 allows the user to drag, swipe any direction, zoom like you would on your smartphone, like an iPhone for example. The touchscreen is extremely intuitive making the ease of use on the Microsoft surface laptop studio a breeze.

With a very attractive starting price for the 512 GB SSD with 16GB of RAM option all the way to a 2TB SSD with 64GB of RAM, there are many different options to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the specs and options that the Surface Laptop Studio 2 brings to the table. Many of these features will also help future proof your computing experience, making this one of the most powerful surface products to date.

Specs

A vibrant, sharp and accurate 14.4” touchscreen with PixelSense Flow touch display will greet you on this new laptop. It is rated up to 650 nits of brightness, and a is coupled with a brilliant 2400 x 1600 resolution with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 also comes with a refresh rate of up to 120 FPS making this a solid choice for professionals, avid gamers and great for streaming movies.

Powered by the new 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7 13700h 14-Core (13th Gen intel core) CPU processor, for blazing processing power and speed. With this new supercharged processor clocked at up to 5 ghz with boost, the incredible performance for even the most demanding of workloads will blaze with the power of the this processing chip.

Beginning with the Intel Iris XE graphics card (standard) or upgrading to one of the Nvidia RTX the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or the RTX 4060 GPU for amazing graphics performance, and this laptop can serve many purposes. The geforce RTX 4060 is a well worth upgrade, especially if you are an avid gamer, graphic artist or just looking to get the best graphics on a surface device. This is also an upgrade over the mid level RTX 2000 ADA graphics card from Nvidia.

With intense and heavy usage comes the inevitable slowdown of the tasks and processes your computer is able to perform simultaneously. Processing lag should be a worry of the past. With the large amount of computing memory on the surface laptop studio 2 starting at 16GB of RAM up to an astounding 64 GB of RAM, managing your workload flow with multiple applications or windows open is simple.

The Surface Laptop Studio 2 comes in a very versatile form factor. The 14.4” display can be angled to use as a tool for your creative content (especially art) and utilize the Surface Slim Pen, conveniently located under the front lip of the keyboard for secure and safe storage.

Wondering about HDR content? Well, this laptop nails it. High Dynamic Range or HDR content including Dolby Vision IQ, color reproduction, contrast, and brightness are present and let you stream content in HDR. Full HD or 1080P is also supported with up to 120 FPS. And with Dolby Atmos included for audio, you are getting the latest and greatest in surround sound spatial audio reproduction.

With it’s customizable haptic touchpad, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 the trackpad can be used in the manner most comfortable and convenient for you. Coupled with the included Surface Slim Pen these new features make ease of use simplistic.

As with all computers, having the right ports are essential. There is a single slot MicroSD Card Reader is also included, rated for microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC memory card. Connectivity is seamless on the Surface laptop Studio 2. With the included 2 USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports, a USB-A port 3.0 / 3.1/3.2 Gen 1 and the proprietary (Surface Connect port), charging the device and connecting to peripheral devices has never been easier. There is also one 3.5 mm headphone jack. You can connect the Surface Laptop Studio 2 to a Microsoft Surface Hub which will open up additional ports as well.

Onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability help round out connectivity. Bluetooth 5.3 with it’s increased range and stability coupled with Wi-FI 6E (the next jump in Wi-Fi AX) which is the newest standard of Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi 6E allows the “client” or device to access the 6 ghz band of the Wi-Fi spectrum. It is also backwards compatible to older Wi-Fi standards. Make sure that your router can work with Wi-Fi 6E, as mostly newer routers carry the ability to access the 6 ghz Wi-Fi band. Again, even if your router is rated for Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 5 or an older Wi-Fi standard, your computer will be able to access the internet.

Battery life on the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is rated at up to 19 hours. However, this can vary based off power settings on your computer and the intensity of your workload. With this length of battery life, you should have ample time while using the computer for work or even high intensity gaming prior to needing a charge. Traveling and using your computer on the go (perhaps designing some creative content or looking to edit and upload a Vlog) length of usage should be a worry of the past with this large amount of battery life.

An all new NPU AI assistant called Copilot is standard on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2. With the assistance of Copilot your everyday usage of the computer just became that much easier. Meetings or conferences can be summarized creating top quality images and PDFs. It is designed to work seamlessly with other Microsoft Apps like Edge.

Windows Studio effects can now be accessed from the taskbar in the quick settings menu. For Surface devices that have a supported Neural Processing Unit (NPU), enabling camera effects such image effects as background blur, eye contact and framing of your subject. There are also audio benefits that can be accessed by choosing (Voice Focus).

Protected by Windows Defender and secure sign-in with the Windows Hello feature, helps give you peace of mind that your content will stay secure and safe. Windows 11 will also let you know if there are firmware updates available. These may be feature updates or security patches, either way, it is imperative that you keep your firmware up to date prior to first usage. Throughout using the computer, Windows will also prompt you to set up an automatic time schedule for running updates on your computer. This is especially helpful, so you don’t have down time updating the computer when you want to be using it.

The Laptop for You

In the highly competitive world of laptops, it can at times feel overwhelming purchasing the right computer for you. If you are looking for a top notch laptop, running the familiar Windows 11 OS, and capable of high intensity gaming and creativity tools, we would be hard pressed not to recommend the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2. With the latest Intel I7 processor, the ability to have a GPU like the Nvidia RTX 4060, and the plethora of new features previously discussed such as great battery life, incredible display with HDR support for Dolby Vision IQ, superb refresh rates of up to 120 FPS, you need to search no further for your next laptop.

Availability

Microsoft announced the new Surface Laptop Studio 2 with a release date of October 3, 2023. However, it is now available for pre-order at a great starting price.