Microsoft’s New Surface Laptop Studio 2 Gets Some Nice Spec Upgrades
Microsoft announced new Surface models Thursday, with the focus being on the Surface Laptop Studio 2, the most powerful the company says it has ever built.
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a number of graphics-focused updates meant to appease creators — and hopefully sway them away from Apple’s Macs. The Studio 2 will have 14.4-inch PixelSense Flow touchscreen display that can be bent into various positions to use as a traditional laptop or as a tablet. It also comes with the Nvidia Studio tools and the latest Intel Core processors, all of which, Microsoft says, gives it twice as much graphics performance as the MacBook Pro M2 Max.
Each option has the 13th Gen Intel Core 17 processor, and the base model has 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid state drive. Possible upgrades include an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or 4060 or the Nvidia RTX 200 Ada, 32GB or 64GB of RAM, and a 1TB or 2TB solid state drive. Microsoft says, with the 4050, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 can support up to two 4K displays at 60Hz while docked.
Microsoft did keep a built-in memory card port, but it’s probably not the one photographers or videographers were hoping for: microSD. There are also two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, a standard headphone jack, and Microsoft’s proprietary Surface Connect ports.
In keeping with its larger emphasis on AI with the reveal of Copilot, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will also use AI in its camera to offer eye contact and automatic framing options.
The haptic touchpad will offer new customizations meant to improve accessibility. Microsoft also tauts the Surface Laptop Studio 2’s integration with the Surface Slim Pen 2, for which it offers built-ion storage and charging, though that accesory is sold separately.
Microsoft also announced the light and cheaper Surface Laptop Go 3, which starts at $800. With lower specs, the Go is meant for average users rather than those looking for something capable of handling professional editing and portability. The Surface Go 4 for Business and the Surface Hub 3 were also revealed.
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 starts at $2,000 and is available for pre-order now and launches Tuesday, October 3. The most expensive model, complete with 64 GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, will run $3,700.
Image credits: Microsoft
