Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 review

Microsoft’s best laptops are a top choice for hybrid workers and creators because they’re powerful, they run Windows 11, and most of them double up as a tablet as well.

The Surface Laptop Studio 2 leads the pack as Microsoft’s highest-spec portable PC, and its most expensive. Released in September 2023, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 improves on its predecessor with a new 13th-generation Intel Core processor, upgraded Nvidia graphics, more RAM options, and a couple of extra ports like an SD card slot and USB-A connection. At first glance, you won’t see much of a difference because both models look similar. But in use, the Studio 2’s faster performance speaks for itself.

Price, specs, and availability

The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is available globally now, starting from $2,000. The base model features a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and Intel Iris Xe graphics. You can configure the Studio 2 with up to 64GB of RAM, up to 2TB of internal storage, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics. The top-line model costs $3,700.

For this review, I got my hands on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 with 64GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics. This particular model costs $3,300. On paper, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is an impressive PC. Take a look at the table below to see the full list of specs.

Design

Practical but not perfect

As a convertible 2-in-1 laptop, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is designed for versatility. You can use it just as you would a laptop, or you can pull the screen forward to use it as a tablet. The tablet can be used flat or if you pull it forward halfway, you can use it propped up. Unlike other 2-in-1s I’ve tested, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 stays firmly in place when you stand it up.

Far from being a lightweight laptop, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a bulky piece of equipment. At 2kg, I only used it at home because it wasn’t comfortable to carry around. It was barely comfortable to use on my lap, and I preferred having it on a desk in front of me. The base of the laptop is very thick as well — 22mm in fact– which is almost double the size of some other PCs like the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 (12.8mm) or the MacBook Air (11.5mm).

Despite being chunky, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 still manages to look smart. It only comes in Platinum and looks very MacBook-esque. A mirrored Microsoft logo sits towards the bottom of the matte silver aluminum lid, placed below the fold, which allows you to prop the screen up. When you open it up, you reveal a gray keyboard, a large silver trackpad, and, of course, the display.

Underneath the keyboard is a smaller secondary base. The design allows air to pass through the underside to keep the internals cool. The base also houses the Surface Laptop Studio 2’s speakers. There are two strips to keep the laptop firmly planted, which I found successfully stopped the Studio 2 from moving around, especially when using the touchscreen.

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Enough port and connectivity options

Around the frame, there are two USB-C ports with USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, a single USB-A 3.1 connector, one MicroSDXC card reader, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the Surface Connect port. The USB-C ports can both power the device and drive a display. Admittedly, given how thick the laptop is, it would have been great if Microsoft included an Ethernet jack and HDMI port.

It’s a good thing the USB-C ports support power delivery because using the Microsoft charger included in the box, you can only charge the laptop from one side. I regularly move around the house with my laptop, and so I like having the freedom to plug it in from either side. That does mean you’ll need a separate USB-C charger handy, though, and it will charge slower.

Keyboard, trackpad, and accessibility

Coming from a smaller laptop, the keyboard took a while to get used to. I mistyped quite regularly at first because it’s so spaced out. The larger trackpad, on the other hand, was fast and responsive, and I enjoyed having the extra room to move my finger across.

A welcome new feature to the Studio 2 trackpad is Adaptive Touch, which allows you to use different parts of your body to navigate through the system, instead of just recognizing finger movements. For instance, you could use the edge of your hand or your palm. Features like this are fantastic for improving accessibility for those with limited mobility. Other accessibility features include a backlit keyboard and the fact that you can easily move the screen with one hand. Windows 11 has lots to offer in this area too, such as Voice Typing and the Narrator function to read the on-screen content out loud.

In the box, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 comes with a charger and instruction manual. As usual, there’s no Surface Pen stylus included here, so you’ll need to buy that separately. Because of that, I wasn’t able to test out the screen with the Microsoft Surface Pen.

Screen

Bright and beautiful

If it’s a big-screen laptop you want, that’s exactly what you’ll find here. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a 14.4-inch IPS display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2,400 x 1,600 pixels. It’s RGB, which stands for standard Red Green Blue, meaning it meets the color space used for most media and games that aren’t HDR. However, it’s worth mentioning that it doesn’t meet DCI-P3 which is larger with a wider spectrum of colors. That could be off-putting for some creatives.

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I enjoyed using this screen because of just how sharp everything looked. I mostly used it for day-to-day work which includes a lot of typing and photo editing. This display was perfect for that. The screen comes well calibrated out of the box, colors look accurate and vivid without being oversaturated, which helps ensure that photo and video edits come across well on other devices and paper.

Despite the glossy finish on the display, the high levels of screen brightness meant I could sit underneath my office light and still see the screen. Although outside in the sun, I did struggle more with reflections. There are benefits to the glossy finish on the screen, like the fact that the colors aren’t as muted as on a matte display, making it better for design work.

When I sat back to watch TV shows, even the darkest areas of the scene were visible and contrasted well with the lighter areas, but that came from the LCD backlight rather than local dimming as you would get from an OLED display with true HDR.

While you can find gaming laptops that take things further, the 120Hz refresh rate makes every movement look seriously smooth, whether that’s editing videos or playing games.

The quality of the touchscreen is impressive too. Using my fingers, each touch was registered, which bodes well for those who plan to use this for tablet art or sketches. Without the Surface Pen, I wasn’t able to try out more exact drawings, sadly.

Performance and battery

Fit for purpose with plenty of power

Given its list of specifications, performance is perhaps the most compelling reason to buy the Surface Laptop Studio 2. To recap, the model I tested featured a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor under the hood with 64GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics. Long story short, it’s a powerhouse.

In Geekbench 6, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 earned 9949 and 1643 multi and single-core scores. That places it among other top-performing laptops like the Asus Zenbook 15 OLED (2023), but some way off the best gaming laptops, like the Asus Zephyrus Duo 16.

In my testing, I found the Surface Laptop Studio 2 was able to handle any task I threw at it. I used it continuously throughout the day for work, and while it would at times feel a little warm when I had it plugged in, the laptop was never hot, even when I was transferring large files. It ran fine when I had loads of different windows open at once and the 2TB NVMe drive quickly loaded my favorite streaming apps and large video games like Apex Legends.

Battery and charging speeds

Having used the Surface Laptop Studio 2 as my main workstation, I found that the battery would usually last me about half a day before I needed to plug it into the outlet. That’s below Microsoft’s claim of up to 18 hours on a single charge. Playing an HD video repeatedly, the laptop lasted around six hours before the battery was drained. Battery life might be subpar, but it’s made up for by how quickly the Surface Laptop Studio 2 charges. Using the included power adapter, the battery went from zero to 100% in about an hour and 15 minutes.

Camera, speakers, and features

Productivity prowess

Windows 11 powers the Surface Laptop Studio 2, so there are a lot of features designed to boost productivity. One of my personal favorites is snap layouts, which is a quick way to divide the screen between windows and make it easier to work across a few at once. You just need to hover over the minimize button to set it up.

Windows 11 also features Focus Sessions for when you need to get some work done, accurate voice typing, cross-device syncing, and Virtual Desktops — all of which were game-changing for my productivity when I remembered to make use of them.

The Full HD front-facing Studio camera offers decent video quality, and it comes with some great features to improve calls, like auto-framing which adjusts the shot to keep you in focus. There’s also the eye contact feature, which makes it look as though you are speaking to the caller face to face. If you tend to work at home, and you don’t want your colleagues to see your home, there’s very effective background blurring too. I made a few calls using Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and the results were great. Those on the other end thought I looked crystal clear and I sounded good too.

It’s unlikely that you would use any laptop to take photos, which is just as well, because the shots from this one won’t compare to the best smartphones you can buy.

While there’s no fingerprint sensor here, you can access your desktop using facial recognition thanks to Windows Hello 2.0. It worked quickly for me most of the time as long as I sat directly in front of the camera.

The built-in speakers with Dolby Atmos deliver surprisingly loud, clear sound for the most part. They’re certainly good enough for streaming video content, or for making calls. In saying that, listening to music was a less satisfying experience, the audio came across as a little empty, lacking bass and even occasionally distorting the lower end.

Verdict

If you’re hunting for a 2-in-1 laptop with stellar performance, then look no further. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is about as good as they get. Whatever you plan to use your next PC for, be that hobbyist photography or professional creative work, this laptop has the speed to cope. It’s a workhorse with a touchscreen, although it’s a shame that a stylus doesn’t come bundled with the device.

While it may deliver on power, it won’t be for everyone. For some, the level of performance will be overkill. You could save a fair amount of money going for something more modest. It is also quite bulky. That’s something to consider if you intend to regularly move your laptop between your home and work. If so, you might be better off considering something a little more lightweight.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

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