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One of the main launch products for the new Windows 11 operating system is the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. In spite of the awkward name and unusual design, it’s getting positive reviews. But is it worth the price?
Firstly, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is a sleek and slim device. It sports a 14-inch display with an impressive range of usable positions in relation to the keyboard. More than just the normal “flip it out and over” action of a standard 2-in-1, the Studio allows users to set it into an array of positions.
If you want to use the device like a tablet, you can fold it over and lay it down on the keyboard. If you want to use it for gaming, you can tilt the screen up, exposing the keyboard and giving yourself the best viewing angle.
This flexibility does come with a stylistic drawback. To allow users to move the Studio into these positions without accidentally using the touchscreen, the display sports big, ugly bezels that look like they’re straight out of the last decade.
The new Surface Laptop Studio is a replacement for the similarly named Surface Studio, an underwhelming device that never quite had the internal horsepower to keep up with the competition. Unlike its older sibling, the Laptop Studio sports some noteworthy specs under the hood.
It starts out at an impressive benchmark, with a Core i5-11300H CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD for internal storage. It also sports integrated graphics in its base model, though higher-end models can include proper GPUs. For instance, the Core i7-11370H model comes packaged with a respectable Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card. That GPU can handle most video games, though perhaps not on the highest settings.
The Surface Laptop Studio’s highest trim levels are its most compelling for the average user. Its big, gorgeous display is best suited for either intensive creative work or for gaming, both of which will want the beefier graphics card offered in the higher-tier models.
If you’re comfortable paying top-dollar for a two-in-one laptop, this is a great option for you. However, power users may find that a standard desktop or specialized gaming laptop is a better use of their money. On the other hand, people who are primarily interested in internet browsing and word processing might be better off with a less expensive laptop or tablet.
