Consumer models will be outfitted with the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, while commercial customers can choose the RTX A2000. The Core i5 model utilizes the Intel Xe GPU, while the Core i7 models will feature NVIDIA Ampere GPUs. Microsoft has opted for the new Tiger Lake H35 series processors, with Core i5-11300H and Core i7-11370H offerings. The new Surface Laptop Studio packs in a lot of performance too. There is little doubt what lineup they are trying to compete against, and hopefully the experience works as well as the Mac’s haptic design. Microsoft has been offering one of the best trackpad experiences on the PC for several years now, and the Surface Laptop Studio adds a new Precision Haptic touchpad to the mix.

It is very much in-line with the Surface Laptop. This translates to just 201 pixels-per-inch, well short of the 267 PPI found on the Surface Pro and 260 PPI on the Surface Book. Interestingly, and perhaps to keep costs down, the 14.4-inch display offers a resolution of 2400x1600, in the now standard Surface 3:2 aspect ratio. The increased smoothness is always welcome for GUI tasks, but will also be a nice addition when using the inking experience with the new Surface Slim Pen 2, which can be stored under the keyboard on the Surface Studio Laptop.

The increased refresh rate is a welcome addition to the lineup, and is also included on some of the other Surface devices being announced today. The new 14.4-inch PixelSense display also gets some new branding thanks to the inclusion of a 120 Hz refresh rate, which Microsoft is branding as Flow touch. Compared to the Surface Book design, which featured a detachable display, the new Surface Laptop Studio will be much easier to transition from one mode to another. This is not a new concept but does add some versatility to the design which is one of the elements Surface is most known for. The most obvious design element is the new Dynamic Woven Hinge, which lets the display ease forward. The one new design in the lineup is the Surface Laptop Studio which brings some exciting changes to Surface. As tends to be the case, all of them feature quirks which are distinctively Surface. Some devices are getting some minor tweaks, while other devices are completely new.

In anticipation of the upcoming Windows 11 launch, Microsoft is introducing an almost complete top to bottom refresh of their Surface device lineup.

Surface laptop studio release date