Microsoft unveiled the flagship Surface Laptop Studio 2 laptop-transformer
At a special event in New York City, Microsoft unveiled Surface Laptop Studio 2, a flagship laptop with a creative work focus. Retaining the aesthetics of its predecessor, the device features a 14.4-inch PixelSense Flow touchscreen display with a resolution of 2400×1600 dots, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and an aspect ratio of 3:2.
Starting at $1,999, Studio 2 is equipped with an Intel Core i7-13700H chip, NVIDIA RTX 4050, RTX 4060 discrete graphics card, or RTX 2000 Ada Generation professional midrange graphics, as well as Intel Gen3 Movidius 3700VC VPU AI Accelerator, which is the debut of Intel’s AI accelerator in Windows-based computers.
Users can configure the device with up to 2 TB of storage and 64 GB of LPDDR5x RAM. Microsoft claims that the Studio 2 is the most powerful Surface ever created, offering twice the performance of its predecessor. The device offers multiple connectivity options, including two USB-C ports (USB4/Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort and Power Delivery), one USB-A 3.1 port, a microSDXC card reader, and compatibility with the Surface Slim Pen 2. It also features a customizable and responsive tactile touchpad that Microsoft called “the most inclusive touchpad on any laptop.”
By eliminating the limitations of the original Laptop Studio, Microsoft has increased the number of ports, performance, and battery life of the device. According to the company, the built-in 58 Wh battery is enough for 16-19 hours of battery life, depending on the laptop configuration.
The announcement comes on the heels of changes in Microsoft’s hardware division, with Panos Panayi, a big proponent of multifunctional computers, leaving the company. Yusuf Mehdi, the new head of Windows and Surface, can offer a different vision of the future development of this area for Microsoft.