Still targeted at creators and gamers like the original Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio from 2021, the Laptop Studio 2 has as its distinguishing feature a three-position, 14-inch 120Hz display. In addition to using its standard clamshell, typing-oriented position, you can pull it out to angle over the keyboard for activities like gaming using a controller and video streaming or lay it down on the keyboard at a very, very slight angle for tablet tasks like drawing or handwriting.
Watch this: First Look: Microsoft Surface Studio 2 and Surface Go 3 Laptops
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That’s a lot: the base model with only integrated graphics and a 512GB SSD for $2,000? That’s the same price as the entry-level MacBook Pro 14, which gets a lot more performance and battery life out of similar components. The hinge design on the SLS2, which makes it so flexible to use, remains its biggest draw, but as time goes on and more alternatives (like two-in-ones and three-in-ones) improve, it becomes less and less attractive in the absence of major upgrades.
Specifications
Say “hi!” to the new micro SD card slot.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Because Microsoft hasn’t changed much, the laptop still suffers from the lack of upgradability, at least for consumers (businesses are another story). Individuals can’t upgrade the RAM, and SSD upgrades can only be done at an authorized service center.
New features in Windows 11 can’t carry it
One of Microsoft’s big marketing points for its AI-boosted features in the SLS2 are Windows’ Studio Effects automation for videoconferencing — in this case, autoframing, eye contact (to make people think you’re engaged in the conversation) and background blur. The SLS2 is the first laptop to includes Intel’s Movidius AI-acceleration chip; at least for now, the Studio Effects are the only features that it works for.
The 1080p webcam itself isn’t terrific. Even in bright light it had some visual artifacts, such as noise reduction on my face (in general, noise reduction results in a weird mix of graininess and smoothing). White balance was fine, but the exposure seemed to be based on the entire room rather than just my face, so it was on the acceptable side of bright (to compensate for the more shadowy areas behind me) but with an unattractive hot spot on my forehead.
I am not very impressed with Studio Effects, but that’s partly because of the webcam. A resolution of 1,920×1,080 resolution sounds sufficient until signal processing starts, at which point the image starts to degrade. These new software-processing algorithms are one of the reasons companies have bumped up the resolution of their webcams, such the as 5-megapixel models we’re increasingly seeing in premium laptops. You may not use the higher resolution as raw pixels, but it gives the system a lot more data to work with when you put it in the effects blender.
Hot air blows out the side fans in its two-tier design. But look — a new USB-A port.
Lori Grunin/CNET
The HDR looked like DisplayHDR 400 does in movies and games; in other words, don’t expect much. But I don’t think my measurements for HDR were correct — I really, really hope they aren’t — and I’m waiting to hear back from Microsoft for confirmation and retesting. (All measurements are performed using the most recent version of Portrait Display’s Calman Ultimate software using a Calibrite Display Plus HL. Read more about our monitor testing methodology.)
I still saw more motion blur than you’d see on a gaming laptop, which doesn’t surprise me since it’s the same panel. And if you’re streaming games from the cloud, motion blur will be the least of your artifacts.
A two-in-one with an H-series processor is rare; a lot of them have moved to the lower-power-drawing P series or have fled all the way to ultralow power with the U series. So the SLS2 gets points for trying to be powerful, but it doesn’t seem to be able to stay there. The processor either behaves as if it’s always on battery, with the frequency dropping every time it had a millisecond of idleness. It’s efficient for energy usage, but performance takes a hit.
And the system seemed to throttle the power when system temperature hit about 70 degrees Celsius. These conspire to keep it behind other laptops that use the same CPU or GPU.
Battery life was inconsistent on our streaming video rundown test, ranging from about six hours to eight hours. I will continue testing until I either have the source of the inconsistency or consistent results.
Some of the novelty has worn off the Surface Laptop Studio 2, and competitors with just a little less flexibility have improved to compete, at lower prices and with better screens, like the Lenovo Yoga 9i. It’s probably right for some niche users who need the clamshell-to-tablet simplicity of the design.
I had high hopes for this laptop line, but my inner skeptic thinks it’s likely to go the way of its big brother, the Surface Studio 2 Plus, which never made it to a third generation; it remains, still underpowered thanks to lackluster generational updates, haunting Microsoft’s Surface events like a ghost. It still has the 28-inch screen, which works as a showcase for Windows.
Geekbench 5 (multicore)
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio5,316Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 29,471Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra12,558Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 763012,639Acer Swift X 1413,225
Cinebench R23 (multicore)
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio5,784Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 211,223Acer Swift X 1414,760Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra15,965Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 763017,167
Cinebench R23 (single core)
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 21,082Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio1,296Acer Swift X 141,712Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 76301,811Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra1,889
Shadow of the Tomb Raider gaming test (1080p)
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio44Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 283Acer Swift X 1487Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra105Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7630109
