Microsoft Previews Hybrid PC Design with New Surface Laptop Studio
Five new Surface devices including a new Duo 2 foldable phone are set for the Windows 11 launch.
September 23, 2021
![Surface Laptop Studio for Business Surface Laptop Studio for Business](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt10e444bce2d36aa8/bltca3a2aff6d1cc430/652443e6dbf7e6821cbc2de5/01Surface-Laptop-Studio-for-Business-Feature-1.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Microsoft
The multimode device can transition from a desktop to a laptop to an electronic canvas with Microsoft’s new “Dynamic Woven Hinge.” The Surface Laptop Studio, weighing 4 pounds, is powered with an 11th Gen Intel Core H35 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics processor.
Models with Intel Core i5 processors offer Intel’s Iris Xe Graphics, while those with Intel i7 processors are available with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti laptop GPUs with 4GB GDDR6 GPU memory. Pricing starts at $1,600 for an i5 processor with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. At the high end, it is available with an i7 processor, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for $2,700. It can bump up to 2TB of storage for an extra $500. They come with two USB-C 4.0 Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Microsoft has given its flagship Surface Pro 2-in-1 boost in size, upgrading its 12.3-inch display to 13 inches with thinner bezels and a 120 Hz refresh rate. The Surface Pro 8 is now built on the Intel Evo platform and now offers two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. Available with Intel 11th Gen Core processors, pricing starts at $1,100 for a model with an i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD. It is also now available with 32 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD for $2,200. Attachable keyboard covers are available in different styles, ranging in price from $180 to $280.
Microsoft originally introduced this device two years ago but has refreshed it in a thinner and lighter configuration, removable SSDs and a Wi-Fi only version in addition to support for LTE Advanced Pro. Microsoft is offering the Surface Pro X with its own Arm-based SQ 1 and SQ 2 processors. Pricing starts at $900 for a model with a SQ 1 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD. A version with the SQ 2 processor, 16 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD costs $1,300.
Microsoft has updated its inaugural foldable phone with improved multitasking ability. Users can run two Android apps simultaneously that can run on the larger 8.3-inch displays. Powered with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform, the Surface Duo 2 now supports NFC for contactless payment and a 3-lens camera. Set for release on Oct. 21, the starting price is $1,500.
The Surface Go is Microsoft’s smallest and lowest-cost 2-in-1 laptops, and the third version is available with an Intel Core i3 processor that the company claims is 60% faster than its predecessor. It features a 10.5-inch display and is available with LTE connectivity. Pricing ranges from $400 to $630, but the new Surface Go 3 isn’t slated for immediate availability. Microsoft said it will be available in the coming months.
The Surface Slip Pen 2 is a redesigned version of Microsoft’s digital pen, which the company taps new features in Windows 11 and the G6 processor in the new Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio. When used with those devices, it provides tactile signals that gives users the feeling they are writing with a traditional pen on paper, according to Microsoft. The Slim Pen 2 is priced at $130.
Microsoft partnered with SABIC to create a mouse that has 20% recycled ocean plastic on the exterior shell. The plastic created by the two companies is called XENOY, a resin based on SAVIC’s Trucircle products and services. The Bluetooth wireless mouse is priced at $25.
Microsoft partnered with SABIC to create a mouse that has 20% recycled ocean plastic on the exterior shell. The plastic created by the two companies is called XENOY, a resin based on SAVIC’s Trucircle products and services. The Bluetooth wireless mouse is priced at $25.
The Surface Laptop Studio will become the latest addition to Microsoft’s device lineup planned for next month’s Windows 11 launch. Microsoft this week previewed the workstation-class laptop, along with refreshes of other Surface models. Those include a new Surface Duo foldable phone.
Select configurations of the five new Surface devices will be available on Oct. 5, the day Windows 11 becomes available. Microsoft, which revealed Windows 11 in June, is betting the redesigned operating system will boost already increased demand for PCs. The company previewed the devices at an event in New York, which it also streamed online.
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella
“Surface has always been a catalyst for innovation across the entire ecosystem,” said Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella. “We’re building on that legacy advancing the two in one category, creating a new laptop category, and reimagining what you can do with two screens.”
The newest in Microsoft’s PC lineup is the Surface Laptop Studio, which the company said is its most powerful.
Microsoft’s Panos Panay
“With Surface Laptop Studio, we built on the heritage of both Surface Book and Surface Studio, bringing you the power of a desktop, but also that portability needed in a laptop and then the creativity of a studio all-in-one,” said Microsoft chief product officer Panos Panay.
Dynamic Woven Hinge
Bringing together Microsoft’s Surface Studio and Surface Book, the Surface Laptop Studio uses what the company calls Dynamic Woven Hinge to transition it from a desktop into a laptop. Microsoft said it has three modes: standard laptop, stage and studio. Industry analyst Bob O’Donnell, president of TECHnalysis Research, described the two modes.
“Pulling it all the way forward and sliding it down gives you the full-screen tablet experience you’ve come to expect from Surface devices via what Microsoft is calling Studio Mode,” he noted in a LinkedIn post. “In the middle is a new Stage Mode with a slanted screen that lets you easily consume content like streaming video, participate in video calls, give presentations, etc.”
A breakdown of the specs and pricing of Microsoft’s new Surface devices appear in our slideshow above.
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