Surface pro backlit keyboard
This isn't a brick in terms of design, as the system measures just around 0.7 inches thick. When you want all the power of a dedicated GPU, you'll have to sacrifice something, and it comes at the weight. It's relatively small, and light, when put up against gaming laptops with this same GPU inside (The Legion 5 is 5.28 pounds, as an example.)Įven Apple's new M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBooks are in the same weight class, coming in at around 3.5-4.8 pounds. Compared to my old HP ENVY 15, though, the compact form factor of the Laptop Studio is great. The magnesium material makes the device feel lighter than it is. Coming in at around 4 pounds, I think the device is manageable. You barely can see the bottom hump on the surface laptop studioĪnother thing that people have complained about is the weight of the Laptop Studio. The only times I've noticed it is when the GPU is in use, and air blows out from the side. Many complained about this "hump," but I've come to realize it's not even noticeable once the Laptop Studio sits on a desk or in my lap. The hump allows for ventilation, as well as a place for Microsoft to put the GPU. The differentiating factor though is that the Surface Laptop Studio has a "hump" on the bottom. As many have pointed out, Microsoft seems to have borrowed the concepts of the Studio Mode and Stage Mode from the Sony VAIO Z Flip. Microsoft has proven it is good with hinge systems thanks to the work it's done on the Surface Pro lineup, so I'm not surprised that this one works well on the Laptop Studio. Even when inking in the "Studio Mode," the hinges held the screen down, and it didn't move around too much as my wrist movements jiggled the screen. I was worried it'd be too fragile but turns out that the hinges are plenty strong. In two weeks, the hinges held up to my wear and tear. Overall, the transition between those modes is very fluent. Pull the screen out towards you when in the regular "Laptop Mode," and the screen moves down at an angle to the trackpad for "Stage Mode." Then, pull it down once more to turn the Laptop Studio into a thick tablet in "Studio Mode" so you can draw and ink in a canvas-like experience. This second hinge is made of fabric and is held down by magnets. The first lets you open and close the lid like a regular laptop, and the second is tucked behind the screen. There are two hinges on the Laptop Studio. It's quite a treat to look at, and it's like Microsoft blended the best of both tech worlds together in one product.Įven so, the treat gets better once you deal with the screen. Yet, from afar, it even looks like a MacBook (if you don't peek down to see the Microsoft logo.) That's because the device has a lot of curves to it, from the display bezels to the wrist rests. Crafted out of cool-to-the-touch magnesium, the Laptop Studio feels similar to a Surface Pro when I run my hands on the top of it. Leading off with the design, the Surface Laptop Studio is something special.
Surface pro backlit keyboard windows#
If you want a model with Windows 10, you can buy one through Microsoft's commercial store.
All Surface Laptop Studio models come with Windows 11 Home pre-installed. There's no GPU in the model, however, so your computing options will be a bit limited. That includes an Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and Intel's Iris X graphics.
Note that if you really want a Surface Laptop Studio, the base model starts at $1,600. To try and save some cash, I checked out my Microsoft Rewards, giving me a slim $210 discount on everything. I also picked up a Slim Pen 2, which is an additional $130. It comes configured with an Intel Core i7 11370H processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti graphics. The unit I purchased is one of the higher-end models. I want to get the business out of the way first. This piece will be a bit more simplistic, explaining why this is one of the best Surface devices I've ever owned. If you're after a more technical take, you can look out for a more in-depth review in a few weeks. That's because my colleague Kareem Anderson is planning his own write-up on the Surface Laptop Studio. Usually, I'd try to be just a tiny bit technical in my reviews and showcase benchmarks as well as other tests, but for this review, I'd like to tone things down a bit and keep it relatively standard. Since then, I've been putting the system through my daily grinds, leading up to this review. About two and a half weeks ago I purchased a Surface Laptop Studio.