Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

We're very, very late to the party here, folks. Microsoft's Surface Studio 2 has been on the market for so long that it's almost impossible to buy for money today. Yes, you can find it second-hand or as surplus stock, but in terms of actual retailers, including Microsoft itself, it's pretty much discontinued.

A look at the specifications quickly tells you why. This is a performance-oriented MacBook Pro challenger, which today you would be forced to configure with a 13th gen Intel Core i7 CPU and an Nvidia RTX 4050. No, it's not exactly antiquated, but for consumers shopping for between £2,000 and £2,500, it's a bit of a gamble to start with a CPU that's two generations old and can't be replaced.

So why are we even looking at the Surface Laptop Studio 2 so late? Well, first and foremost, it's to remind ourselves how robust, simple, and well-functioning Microsoft's Surface line really is, outdated internals or not. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is manufactured to such a high standard of tolerance that it can easily compete more directly with Apple's MacBook Pros, and there are very few PC manufacturers who can boast that. The anodised aluminium chassis could just as well be titanium, it's that robust, and with rounded corners and the unusual double base, it's both pleasant to use and pleasant to... well, touch. There are two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, an SD card reader, and even a single USB-A port, and Microsoft's touchpad and keyboard are truly on par with Apple's.

Picking up a Surface Laptop Studio 2 reminds you why Microsoft charges a premium price, because a lot of extra effort and energy has been put into the design and execution of the design. You can't really see it in a cynical list of specifications, as this laptop is neither the thinnest nor the lightest, but in actual use, it's as close to a "luxury laptop" as you can get on the Windows side of the divide.

And that's only one side of the coin. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 also has its own iconic feature up its sleeve: its positionable PixelSense display. It's 14.4" with 2400x1600 resolution and 120Hz. That's not all, because unlike so many others, Microsoft still insists on using the tall 3:2 aspect ratio, which I have repeatedly asked other manufacturers to adopt because it makes so much more sense. But fortunately, it's here, with its reliable VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification and nearly 100% DCI-P3 colour coverage.

And, of course, it's also touch-sensitive. It's made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, supports 10-point pressure sensitivity, and can, of course, be partially "broken" out of its frame and then repositioned. It can be bent completely to become a giant tablet, or rather what professionals would call a "drafting table" for sketching graphics, or what Microsoft calls "easel posture", where it's moved over the keyboard.

Even now, almost four years since the Surface Laptop Studio was first released, there is still something endlessly cool about a laptop that can physically change shape, and it's still an excellent way to further develop the basic idea from the now retired Surface Book.

As mentioned, it does not make sense to performance test this Surface Laptop Studio 2. It won't be able to deliver results that reflect its price, even if that price has fallen over time. No, but what is interesting is to remind Microsoft that this idea fundamentally makes sense, and that they certainly shouldn't give up on the whole idea of Surface Studio, Surface Laptop, or Surface Pro. They don't seem to be doing that, but there may be some value in reminding Microsoft that this idea holds up all the way through.

We'll slap on a score, just for fun, but we don't recommend buying it unless you can find it really cheap (which seems unlikely), but how cool would it be to get a 3?