The Surface Laptop Studio, despite its size, offers the same port selection asthe far smaller Surface Pro 8. (Finally!) On the right is Microsoft's proprietary Surface Connect port for charging and docking, as well as a single 3.5mm headphone jack. On the left side, there are two USB Type-C 4.0 ports, with support for Thunderbolt 4.

This design choice also seems to affect port selection. While the Slim Pen does fit great in that little nook and slides in magnetically, getting it out typically means lifting the laptop up. Leaving room on the sides provides a space for the Surface Slim Pen 2 to magnetically attach (more on that later), but I can't help but feel that letting the components take up the full base of the laptop could provide room for a larger battery, better cooling or other benefits. Effectively, this design puts the Surface Laptop Studio on a literal pedestal. Curiously, the base of the laptop, where most of the components are held, has a smaller footprint than the rest of the device. One interesting design choice Microsoft made is on the bottom of the notebook. This design allows for H-series processors that wouldn't work behind a screen, but I suspect some will miss their detachable tablets. The Surface Book was effectively one-of-a-kind in the market. There will be debates among Surface users as to whether this design is an improvement. Microsoft calls the adjustable articulation the 'dynamic woven hinge,' and there is what seems to be some fabric beneath the screen. This allows for more powerful parts for creative professionals, but it also means the screen can't detach.

Here, all of the components are in the bottom of the laptop, rather than behind the screen. The Surface Laptop Studio is Microsoft's replacement for the Surface Book, which let you detach the screen and use it as a tablet while keeping extra batteries and discrete graphics in the base. If you've seen Microsoft's Surface Laptop 4, the design language hasn't changed much, not that we’re complaining.īut that's where the hinge comes into play. The keyboard is a darker gray than the rest of the 'platinum' colored body, which is a lighter tone. It has moderately thick bezels surrounding a 14.4-inch screen, which features rounded corners to match the hardware (and the software that is Windows 11). With the lid lifted, the Surface Laptop Studio is, well, still a traditional laptop-at first.

Surface studio laptop i7