Surface Studio Laptop 2 Review

The Surface Laptop 2 is so cool and I love it in almost every way... except the price.

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[Alphax]

My dream is for them to do a Surface Studio with modular upgrade options or, just release the monitor as a thing.

[newsonthego]

A Dell 15 laptop with 64GB of RAM, 1TB storage, and RTX4060 costs £2650, while the Surface Laptop Studio with same spec is priced at £3369, with a £700 difference. If you add an Android tablet or Wacom display pen, you will surely exceed the £700 difference. Therefore, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 seems like a fair option, albeit still expensive.

[flyingaviator]

It's so cool that you review things you have used for a longer time! Keep it up.

[LinvalLondon]

Thanks for the video, Brad. Always appreciate your insights! I purchased the unit with 32gb of ram and the RTX 4050 as a replacement for my Surface Book 2, which has served me well since 2018. So long as I get a similar run from this unit, I'll be happy. 👍🏾 Is it expensive? Yup...but it is the perfect mix for my use case. I had considered going for a large tablet instead (Tab S9 Ultra), but I need access to full programs not apps...

[stefdevs]

As a game dev this seems ideal for drawing AND programming, but I have to seriously consider the option of an external tablet instead, so thanks for bringing that option up. Better drawing + usable on multiple machines, OR supremely convenient & compact form factor at a premium cost 🤔

[lanzajr]

Love your honest review of this device and agree that the Surface Studios are really great at everything they do. Cost of entry on this one led me to seeking out a top end version of the previous iteration and saved me about $2k.

[rolfathan]

Honestly, given the market, I feel like I used to pay way too much of a premium price for wacom stuff, Huin and XP Pen showed up, gave competition at good prices, and Wacom, to this day, never feels like it demands the premium it charges. This pen, and this laptop ACTUALLY feel premium. So while the price is kinda eye wateringly high, it doesn't actually feel like they're punching too high for what they give.

[davytimns]

I currently have and have been using the Surface Laptop Studio (1) for over a year now, and although I don't do any drawing, this laptop is great for engineering students. I use it to take all my notes in OneNote, and it is powerful enough to use the different softwares (CAD, simulations, etc.) I need for classes.

[HarisAzriel]

I got really emotional and almost cried when you explained your broken USB A adapter that got stuck on the Surface Laptop 2. Especially when it is a brand new $2000 laptop.

I have a Surface Pro 8, and I had bought it because of your review. These Surface devices, they are very expensive for what they are. So, every time I go through wear and tear from using them, even though they are perfectly normal things to happens with other devices too, I can't help but cries.

[zeduriku]

Been waiting for this. Waiting for mine to be delivered. Your review on the first one got me hooked on this device. Thanks Brad!

[orangeofmars]

A great product. I have the Surface Pro 8 with keyboard and slim pen. I find the attachable keyboard and top heavy laptop use annoying. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 solves that with the heavier laptop-like base. I also have the Huion Pro 13 2.5K which is very nice for drawing but annoying to have to bring a laptop and the pen display on a trip. Easier to go to one product. Sometimes the extra money is worth it. I also have a 2018 iPad Pro 12.9 inch which is a nice drawing experience but it won't run my favorite drawing/painting app-Rebelle 6. Also iPad Pro has the same issue as Surface Pro with clunky attachable keyboard situation. So, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is the way to go for me and will be upgrading this winter.

[weatherornotsubaru]

Ok, so Surface Studio Laptop 2 VS the Asus ROG Flow X16? Any ideas about the drawing experience on either of those?

[tbray]

I always loved the MS Studio Desktop, their answer to the iMac, but *way* more expensive. $4400 was just too much. I do love MS's hardware, always have, and this is no exception. Sad it's so expensive, but still nice to look at and maybe dream of :D Great video as always :)
EDIT - Also, Apple was teasing haptic feedback in their next apple Pencil, and said it would mimic the sensation of - for example, painting with very wet paint, drawing on wood or rough paper, it would help give the user the sensation of the surface having "grab", and mimic the actual feeling of drawing on paper (or canvas, etc). I tried the Surface Pen 2 and didn't really find the sensation to be that noticeable - but maybe that was just me.

[TiagoMorbusSa]

Hey brad, look into "reverse pliers" for removing that broken adapter from that USB-A port.
Good luck!

[nil_]

Probably the best type of product for some specific types of artists will be a normal surface like device with close to iPad level drawing capacity, and with thunderbolt connection for eGPU when it becomes necessary.

[woohoozzi]

Hey Brad -- thank you so much for this! Would you consider reviewing the Asus ROG X16? Seems to me like it's the SLS2's greatest competitor on the market (as far as all-purpose laptops with drawing options go). I ended up picking up the X16 option with the 4060 GPU for $1850 and bought 64 GB RAM separately for $145. So $1k total less than the Microsoft SLS2 but with the same RAM, GPU, and a better CPU (and that's with the 10% off deal Microsoft does). I'm just at the hobby level for drawing though. I really couldn't find any good videos comparing the drawing on SLS2 and X16 -- that may not be your usual focus, but I imagine it would be a popular video.

[fajarkurniawan]

I bought the 1st gen because of your review video
Yes it's a great laptop.
The only downside is it's heavy
But it just sit on my desk anyway
so portability is not an issue

[jonassch]

im an engineering student, so having some power for computing but also beeing able to take notes in lectures ist great. I already own an Ipad and a Laptop but from time to time Im considering to sell them and buy this thing, its just such a nice device

[DamagedAndroid]

I think My 15 inch Surface Book 2 with 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and a GTX 1060 cost pretty much the same as the first option with a GPU on this laptop. So the price doesn’t seem bad to me. Also Intel has made some great strides in their GPU tech so I’d be curious to see how their Xe GPU compares to the RTX 4050.

[hazzardlord]

Thanks for this video! I was hoping for your advice. I'm an animator and I work alot with the Adobe programs, namely Photoshop, illustrator and after effects. This sort of configuration is very useful given I can draw on it and also rely on it to handle heavier motion graphic projects. I also like to travel and work too, so this would be nice and compact. However the price 😱 you mentioned potentially getting a normal laptop and also a separate tablet to draw on? I'm interested to know what you might recommend that offers the same sort of power, storage and drawing capabilities. Any advice you have would be great 🙏