Surface Laptop Studio
Considerations
01_Design
02_Performance
03_Workflow
04_Value
Big edit! So I made a video review of this but lost it after returning the laptop. So this will have to forever live as a text post. Whoops!
Introduction
The Surface Laptop Studio is the latest flagship Microsoft computer. It is the successor to the Surface Book (the laptop-thing with the detachable screen that was a tablet-of-sorts). At my last job, I used the Surface Book 15" for a solid year of work in Revit and it was a great device overall. I used it with the screen portion reversed on the hinge and folded like a drafting board while it was docked to a large display. It was a sweet setup for one giant reason: ability to instantly take a screenshot of my screen with the tap of my Surface Pen and then draw on it. That was at my last job. Then I started rendering a whole lot more and they moved me to a Razer Blade. The Blade was powerful, but I missed the convenience of being able to quickly sketch room layouts or diagrams on top of my Revit model or a PDF. It was a truly unique and beneficial feature to the workflow of an architecture office. So when Microsoft changed up the flagship Surface computer to use a new method of convertibility, I was intrigued. I had to order one and try it. So here are my thoughts from the perspective of an (unregistered) architect.
01_Design
As architects, we also appreciate solid industrial design. It's one of the reasons Apple products are generally widely beloved by those in the profession. Unfortunately, they aren't always the most practical choice for many office workflows (although that may be changing...more on that soon). Microsoft, however, has noticed that and taken it upon themselves to try and compete with the product design of Apple's computers. When comparing what Microsoft offers to that which Apple offers, it's really close. I still think Apple wins out, but it's really close. However, compared to the rest of the PC market, Microsoft is pretty far ahead of the rest of the competition. Solid cases can be made for Dell's XPS line and Razer's Blade laptops; but they still feel a step down from the Surface line, in my opinion.
So let's talk about a few design decisions Microsoft made that affect the use of this thing.
Hinge/Screen
The hinge and screen is what makes this thing stand out from other devices you can buy. One of the things I like about the Surface Laptop Studio (SLS) hinge compared to the Surface Book (SB) hinge is that the screen can be positioned at more of an angle when fully open like a traditional laptop. The SB offered many flexible positions, but adjusting the screen away from the user’s face was not one of them. This one does.
The screen itself is a beautiful high-resolution high-frame rate 14.4" display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, which I do like for 3D modeling. But let's talk about how the screen can change to different positions. Essentially, it be 3 different things:
a traditional laptop
a computer with a concealed keyboard and a screen at an angle
a mostly flat-laying drafting tablet
I find the additional positions to be far less useful than the many positions that the SB was able to be adjusted to given its more flexible hinge and reversible display. With the SLS, the angled adjustment is "locked" by magnets and the hinge itself isn't tight enough for angles outside of those pre-designated magnets. When laying flat, it's "fine", but it's a little too flat and you have to be looking more directly over the device itself if working at a desk. The great thing about the flat mode of the SB was the wedge shape that created more of an angle for drawing. And the "tightness" of the hinge allowed everything in between. The angles I found ideal on the Surface Book are not achievable on the Surface Laptop Studio. Well, they are. But once you start writing on the screen, the hinge is too loose to hold the angle and it slowly drifts back to a closed position. That didn’t happen on the Surface Book. Bummer.
Fans
Thermals are one of those things you either care nothing about or you become so obsessed you can't sleep at night. I haven't done any thermal tests, but I'm sure you can find other reviews where people have. However; it's worth mentioning that the fans of this machine are located on the sides closer to the base. It's kind of a weird choice. Usually they are on the bottom or near the back. When you are using a mouse, you actually can feel the air blowing on your hand. It's an odd sensation. That said, as somebody who works remotely and sometimes from the couch or the bed, I kind of like it as it means I don't have to worry about the machine trapping air and overheating quite as much when buried in my lap or a blanket. I'm not sure this is the best solution ever, but I do like that it solves a problem I've often had. Just be prepared to experience hot air blowing on your hands—maybe a feature for certain people in certain climates.
Keyboard & Trackpad
The keyboard is amazing. I would say it may be my favorite keyboard on a laptop that I've used (my history is with Dell XPS, M1 Macbook Air, and Razer Blade, for reference). This is a preference thing; but I imagine almost everybody will find it inoffensive at worst.
The trackpad is also amazing. Easily the best Windows trackpad I've ever used. Just a hair below the trackpads found in Macs. Plenty of mainstream reviews talk about these in great detail.
Pen
The pen has good ergonomics and the way it magnetically stores and charges on the front of the machine is pretty clever and appreciated. I messed up and ordered the pen without the haptic feedback, so I can't comment on that, but as far as using it goes... it's really good. It doesn't feel quite as good as my iPad Pro Pencil 2, but it's really good. Plenty good enough for redlining and sketching on screenshots. By far.
(It's worth mentioning that touch screen laptops do not equal the same benefit as the digitizer in the Surface line. Just because a laptop has a touch screen does not mean it's just as good, just an FYI)
Ports
The port selection kind of sucks. You get 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt part is great, but that's about it. You do get the proprietary Surface port as well for charging and docking. I think that's Microsoft's angle here. They want you using Bluetooth peripherals and docked when working from home. So keep that in mind. If you're like me and use a mouse that has an old school USB-A receiver, you'll be needing a dongle to make it work.
02_Performance
Architects appreciate power whether they know or not. Even the least tech savvy like to slap that keyboard and say an expletive when something is going too slow or keeps crashing. The importance of performance becomes incredibly clear when it's time to go home, but you have to send out that PDF of updated drawings first. And it takes. For. Ever. And before you know it, your significant other is texting you "where the heck are you?" We've all been there.
So does the Surface Laptop Studio have what it takes to keep most architects from getting frustrated? The short answer is... probably.
Microsoft markets this thing towards people in creator fields. It's somewhat "tuned" to our workflows. They even have a guy using Revit in one of their promo photos on the website. When I used the 15" Surface Book, I was working on large, complex Revit models with many links and groups. It was always totally fine. Even with Outlook, Excel, Chrome, and firm-related security stuff happening in the background.
Lumion 11.5.1 Benchmark
In my tests using the i7, dedicated GPU model (the most expensive configuration, basically), it seems plenty capable of 3D modeling. I tried it out in both Archicad and Revit and didn't have anything to complain about. As far as rendering goes, this thing only has a 3050Ti with 4GB of VRAM. If you don’t know what that means, I wouldn't get too excited. It'll handle basic Enscape and Twinmotion; but anything more will be frustrating and not worth the time in a serious office setting. You'd just be wasting your time with something like Lumion or Vray unless you're going for clay-style light studies. I attempted to render an image from Lumion that my Razer Blade spits out in under a minute and couldn’t even get it to complete. The software just locked up. Some may argue for using an eGPU with one of the Thunderbolt ports. That is a valid option if you're into that. I, myself, have no use for that and find them unreliable. But there are plenty out there who vouch for what they bring to the table.
While I'm knocking the performance here a little bit, it's worth mentioning that most similar competitors don't offer much more. The 15" Dell XPS, for example, offers the same graphics card as the SLS. While the XPS does have better processor options, most rendering programs rely on graphics, so you're kind of stuck unless you want to spring for a gaming laptop (such as a Razer Blade...which I will discuss on another day). To sum it up, performance isn't bad, it's just not amazing. Especially for the price.
03_Workflow
So how can this thing fit in your workflow? This is not an "it can do it all!" computer. It can do most things really well. And the other things that it can technically do, you just wouldn't want to. At least not in ways that you are depending on the SLS for. If you largely work in Revit/Archicad + some Enscape and do tasks related to project management like Zoom, Teams, email, excel, etc... it'll be great! Absolutely amazing. It's a sleek, professional, well-made package with a not-too-big, not-too-small 14" screen (although I prefer larger screens, personally). Battery is good enough to get through meetings or a trip to the coffee shop when an outlet is out of reach. But nothing of what I just mentioned is anything you can't get from machines from Dell, Lenovo, Razer, etc. And for much cheaper at that.
But, if you're really interested in using a pen to add a new dimension to how you work, this machine is really attractive. While I'm disappointed in the lack of positions for the screen compared to the Surface Book, you probably won't really care if you never knew them to begin with. The value of drawing on the screen during a Zoom call with a pen instead of using a mouse with squiggles can’t be overstated.
Overall, if you're an architect who values industrial design and is open to adding a pen to your set of peripherals, I think it's a no brainer to put near the top of the list of considerations when researching a new computer.
04_Value
The SLS costs a lot of money. The configuration I recommend (i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) is $2,699.99. That's not cheap and you could get a gaming laptop with enough graphics to render presentation images in Lumion at that price. That said, it does offer the premium Microsoft build quality and "one-of-a-kind" hinge system with pen input. So it truly comes down to workflow. I put "one-of-a-kind" in quotes because there are similar machines out there from Acer, Dell, and Lenovo. They have their own compromises, but there are others trying to do what Microsoft is.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I'm really glad I tried out the Surface Laptop Studio. It's one of those machines you can't just look at a spec sheet and make a decision about. You really have to get your hands on it and see how it works. I will be returning my unit because it doesn't quite fit my workflow as well as I hoped it would. Perhaps it's disappointment in knowing how it lacks that edge that the old Surface Book had as far as configurations go, but I just can't justify it given its price and my other devices that suit my needs better (particularly for rendering). If you don't render, I have no problems recommending this thing to you and think most anybody who does project management and plan design will really love it. I can imagine it will be a hit amongst many offices and will only help with pushing the profession forward. While this one may not be for me—at the end of the day—I'm really glad somebody is making devices that have our field in mind as a specific target audience.