When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.

Microsoft is now shipping itssecond-generation Surface Laptop Studio, which brings several key improvements and updates over the original.

We’ve got more ports, better processors, more powerful graphics, an updated display, and more!

Surface Laptop Studio 2 photos

Surface Laptop Studio (left) vs Surface Laptop Studio 2 (right)

Surface Laptop Studio vs Surface Laptop Studio 2: What are the major differences?

We have a couple of new ports and better internal specs, and that’s about it.

DESIGN:The new Surface Laptop Studio 2 features a similar design to the original, but not identical.

Microsoft Surface Laptop…

Surface Laptop Studio (top) vs Surface Laptop Studio 2 (bottom)

Lastly, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 casing is made of aluminum, whereas the original used Magnesium.

PROCESSORS:A fundamental change between the original and new Surface Laptop Studio is the selection of processors.

We’ve gone from Intel 11th-Gen chips to Intel 13th-Gen, which offer significant performance increases.

Microsoft Surface Laptop…

DISPLAY:Although the displays look the same on the surface, the technology behind them has improved.

HDR will allow HDR-certified content to really shine on Surface Laptop Studio 2.

RAM:Microsoft has also updated the choices for RAM with the new Surface Laptop Studio.

Microsoft Surface Laptop…

This model is designed for those planning heavy multitasking and data crunching.

PORTS:The selection of ports between the first and second are noticeably different.

Pricing maxes out at $3,799 for the Laptop Studio 2 and $3,699 for the Laptop Studio 1.

Microsoft - Surface Laptop…

These newer chips in Surface Laptop Studio 2 translate to significant performance increases over the original.

That’s a 25% increase in single-core performance over the original.

Multi-core scores had an even greater difference.

Microsoft Surface Laptop…

That’s almost double the performance in multi-core workflows, incredible!

Regarding GPU performance, we see similar gains.

That’s an impressive 80% increase in performance!

Surface Laptop Studio 2 photos

Surface Laptop Studio (top) vs Surface Laptop Studio 2 (bottom)

How do those numbers translate into real-world performance?

You’ll notice the improved performance most when utilizing workflows that take advantage of multiple cores.

Single-core performance is similar between both models, so day-to-day tasks may not feel overly speedier.

Surface Laptop Studio 2 photos

Surface Laptop Studio (top) vs Surface Laptop Studio 2 (bottom)

Surface Laptop Studio vs Surface Laptop Studio 2: Which should I buy?

Deciding which Surface Laptop Studio to buy can be tricky, but we can help narrow it down.

Because it’s newer, it supports more features, including Windows 11’s excellent Windows Studio Effects.

Benchmarks for Surface Laptop Studio 2

The original Surface Laptop Studio set the bar as Microsoft’s most powerful Surface PC.

It introduced a new 2-in-1 design, more powerful specs, and a new haptic touchpad.

Benchmarks for Surface Laptop Studio 2

Benchmarks for Surface Laptop Studio 2

Surface Laptop Studio 2 photos

Surface Laptop Studio (left) vs Surface Laptop Studio 2 (right)

Surface Laptop Studio

Surface Laptop Studio 2 render

Microsoft Surface Pro 11 with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite

The new Surface Pro and Laptop with Intel

Surface Laptop 7

Surface Laptop 7

Front view of Lenovo Legion Go S and Legion Go on a blue background.

Surface Pro 11

Surface Laptop 7

Giant Surface Laptop

Surface Laptop 7

Nintendo Switch 2 on the left with ROG Ally and ROG Ally X on the right.

Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam Deck on peach background.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ flat on a table with a Steam Deck below it.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ propped up next to an ROG Ally X on a table.

NVIDIA RTX 5070 vs. RTX 5070 Ti

AMD RX 9000

Diablo 4 Season 7 Season of the Witch