Microsoft Surface Studio Laptop 2 Review

[@GoofieNewfie]

Make sure it's in performance mode not balanced. It makes a massive difference.

[@bricequirl]

It does make a massive difference, as I have a SLS2 configured exactly the same as the one he's using. This vid is useless and completely lacking without showing performance while in this mode. Wouldn't matter, though -- he likes his MBP and is going to keep using his MBP.

[@toruisalive5499]

I have the max spec SLS2 too. And I hate performance mode. It does make a world difference for sure but I never used it after two or three times for testing. The fans immediately spin up so fast and loud that it bothers me way too much. I just put it into the tilted screen mode where it'll already gain some good extra power because it won't heat throttle as bad anymore

[@StanleyMarak]

You deserve more views, these videos are so professionally made.

[@jeradtech]

Thank you!

[@PoisonedStudios]

I was going to buy the MacBook Pro fully loaded but I got the surface book studio fully loaded…. Simply because I love the touch screen. Once apple makes a Mac book pro with touch screen I’ll likely upgrade

[@flagstaffrandy]

I totally agree and with MacBook pro you also have to get a Wacom tablet to make a fair comparison.

[@PoisonedStudios]

Update! I returned the surface studio for a fully loaded Mac book pro M3 max.

[@f-22raptor25]

​@@PoisonedStudios how was the battery

[@jeremyman8814]

Got my SP2 with the 4050 two days ago. So far I’m loving it!!

[@thefunkypopcorn]

when you pull out the screen on the Studio it performs way better!

[@anonymoususer8604]

Did you put the laptop in best performance mode? You are losing out on a lot of performance if not. Windows laptops come with different power modes, and they range from higher performance with lower battery, to battery-optimized, but lower performance. Your benchmarks seems to be lower than the tested scores for this device by others

[@jeradtech]

I did. But I didn’t adjust anything in battery mode and let it do what it would naturally do in battery mode.

[@GoofieNewfie]

​@@jeradtechyeah you really need to check that it is performance mode. This is one of the few laptops where it actually matters.

[@Antwort2und40]

@@jeradtechYou have to set the SLS2 at “best performance” - your benchmark scores indicate you didn’t. I get significantly higher scores on the 16gb/4050: 2586/13330/81650 plugged in and 2577/10804/77803 on battery. Your scores suggest “Recommended” mode. It’s roughly comparable to my MacBook Pro M2 Pro set in best performance. Wonderful production on this video, BTW. Nice work!

[@Cr_airbnb]

​@jeradhilltech so you didn't... kind of irresponsible

[@bricequirl]

The maker of the vid doesn't care about this rather large omission. He got the answer he was looking for: not as good as the MBP ✅.

[@Jimmyfly215]

solid review. personally, Surface devices are overpriced and especially this one. for that price range, you can get way better Windows devices, let alone Mac laptops for much better value and performance.

[@akashshukla3815]

Which windows devices would you say are better than this? With a similar build quality. I need to buy a non mac laptop for work.

[@Jimmyfly215]

@@akashshukla3815 check out Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc. all have latest gen chips that being intel or Ryzen. Plenty out there also at this price with better GPU. What kind of work do you do?

[@kingdom24533]

​@@akashshukla3815There's no. even Dell is no match

[@GoofieNewfie]

price is dropped already. And anyone can buy it with educational discounts....just check the box. But yeah, too $$$$

[@theone2678]

Not at all the purpose of the surfsce studio is soarly missed with every emphasis for its creative angle in its reflection in supplementing artists with proper utilities for their pallet so to speak except for creators incorporating the pen. This included without the addition would render it pointless to consider as a category of overpriced or as other simply " unique" laptops. This laptop is unique , stands on its own ands in a league of its own . The color gamut is beyond anything next to Wacom for color accuracy, and coupled with its low latency is its own point. Read and do some number crunching as to why Microsoft did this . Macbook and iPad together costs more than the cost of a single unit other than in the upgraded specs to achieve their desired outcome. There's in depth reason to microsofts method and there is a reason delta e .21 color is coupled with low latency with a low tier 4050 . If your a creator and do research its obvious why it's in its own class and why Microsoft thought it wise to blueprint its design this way without hesitation for its almost immediate production line right after its production build. The tech is there in a genius way for artists to take advantage of in one particular way according to principles of practical utilizations of artists tools or apps for the studio 2. Also why they skipped a year which isn't just solely for the so called reason of laziness or other unique concepts but features like this needed time and it's investment yielded results ultimately

[@GoofieNewfie]

I just got mine a few days ago. Upgraded from a Surface Book that I consider to be my fav laptop in my 35 years of I.T. But I desperately needed an upgrade, and I'm sick of my Mac. But this thing just confuses me. Battery life on battery saver mode is 4 hrs! The gimmicky flip flop screen is annoying. It's thick, heavy, they didn't update the screen enough and should have been mini led. The new aluminum is a fingerprint magnet vs the magnesium. keyboard and track pad are phenomenal but I still prefer my Book keyboard. I just don't see why MS would make their top tier laptop in a form factor that only applies to 2.5% of their consumer base that will actually use it for drawing. I don't know, I was let down too. The battery is 56whr? When Asus and Lenovo are using 80 or 90+. I have had many surface products...this one just confuses me, who is this for? Just make a decent laptop, magnesium or aluminum, no gimmicks, dedicated gpu, touch screen....come on MS. I may return mine.

[@jaytalkingtech8429]

That's a fair response for someone just looking for a powerful laptop. But to be fair to Microsoft thier clear positioning of this device is as a **versatile** laptop for creators that span the spectrum of those who will utilize the form shifting display to draw/ink as well as those who may use it the traditional laptop configuration but may not need as much power, though they are indeed pushing how powerful it is, as some traditional laptops with more powerful specs on offer. I often see and hear comparisons of the SLS to laptops that have traditional form factors and more powerful specs such a some Macs and higher speed PCs. But I think the primary positioning of the Surface Laptop Studio line is its versatility **first** combined with power. Microsoft is leading with that. There are certainly more powerful laptops. But I doubt there are more versatile laptops. So, anyone who just wants a traditional but very powerful laptop MAY be setting themselves up for disappointment (especially considering this crazy price tag!) if they go for this device that has **versatility as it core selling point. I'm kind of In your boat. I have a Surface Book 3 and absolutely love it. Its the 15inch, Core i7, 32GB, 1TB Model with the 1060 GPU. I use it as a traditional laptop and in table mode. I'm also an artist. This thing is amazing and I was, probably like you, disappointed when MS abandoned the SB Detachable display form factor. Now I would love the SLS2, but the price for the model I want even with the discounts will be above $3000 with Microsoft Complete coverage. And with these new processors from Intel and Qualcomm coming out which promise far more power (though things coming will ALWAYS be better than things present), the ARM processors from Qualcomm are beating M2 and Intels 14 gen Meteor are no slouch, I may just wait things out for the next version and see what MS uses as a processor. Hopefully my Book 3 will still be going strong! Maybe since your focus is more on a powerful laptop than the versatility of the SLS 2 you should save your money, return it and get something that better fits your use cases. Personally, the versatility works for me, the price, arrgh, that's another story. LOL God bless. I hope everything works out for you!😅

[@GoofieNewfie]

@@jaytalkingtech8429 Price, well, anyone can get educational pricing, you just need to check the box on before adding to cart. But if you have a SB3, keep it, it is a superior laptop. I have to run this thing in battery saver mode unless plugged in so it's "performance" upgrade is irrelevant. Yes, I think I will be returning it. I just now used it for 45 mins, and lost near 20% battery. That's crazy. Meteor lake might be the answer. I'm not willing to jump to ARM yet. Cheers

[@jaytalkingtech8429]

@@GoofieNewfie Yeah, you're right about the educational pricing, anyome can use it. As a parent of school aged children I qualify ad used it for the Book 3 and some accessories and priced out the SLS2 that I want: 1 TB Storage, 64 GB RAM, and 4060 GPU, plus the Microsoft Complete coverage. That's still over $3000 with the discount. The starting prices are so high even with the discounts (even those on shopper aiming for a lower specced device, will be paying a pretty penny! 😊 I plan on keeping the Book 3, and though I still want the SLS2, the temptation to break the bank and buy one has significantly decreased. In part because I'm really loving my Book 3. I do know that the SLS is better for art and the combination of the device and slim pen it pretty much eradicates the line jitter found on pre-Surface Laptop Studio Surface computers- even the Surface Studio.

[@imtiazahmed2037]

I have MS SLS 1, try using performance mode, it will make a difference.

[@michellerivera1068]

Did you happen to notice that the laptop makes a sort of crackling or static like noise?

[@jcmad5]

Disappointing all that power, just, to struggle at editing. I wanted it for photo editing. Seems like it's not worth the cost.

[@warrenmcclure7819]

Part of the reason why it has so much heat to push away is due to the higher wattage GPU. The 1st gen had a 50 watt 3050ti whereas the 2nd gen has a 80 watt GPU. As for the CPU I wanna say its the same wattage as the 1st gen but Im not for sure

[@PoisonedStudios]

Were your videos raw or did you create proxies? I had a surface book 2 and when I edited in raw it was slow, but once I created proxies editing was fast.

[@anwaral-mallah8084]

How well does this play Microsoft Flight Simulator compared to the maxed out original Surface Laptop Studio?

[@unklejon4690]

You just saved me a ton of money - thanks

[@FlorinMC]

Maybe you need to switch from Premier to Resolve!

[@O1yweqa]

is your Microsoft Surface Studio Laptop 2 /64gb ram and rtx4060

[@FourPeaksFilms]

Your issue was balance mode.

[@chr0n0tr1gger3]

So adjusting battery and Nvidia GPU settings for best performance when working on battery only wont give you close to the same benchmark results? Mmmm Interesting.

[@chocopie1999]

how long the bettery last on balance battery mode?

[@GoofieNewfie]

4 to 5 hrs for me, just web browsing and working on emails and stuff. Nothing heavy. If you use the GPU, you won't get an hour

[@ProfessorTechNerd]

Typical Microsoft, I gave up after the horrible battery life on the Surface Pro 8. Also, since the stores closed customer service is virtually non-existent.

[@fallinqxzj4299]

Where do I find that wallpaper???

[@jeradtech]

It’s a photo I took in Alaska.

[@fallinqxzj4299]

@@jeradtech aww okay

[@LesterDarioDeLaCruz]

honestly one of the worst devices I have ever owned. just does not handle the heat it creates well.

[@heyramineni]

RIP Surface Divison. You need better visionaries.

[@heyramineni]

1:57 - Even that pinch and zoom is sluggish lol. Poor optimization from M$ and Adobe. They should be ashamed of this.

[@pixelpusher1393]

Your review of the 1st generation Surface Laptop Studio is considerably more positive. Sounds like your recommendation would be to get the SLS1 instead of the SLS2.

[@jevinzac8867]

I would totally disagree. I would say Surface Book 3 is better than SLS1. It had 11th Gen processor which wasn't all that great. In this, the 13th Gen is amazing, and has the 40 series GPU, memory card and full usb slot.

[@pixelpusher1393]

@@jevinzac8867 Compare his review of the SLS 1st gen with this review. He sounds considerably more positive about the 1st gen device. As far as comparisons with other devices are concerned: You cannot compare the SLS 1st and 2nd gen based on hardware specs alone. Based on this metric, any halfway decent gaming laptop would win leaps and bounds even over the 2nd gen SLS. The only reasonable justification to buy the SLS is the unique form factor which makes it both a laptop and a graphics tablet. Reviews and comparisons make only sense if this is taken into consideration.

[@RogerCanda]

First