Microsoft is just about ready to ship a new second-generation Surface Laptop Studio, which is said to feature the latest Intel processors, more powerful graphics cards, an updated selection of ports, and much more.
According to my sources who are familiar with Microsoft's plans, the new Surface Laptop Studio 2 is codenamed Ersa. The device will be announced alongside a small handful of other Surface PCs at a special event taking place next month in New York. Microsoft has confirmed the event will be taking place on September 21.
Below, you'll find absolutely everything you need to know about the upcoming Surface Laptop Studio 2, before the device is even announced! Let's get into it.
Surface Laptop Studio 2: Price & availability
According to my sources, the company is planning to announce the Surface Laptop Studio 2 at Microsoft's special event on September 21, with orders likely shipping in early October.
The original Surface Laptop Studio started at $1,599 with an Intel Core i5, 256GB storage, and Intel Iris Xe graphics. My sources tell me that the company is planning to omit the Intel Core i5 model from the Surface Laptop Studio 2, which suggests the entry-level price point might be a few hundred bucks higher.
In fact, I hear the starting price for the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will be $1,899. This will include an Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD storage, and Intel Iris Xe graphics.
Regional availability will likely match that of the first Surface Laptop Studio, which first launched in the United States and Canada before slowly rolling out to more markets a handful of weeks later.
Surface Laptop Studio 2: Specs
A couple of leaked Geekbench results from earlier this year have already revealed the kind of specs we can expect to see in the Surface Laptop Studio 2, including an Intel 13th-Gen Core i7-13700H and Core i7-13800H in the high-end models, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB RAM, and up to an NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPU for graphics performance.
These upgraded specs will provide a massive jump in performance over the original Surface Laptop Studio, which ships with an 11th-Gen Intel Core i7-11370H, up to 32GB RAM, and NVIDIA RTX 3050 graphics in the top-end configs.
The 64GB RAM config will be a first for the Surface line, as up until now, the max amount of RAM you've been able to configure in a Surface PC is 32GB RAM. Additionally, the NVIDIA RTX 4060 will be the most powerful GPU ever found in a Surface, more powerful than the Surface Studio 2+'s NVIDIA RTX 3060. I also hear that Microsoft will sell commercial variants of the Surface Laptop Studio 2 with NVIDIA RTX 2000 GPUs.
For storage, I hear the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will be available with 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage options.
Sadly, for those holding out for an AMD variant, my sources say the company has no plans to introduce Surface Laptop Studio 2 with AMD chips this year.
Surface Laptop Studio 2: Design & features
According to my sources, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will maintain the same design as the original, right down to the platinum colorway. The only external changes I'm told to expect will be related to the selection of ports, which my sources say will be expanding beyond the dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports found on the original Surface Laptop Studio.
On the left side, you'll find a new USB-A port alongside the two USB-C ports, and on the right will be a new microSD card reader, next to the magnetic Surface Connect port and 3.5mm headphone jack.
Regarding new features, my sources say the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will include an upgraded haptic touchpad (likely from Sensel) that can provide more granular levels of haptic feedback. The display will also be brighter with support for HDR content, and maintain the same 14.4-inch screen size. I'm told there are no plans to ship a 16-inch model, as some had been hoping for.
Lastly, I hear the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will support Windows Studio Effects, a feature previously exclusive to ARM devices with a dedicated NPU. I'm told there's likely to be a heavy focus on AI capabilities with the Surface Laptop Studio 2.
We'll be sure to update this post as more information about the upcoming Surface Laptop Studio 2 becomes available. In the meantime, if you're looking to save a few bucks, the original Surface Laptop Studio can be found for much less right now!
