MicrosoftSurface Laptop Studio - 14.4" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB SSD - PlatinumEPEAT

The media could not be loaded. I`m an animator and illustrator. I was looking for a laptop for work, something similar to Apple laptops, capable of working with graphics, After Effects, and Photoshop. This laptop is great for this. I use Laptop Studio for about 3 months.ProsThe screen is clear and bright, touch works well. I choose this laptop instead of a Macbook because of the touchscreen and because it`s convenient to draw and design things on the go. It`s like you have an Ipad, but you can work with heavy programs like Premiere or Photoshop in a coffee shop or somewhere else. I like this because It`s hard to bring my Wacom anywhere I want. By the way, the laptop works fine with the Wacom tablet.I love the design, it`s simple and looks just great. The build quality is good, you can easily open the laptop with one hand. The screen can bend back and forth when you want to write some notes or work with graphics. This laptop is loud enough, I never turn up the volume more than 30 %. Touchpad is good, you can feel a little of a haptic response. The pen is very responsive, I don`t have any problems with this. But you need to buy this separately if you want to take notes and draw like I do.Gaming experienceThis laptop is powerful enough for me. I wish I have 32 GB instead of 16 though, because I work with animation. Plus, sometimes I love to play video games, like Witcher 3, so I wanted to have some extra power for this. Games work fine on this laptop (30+ fps).ConsWhat I didn`t like is a buttery life. When I don`t use any heavy programs the battery life is 6-8 hours, but it is reduced to 3-4 when I run Photoshop or After Effects.Microsoft has terrible customer support. I wanted to manage my Game Pass subscription but I didn`t get any response yet.Overall, it`s a long-lasting powerful laptop for work, especially for artists and motion designers. The design and built quality are great. Touchscreen is an amazing feature if you want to take notes or draw on this device. The battery life could be better.

As a student looking to convert to a more digital format in terms of notes and schoolwork, this laptop is great! I've had it several months now and I use it with a surface pen to take notes with it as if it was a regular pen-and-paper notebook. The processor and graphics card also allow me to run all of my favorite video games smoothly without any technical difficulties. It is a large computer and is a bit more heavier than I would've preferred, but overall that's something I'm willing to sacrifice to be able to have everything in one place. The only real grudge I have with it is the battery life. If you're not running anything particularly battery consuming (ie. video games) it usually can last a few hours. However, be prepared to watch your battery levels drop when you play even 5 minutes of your favorite PC game.Overall, if you're looking for a tablet-computer that can handle heavy loads and is a bit less pricey compared to it's Apple and Dell counterparts, this computer might just become your next best friend.

Quick take/summary - Don’t buy!I'd really love to give this a great review, but I can't. The deal breaker is that there is a charging issue with this device that showed up right as my 30 day warranty ended. The good news is that a hard reboot resets the machine and fixes the charging issue (so far), but the bad news is that I have needed to reboot the machine a number of times (journal below). This stopped being effective in February and I purchased a usb-c cord. Everything works now. I suspect I had two different issues. Almost non-existent response to community and individuals. Poor experience, no acknowledgment or explanation. Replacements tend to have the same issue per reports of others.Battery life: Standard browsing or video usage, after a few days of use and updates, you can probably expect about 6 hours of life. With barely any program, other than office, on the system I managed to get 8 hours, but as I loaded a few programs, this went down the drain. This is far short of advertised, but that works for me, even if I'm mildly annoyed. The big kicker is that when you game and the (very quiet and effective) fans come on, the battery life is reduced to 30-40 minutes from a full charge. Something to be mindful of.Rubber bumpers fell off after about 6 months. Probably heat related causing adhesive to fail.I love the function and feel of this machine. It is a unique piece of equipment, where I mostly need a laptop, but occasionally I need a tablet for writing. The slim pen 2 has no lag, which would be a deal breaker for me.The feel of the device is great. The function is unique and what I personally needed. The battery life and charging issues are huge disappointments. more complete reviews of the device itself are below.--------------Detailed Reviews Below--------------Long detailed first review is at the bottom.***4/30/2023***Charging issues #60 or so: For the past two months charging stopped multiple times a day. Hard Reboot was not effective. I replaced the charger with a USB C at over 100 watts and it the past month has had zero issues. I suspect I had two different charging issues software/hardware. If you purchase, upgrade software/firmware and expect to need a usb-c 100w+ charger.***02/15/2023***Two days after 01/06/2023 it started not charging again multiple times a day. Got worse over time.No response from Microsoft, still frustrated users on forums.***01/06/2023***The bumpers have half fallen off. There are two 1'ish long strips on the bottom of the machine and the adhesive has failed most likely to three weeks of a game and heat.***10/17/2022***Charging issue #5. Fan buzzing stopped after a couple days. Running cooler. Stopped charging again. Hard reboot for charging fix again. Firmware update did not fix charging issue.***10/4/2022***Fan issue: lasted a week. The fan was buzzing like it's hitting something and almost sounds like a fly buzzing, if that buzzing was slowed down and deeper. most notable when the laptop is tipped and not flat.***10/2/2022*** (resolved/stopped happening)Heat issue: machine seems to be running hotter than in the past. vents reached 122.4 degrees F. The palm rest on the right side (most heat is generated on this side) was uncomfortable at about 99 degrees F. Heat did drop a few degrees after measurement but still very warm. Vents were not blocked (first thing I checked.***9/23/2022***Charging issue #4: Stopped charging and I noticed around 45%. Light indicating power on plug was also out despite tight connections. Hard reboot (holding down power button) fixed and machine is now charging again with power light back on. At this point, the hard restart definitely seems like it's the solution, indicating to me a software issues. As there is a feature to extend the batter life by attempting to keep charges at 80%, I feel like this may be the culprit. I haven't looked into a way to disable the "smart" charging feature. If someone is interested in purchasing despite warnings, you might want to look up if that's possible and do a search to see if others have tried it and what their outcomes were.***9/16/2022***Charging Issue #3: Charger stopped charging. Light indicating power to charger went out. I immediately did a hard reboot by holding down the power button and sliding down the screen. On start-up the power light to the charger came back on. Machine was cool, so no heat issues. For now it appears hard reboots fix the charging issue, temporarily. Theory on Microsoft forums is that the issue is software related and related to the smart charging software.***update 9/6/2022***Charging issue #2: Charging light on side of charging cable head went out and laptop stopped charging. I flipped the head and that didn't work. I unplugged at source, tested for power (all good on power strip) and plugged back in. Nothing. I checked the cable on the transformer unplugged and re-plugged multiple times. on the third try the charging light came back on and there was power again.***update 8/31/2022***Charging issue - charger quit. Fans had also quit a couple of days ago. A hard reboot fixed both issues. I didn't notice the fans other than the machine was "kind of warm" without fans coming on. (over the past couple of days) then it started getting really warm today and while I was looking for a way to manually turn fans on (I didn't find one) the charging went out.A hard reboot seems to have fixed both charging and fan issue (holding down power button until everything shuts down) also the machine had cooled down as I was saving battery life and preparing to never access my machine again and a need to return it.***update 8/29/2022***I've knocked off two stars. The battery life when using games that require power are is just unusable for more than a short 30-40 minute burst if you were fully charged. I feel that really limits the usability for anyone who selected the model with the video chip. I'm mostly annoyed at the false advertising. The run time is decent if you're just doing every day work, but decent is 6-8 hours, which is also not what was advertised. I reduced my refresh rate to 60, and that didn't seem to affect the gaming duration. It was bad either way.Oh, and I also have managed to bump loose the power cord a few times without noticing. Not as secure as I'd like when actually used on a lap. On a desk, a non-issue.***update 2022_08_19***Just tried out the kingmaker game with battery only and boy does power drain fast. If you're using the power with the fan running, I suspect you'll be lucky to get two hours out of the machine. I got less than an hour, but the battery was not completely full, so heads up. I have my screen refresh at 120, so maybe I'd get better battery life if I reduced. I was just surprised it was so short. My other laptop would chew through batteries when gamming too, but I got more life out of it.The pen, which I thought had a pretty secure magnet, does manage to get knocked loose. It would be nice if Microsoft had some kind of notification when it disconnected. I've noticed when I get up from my chair, it's been on my lap, and something falls to the floor. It's always the pen. Issues will likely depend on how you use it and if you wear things that can get caught by the pen, but heads up.I'm still happy with the purchase. The power features I would be unlikely to really use unless plugged in. In this sense, people that need the power are unlikely to be happy with this machine if they expected that power and prolonged battery life while unplugged.***update 2022_08_15***Finally had some time to load pathfinder kingmaker to the laptop. The game instantly caused the fan to ramp up to dispel the heat. The right side became very warm, both where my right hand palm rests while I type, and underneath on the right side. Warm, but not burning to type on or on the lap. The ramped up fans move a lot of very warm air, but it's the sound of air moving, and while it's noise, it's not unpleasant or uncomfortable to talk with like many other computer fans I've had. I give the cooling a good thumbs up, although I was surprised it came on so quickly.***update 2022_08_06***The battery life continues to improve slightly. 2.5 hours of dnd using hero labs, wifi, moderate browsing for rules clarification and minimal sketching burned up about 11% battery life.The machine has been incredibly quiet although I haven't run taxing software yet. This is all a HUGE improvement over my previous machine where the fan would be constantly on with minimal work and would roar when gaming, when I used to game.I find transitioning between keyboard and note taking/sketching to be an extremely satisfying experience. I had no idea how much my previous laptop bothered me will all the flaws of the keyboard and touchpad issues I experienced. I will say the transition can be a little clunky when I'm typing and then need to make a note and then typing again. I find that I don't like making more than a one-word notation in laptop mode and so I'm switching between both when doing a mixed document.One note handles written text differently than I thought it would. If you're mixing typed text with written, they act as two separate things. Hitting enter will move your typed text (if done above) but it won't move what you've written, which will need to be moved separately . As such, you may want to write to one side, type on the other and then select and combine when done with both to print as a pdf document.***update 2023_08_04***Battery life: I switched back to 120hz and while the battery is still draining faster, after 4 hours I still have a 55% charge. Of note, I've been away from my keyboard quite a few times today, but the screen is set to remain on and I also was streaming music for part and there was a lot of internet searching today. What I am saying is that after all the updates, the battery life for 120hz, while not on par with 60hz, seems greatly improved for basic tasks. Obviously taxing software will burn through batter life much faster.******What are the key things you should know before buying?Battery Life:The battery life you likely to receive from the unit depends on usage and programs and blah blah blah. I did a lot of research in this area for real world usage and found that when I change the screen resolution to 60hz, there is a noticeable improvement of the battery life to about 8-10 hours of solid use. Ten looks like the absolute max. With the screen at 120hz, I was watching the battery life fall and would guess about 3 to four hours of use. My usage was browsing, one note, excel, email, and hero labs (a DND character application). While I have a machine with a video card, I don't tend to game on my laptop, and I haven't played with drafting tools yet. I have not done long term testing to see if 120hz eventually has an improved battery life after configurations/learnings/updates are all complete. I switched my machine back to 120hz and it now appears to be draining slower, so maybe? I would say to plan on my first case scenario, and I'll update if I notice better performance long term.While I can't say Microsoft lies about the battery life, as they provide the ridiculous specs in which they achieve it, I will say that their numbers are misleading based on real world use.Slim Pen 2 and SLS combo:If you're not purchasing this with a pen, you are purchasing the wrong machine. I believe this machine is specifically for those that need a hybrid work environment. Drawing concepts in presentations, showing work for math, chemistry, and physics homework, or just sketching design concept ideas. This machine works well for these things, but all require a pen. There are cheaper and higher performing machines out there if this is not your need. Microsoft sells these separately, but they should be purchased together, else, why buy an SLS?There is practically no lag with the slim pen 2! Lag was my biggest issue with surface and pen technology. I would not say it is perfect, but when you're looking for rough handwritten notes, this device fits the bill and the slim pen 2 is fantastic. I won't say it's perfect as zooming in on lines you draw the pen will want to meander, but for real world rough uses, I give it a thumbs up.The magnet to hold the pen is strong and the location is under the touch pad area (to the front, there's a lip on the edge of the device). Not a perfect connection, but unlikely to be lost when NOT in a bag. Bags with junk will bump and who knows, so FYI. It's nice to be out of the way while typing, and available for use.Performance:I can't speak to this. I don't benchmark, and people can go out there and review that themselves. I haven't opened up inventor or fusion yet. I still need to load. I feel these reviews are all over the internet though, unlike battery and pen usage, so I expect my results will be the same. I also don't do complex modeling, so my usage in this area would be light and not useful to someone who does it for a living.Note: This is now a year old and not a powerful computing device. If performance is a MAJOR concern, you might want to invest in more current machines. This was not super powerful when it first came out.Keyboard and Pad:The keys click nicely. May last laptop had very compressed keys (with a T key that started to fail) and this keyboard feels much better. Key locations feel intuitive.The Keyboard lighting works well and has different brightness options. I have mine on the lowest.The pad clicks nicely, and I don't accidently bump and click like I did with my other laptop.Windows 11:If you are not used to the operating system, it's a change from windows 10. I greatly dislike change for the sake of change. You can read online reviews about the layout. It's different but I am slowly getting used to it. I did have to figure out how to navigate and what some of the symbols meant. You can still pin items to the taskbar, and there are some items you have to change in system and personalization or right click the taskbar and select taskbar settings.After I figured it out, it's fine, but change (grumble grumble)There are also a lot to the system, so poking at the various options to understand how you can tweak your laptop might be good. But, if you just want it to work, after a slight learning curve it is fine.Stability and set-up:Set-up was pretty easy. Of note, the power cord has a light on its head opposite to where it connects to the laptop. This allows you to see if the power is on, if you have a charging issue. My power strip had been bumped off and I had to google, once I knew there was supposed to be a light and where, it was easy to figure out I had no power and turned the power strip back on.Stability seems mostly good. No crashes. The screen orientation changes work but are a bit weird when transitioning. "Jumpy" might be a good way to describe. Once settled it's all good.The hinge and magnets:This thing is stiff. A technic to adjust the screen into different positions. When lying flat I lift the edge closest to me and lift the entire screen fully open, and then I tilt the screen down. I reverse this when transitioning instead of moving and then trying to transition the screen over the viewing angle I want. I found this to be much easier and less scrapping. Otherwise, you're fighting the device, so heads up.The hinge itself seems good. We will see how it holds up.Quality of build:While parts of the device are metal (screen portion), the base appears to be plastic. Metal lasts better than plastic, and time will tell how this holds up. I expect discoloring and scratches on the plastic, and I hope I never drop this.Weight:This is heavier than I thought. While my last power laptop (incredible fully maxed device that lasted me seven years before the keyboard started dying) was slightly heavier and larger with a 13" screen, this feels heavier despite being smaller and slightly lighter. It weighs in at just over 4lbs. It is smaller and so more dense. The screen is a great proportion and I feel like there's more viewable space. My previous laptop had a wide screen, and it wasn't a great use of real-estate for a laptop.Heating:As mentioned, I'm doing everyday tasks and the laptop barely registers as warm on the bottom. One trend I've noticed with other "performance" laptops, is that the containers are too small to appropriately cool the devices and they get incredibly hot (looking specifically at you, Dell, who I will never buy from again). Already this device is better than a number of other slim "performance" laptops I've looked at.What were my primary motivations in purchasing and who might this work well for:People who need to draw to communicate ideas.People who need a long battery life.People who need a portable device that doesn't lag when writing and they need to write.People who hate putting keyboards on the surface of a table or lap because... it just seems wrong.People who need some power, but are okay with a non-top of the line machine.People who are okay spending premium money for a lower spec'd item that fits the above unique needs.Overall?I knocked off a star due to specifications, but the machine works exactly as I hoped, and I am enjoying my interaction with it. I understand why so many compare it to a mac. Apple products have a great "feel" to them, and this laptop definitely replicates some of that if not all of it.Final note:If you purchase, defintely look up various issues that might be important to you. I found reviews tended to be very superficial and even biased. I found that looking up issues (battery life, heating, crashing, etc.) helped me weed out some of the machines I was looking at. It wasn't that none of the machines had negative reviews, but more the quantity of negative reviews compared to others. The SLS definitely has had negative reviews, but the amount compared to others I was looking at were significantly less, so I took a leap at the high price tag, and so far I'm happy.I will update as I run into changes and get a feel for the performance of the piece too. I hope this helped.