(Image credit: Future)
Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Laptop Studio 2 is in the works, and we expect to see it launch later this year. According to my sources, the device is codenamed “Ersa” and will ship with the latest Intel 13th-Gen processors, the most RAM ever seen on a Surface device and powerful NVIDIA 40-series GPUs.
The device will likely be announced alongside a handful of other Surface products in the September or October timeframe, as that’s when Microsoft usually unveils new Surface hardware for the year. This fall’s Surface Laptop Studio 2 will likely be timed with the upcoming Windows 11 version 23H2 release. We should expect a focus on AI with features like Windows Copilot being center stage.
Surface Laptop Studio 2: Price & availability
Pricing and availability for the upcoming Surface Laptop Studio 2 are yet to be confirmed. Still, my sources suggest the company is planning to announce and launch the product later this year, likely in the October/November timeframe.
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.
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.
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.
Regarding new features, not much is known at this time. I have heard whispers that 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 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!