Microsoft held a virtual event today to show off a slew of new Surface products. Some of the previous Surface hardware designs dated back to 2014, so the line was in desperate need of a refresh. Today, the company delivered. Let’s take a look at what Microsoft announced today.

Surface Laptop Studio

First up, the powerhouse. The Surface Laptop Studio replaces the Surface Book 3 in the Microsoft lineup. Gone is the detachable screen of the Surface Book 3, and in its place is an display that can articulate forward on a hinge, something only seen in a couple prior laptops. While the display is no longer removable, this allows the Laptop Studio to move the guts of the computer from behind the screen into the base of the laptop. This finally allows the Surface Laptop Studio to use Intel’s more powerful “H” class laptop processors, Finally allowing the laptop to become a true portable workstation. The Surface Book 3 ran on less powerful Intel processors, and wasn’t suited towards heavy work like video editing and content creation.

The design of the Surface Laptop Studio is…. Different. The images I can find make it look like an Apple MacBook Pro with a cooling vent bolted to the bottom. The design is unlike anything I’ve seen on a laptop, and could prove to be divisive. It make the laptop look quite thin, but I worry that some users may be put off by how thick and heavy the laptop really will be.

Specs wise, we have a 14.4” 3:2 display, 45W 11th gen Intel Core i5 and i7 Processors, either integrated graphics with the i5 or Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics with the i7 models, 256GB to 2TB of storage, and 16 or 32GB of RAM. The Laptop Studio features the Surface Connect port and, finally, two Thunderbolt 4 ports. This makes it the first Microsoft product to feature Thunderbolt support (along with the upcoming Surface Pro 8). While that may not matter to most people, for the target market of the Surface Laptop Studio, Thunderbolt was basically a requirement.

The laptop also supports the Microsoft Slim Pen, the newest version of a stylus from the company. And due to the unique design of the laptop, there is a place for it to magnetically attach along the bottom of the laptop under the trackpad.

The Surface Laptop Studio seems to be geared towards heavy work like content creation, video editing, and other power intensive tasks. The laptop I compare it the most to is the Dell XPS 15, which offers similar specs, and targets a similar user. The Surface Laptop Studio commands a premium, mainly due to the articulating 3:2 display.

The Surface Laptop Studio starts at $2050 in Canada for an i5 processor, 256GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM. The price goes all the way up to $3950 for an Intel Core i7 processor, the Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti, 2TB of storage and 32GB of RAM. It is available for pre-order now.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/d/surface-laptop-studio/8srdf62swkpf?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Surface Pro 8

Microsoft’s original 2 in 1 computer, the Surface Pro, has been revised to the Surface Pro 8. Perhaps most importantly is the design update to the Pro 8. The Pro 8 features a 13” display, up from 12.3.” This new display also features a 120Hz high refresh rate, something generally only seen in expensive gaming laptops and external displays. This could make a big difference to the Pro 8, though I’ll be interested to see the impact on battery life. The other big change comes in the form of a redesigned case that features two Thunderbolt 4 ports, replacing the single USB-C and single full size USB-A port from the Pro 7. The Surface connect port remains as well. The Pro 8 supports the same keyboard as the Surface Pro X that has the slot for the Slim Pen stylus. These changes are welcome, as the Surface Pro 7 design was largely unchanged from that of the Surface Pro 3 in 2014, so this is a pretty big update for the Surface Pro line.

For specs, the Surface Pro 8 features 11th gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, 8, 16, or 32 GB or RAM, and 128GB to 256GB storage options. Interestingly, the 128 and 256GB options are removable and replacable, while the 512GB and 1TB storage options are not.

For pricing, the Surface Pro 8 starts at $1400 for a Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It goes up to $3280 for a Core i7, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. Frustratingly, the Surface Pro Type Cover is still not included in the box, and is a whopping $350 for a Type Cover with an included stylus. You can buy the type cover for $230 without a stylus included, which helps a little bit. I have been saying for years that the Surface Pro line really isn’t a complete product without the Surface Type Cover, so it is disappointing to see it continue to be a very expensive optional accessory. The Surface Pro 8 can be pre-ordered today.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/d/surface-pro-8/8qwcrtq8v8xg?activetab=pivot:techspecstab

Surface Duo 2

A break from the Windows hardware to talk about Microsoft’s second dual screen, the Surface Duo 2. The Duo 2 aims to fix the flaws of the first device, brining a triple camera setup with a standard lens, ultrawide, and 2x telephoto zoom. The camera bump is slightly angled to ensure that the dual screen phone can be closed as close to flat as possible with the camera bump, which is a nice touch. Other improvements include a smaller hinge that allows the two displays to be closer together. Those displays are also slightly curved on the inside of the hinge, allowing notifications to be seen in the gap between the screens when the phone is closed, another nice touch. There is less information about the Duo 2 than the other products revealed today. We know that it will ship with a Snapdragon 888 processor, Qualcomm’s current highest end offering, but we don’t’ know much more than that. We don’t know what version of Android will ship on the device, Canadian pricing (though it has been revealed to be $1500 USD), and any release date. And the Duo 2 is not yet available for pre-order. I’m not convinced that a dual screen device is better than a single folding screen, especially for that price, but this is a product I’d love to try.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/d/surface-duo-2/9408kgxp4xjl?activetab=pivot%3aoverviewtab

Surface Go 3

Back to laptops, Microsoft has offered a very tiny update to its tiniest Surface PC, the Surface Go. This is little more than a processor bump for the Go 3, though the company does claim up to 11 hours of battery life, which would be a huge upgrade from the Go and Go 2. Previously, the base model of the Surface Go 2 had an Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y processor. This processor did not feature Intel Turbo Boost technology, which lets the processor increase speed for short periods. That made the Go 2 (and previous generation Go) feel very slow, as it took a long time to launch software. I am hoping that the turboboost capability of the new Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y in the base model of the Go 3 improves the device’s responsiveness.

Other specs include an option for a Core i3-10100Y processor, 4 or 8GB of RAM, and either 64GB of eMMC storage, or 128GB of a much faster standard SSD.

The Surface Go 3 starts at $520 for the Pentium Gold, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, and can be configured up to $820 for the Core i3, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD. The Surface Go Type Cover is also an optional accessory for $130. The Surface Go 3 is available for pre-order now.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/d/surface-go-3/904h27d0cbwn?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse

Microsoft showed off a new $35 mouse that includes up to 20% recycled plastic recovered from the ocean. The company says every mouse will look different because of the recycled plastic integrated into the mouse. It is available for pre-order now.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/d/microsoft-ocean-plastic-mouse/8xh06gbzm3nd

Surface Pro X

The ARM based Surface Pro X did not get a hardware refresh, however there is a new SKU of the Pro X that ditches cellular connectivity for a lower price. Information on pricing and availability for the new Pro X sku is not yet available on the Canadian website

Surface Adaptive Kit

Latly, the Surface adaptive kit includes a series of keycap covers, bump labels, cable ties, and more that are designed to help users with disabilities more easily use surface products, though I imagine these would work with any computer. The Surface adaptive kit will be available later this year.