Surface Studio 2 Review: A Worthy Rival Of Apple’s iMac

Surface Studio 2 from Microsoft is a versatile and unique desktop computer. You will be hard pressed to find anything like it nowadays.

The overall appearance is modern with two chrome articulated arms holding the 28-inch screen up. The pedestal below houses the main parts of the device, but since it is so compact, it looks exactly like a weighted stand. The Surface Studio 2 looks like something you see only in a science fiction movie, and it calls for a simple desk to be beneath it.

The display is sharp, vibrant, and on par with the best in the market, Apple’s 5K iMac for example. The screen can face almost all directions you ever need it to, from lying flat to leaning toward you. It is able to do that because it is designed to be doubled as a drawing tablet.

This computer is not for the general mass; the price is one thing but what Microsoft aims for it is to be its beacon. You see what the company can do, but you may opt for Surface Laptop 2, Surface Pro 6, Surface Book 2, and Surface Go.

With the launch of the Surface Studio 2, Microsoft has officially announced war with Apple’s MAC computer. The company wants you to know that its Surface is MAC and more.

On paper

On the inside, the RAM is of either 16GB or 32GB, the SSD storage is of 1 or 2TB, and the graphics card might be Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or 1070. One significant downer is that the Surface Studio features the seventh-generation quad-core Intel Core i7-7820HQ.

Other parts are of excellent quality but what keeps the device one step behind most people’s expectation is the chips. With iMac featuring either the eighth or ninth generation Intel Core processors, Microsoft might want to follow suit to beat Apple in this respect.

The Surface Studio 2 features only the USB-C port but not the Thunderbolt 3. On papers, the Surface Studio 2 is not on par with its counterpart from Apple but in reality, it can handle heavy video or image editing apps and graphics-intensive games with ease. For an average user, the device has more power than you can ever use.

However, for users who are willing to pay that much for a desktop computer, they have the right to expect more from Surface Studio 2. With the absence of the Thunderbolt 3 and the latest chips, which can be found on more budget-friendly Microsoft’s computers, potential buyers might have to think twice before paying for this computer from Microsoft.

Explained for the chips, Microsoft said that they had not yet been out when they announced the desktop computer.

Experience

When it comes to user experience, the Window 10 Pro has proven its power, making using the Surface Studio 2 an enjoyable device to immerse in.

Its Surface Keyboard is competent. In fact, it is one of the best in the market at the moment. However, the Surface Mouse is not on par with the keyboard or the rest of the computer as it does not provide comfort when you work with it. One of the highlights is the Surface pen, which can be attached to the top, bottom, left, or right side of the screen.  For extra security, there is the Window Hello facial recognition to make sure only you can have access to the device.

In general, the Surface Studio 2 provides a smooth experience. When the desktop computer runs, users will hear nothing as it generates no noise at all. The 3:2 aspect ratio means you can see more of everything, from spreadsheet to sites.

When you need the colors to be as accurate as possible when you edit an image or a video, for example, you can always turn to DCI-P3 or sRGB, in other occasions, the vibrant color range of the device will make everything pops up.

The only thing anyone can complain of is the absence of HDR support, which can be found on more and more devices for editing videos or images.

Surface Pen and Dial

When you see the pack as a whole, the lag-free pen, the radial dial support, the 10-point multitouch, and the big screen, you have a powerful workhorse to conquer almost anything. In Affinity Photo, you can tap on the image and drag from place to place, zoom it in, and switch to larger and smaller brush sizes. You will be hard pressed to find another device that can paint and edit like the way the Surface Studio 2 does.

When it comes to creating art pieces, you can only find the Wacom’s Cintiq Pro that can be a worthy rival of this device from Microsoft.

Observations

All the ports are on the back, making it hard for users to reach them when they need to plug something in. Do not place anything that can go apart under high heat on the right-hand side of the base as that is where the hot wind blows out.

The stereo speakers are not exactly visible, but they still provide a decent experience.

For those who will use the computer with the Xbox controller, there is inbuilt wireless connectivity, so you do not need anything else.

Price

On Amazon, the Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB version comes at the expense of Rs. 399,999.00.

If you are weighing the Surface Studio 2 against similar devices from other providers, here is something for comparison. The 27in Retina 5K iMac will set you back Rs. 216,990.00 while the iMac Pro has the price tag of $4,659.00 (this device is currently unavailable in Amazon India).

Verdict

For average consumers, Surface Studio 2 cannot be a convincing deal right away as the price is a bit too high for what you can get in return. For artists and the like, it provides an undeniable edge over similar devices with its ability to lay flat to become a drawing board and the support of the Surface Pen and radial input.

If it was not for the ports, the chips, and the processors, what you might have to pay for this device can be money well spent. For that hefty price, that is a significant downer.