At its AI and Surface event Thursday, Microsoft announced AI upgrades to Windows 11, headlined by Windows Copilot, and updates to three of its Surface devices: the premium Surface Laptop Studio, budget Surface Laptop Go and Surface Go detachable two-in-one. The new devices, with updated internals, should be peppier than their predecessors and will feature the next update to Windows 11, which will introduce Copilot, which Microsoft calls “your everyday AI companion.” Keeping reading for details on the three new Surface products.
Surface Laptop Studio 2
The second-gen Surface Laptop Studio gets updated internals but remains largely unchanged on the exterior from the original Surface Laptop Studio released two years ago. The biggest change on the outside is the addition of a haptic touchpad for more precise mousing and greater accessibility for users with disabilities.
Inside, it offers the latest silicon from Intel and Nvidia and expanded RAM and storage options. The baseline model features a Core i7-13700H CPU and a 6GB RTX 4050 GPU, and upgrades include a Core i7-13800H CPU and 8GB RTX 4060 GPU. There’s also an RTX 2000 option for workstation users. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 also has an Intel Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which Microsoft says is a first for a Windows PC. The new model will also let you add up to 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD — both are double the maximum offered on the previous version. Intel’s 13th-gen chips also deliver an update to Wi-Fi 6E and a newer version of Bluetooth.
The 14.4-inch display features a 3:2 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate and 2,400×1,600-pixel resolution — same as with the previous model. What’s new is an HDR400 certification and a peak brightness of 650 nits in HDR mode, which should please creative types looking to use the Studio 2 for detailed graphics work.
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 may look nearly identical to its predecessor but adds two new external expansion options in the form of a microSD card slot and USB-A port. Creative pros will appreciate the addition of a microSD card slot, and anyone wishing to leave their USB adapter at home will welcome the USB-A port. You still get two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support from the previous model.
Pricing for the Surface Laptop Studio 2 starts at $1,999.
Surface Laptop Go 3
The Surface Laptop Go 3 received a modest upgrade to a Core i5-1235U CPU. While not earth-shattering, it’s an upgrade to the Surface Laptop Go 2 that was based on a Core i5-113G7 chip. The starting price of $799 remains unchanged, as does the 12.4-inch, 3:2 touch display with a 1,536×1,024-pixel resolution.
Why a previous 12th-gen Intel Core chip in a product released in 2023? Primarily intended for the K-12 education market, Microsoft updates the Surface Laptop Go at a slower pace because schools need stability in configurations from year to year to ease replacement and upgrade costs.
Surface Go 4 for Business
Microsoft’s smallest detachable two-in-one also received an internal upgrade. The 10.5-inch device remains the same on the outside as the Surface Go 3, but adds a quad-core Intel N200 processor, replacing the previous version’s dual-core Core i3-10100Y chip. The baseline model now supplies 8GB of RAM, instead of the meager 4GB of memory you got with the entry-level Go 3. For storage, 64GB remains the entry point, but the Surface Go 4 now lets you expand the storage to 256GB, double the previous maximum.
While the Surface Go 4 for Business will look no different from its predecessor, it has been redesigned on the inside to be more easily repaired, an important consideration for businesses or schools looking to extend the life of their current fleet of devices that take daily abuse from workers in the field or students. Replaceable parts on the new model include the display, back cover, battery, kickstand, hinge, cameras and motherboard.
The new devices will start shipping on Oct. 3.
