Unleash Creativity with Surface Studio

Microsoft Surface Studio is not an ordinary laptop. It is an impressive desktop that has shaken the 2-in-1 landscape. It takes advantage of a Surface Pro tablet and adds a huge 28-inch touchscreen. This powerhouse laptop has been designed to transform your workflows into ways you never have imagined.  

You may be a graphic designer by day and a gamer at night, or you may have created a game in the meantime. Your choice of laptop might be from Razer or MSI, but now there's a new contender on the block named Microsoft Surface Studio. This machine packs unmatched performance and versatility, targeting professionals across various industries, from designers to architects, creatives to gamers. It is also a great bet for those who resisted getting an all-in-one with a full version of Windows 10 Pro to jump on board. 

The Surface Studio is an all-in-one PC with a display integrated into the CPU block and a metal stand that allows the screen to tilt at different angles. Like a traditional monitor, you can configure this device vertically, almost horizontally, with a slight drift. 

Let's discuss in detail how capable this all-in-one PC really is for everyone.  

Design that speaks volumes

When you unbox Surface Studio, you realise it is love at first sight. There are no shortcomings in the market for desktop computers, from Apple's ever-charming iMacs to Dell's extraordinary XPS 27 AIO. Still, nothing can beat the simplicity and elegance of Surface Studio, except perhaps Microsoft's upcoming Surface Studio.  

The touchscreen display has been joined with thin bezels by moving all the components into the base. The screen profile is 12.5mm, which makes it slimmer than many of the best monitors available to date. There's also no thick bezel below the screen displaying a Windows logo, which is quite compelling. The only branding present is a mirrored logo on the back.   

As for the form factor, Surface Studio is a sleek and modern desktop PC with straight edges and a minimalist grey-on-chrome design. The desktop's base takes this further by being a nearly featureless, ashen box. The only noticeable feature is a subtle line around the perimeter of the Studio's foundation, which is added to keep the internals cool. 

Substantial ports and inputs  

Although there are USB 3.0 ports, a mini-DisplayPort, and a memory card slot on the rear, Microsoft has taken the clean aesthetics too far by not adding USB C and Thunderbolt on Surface Studio. The selection of USB ports is ample for connectivity with wired peripherals. Still, the presence of USB C and Thunderbolt 3 would also enhance the device's importance for users who could add external graphics cards if they want to unleash more graphics power.  

When paired with the Surface Studio, the wireless Microsoft keyboard and mouse perfectly complement its minimalist look, providing a clutter-free computing setup. With a Surface Pen, your strokes translate perfectly into digital lines. Unlike other styluses, which might feel like gliding or digging into the screen, Microsoft has found a way to add a balanced amount of resistance to Studio's hardware. 

Most powerful Surface yet

You might be expecting a less-than-current Skylake processor and a revolutionary graphics chip, but the Surface Studio keeps with its all-in-one alternatives. It is powered by a Discrete NVIDIA GeForce GPU, making it well ahead of the Dell XPS 27 AIO and iMac. The Studio's processing power isn't quite outstanding, and its CPU-intensive benchmarks fall behind its competitors.  

Aside from the processing benchmarks, this AIO desktop is a real workhorse. It will not disappoint you even when you throw dozens of tabs on two web browsers, one dedicated to Spotify and the other to Adobe Photoshop, Sack, and Illustrator, all at once. Even Lightroom, which usually slows down creative laptops, ran smoothly on the Studio. When it comes to gaming, you can run several titles at full-screen resolution on Ultra settings without any issues.  

The best part about Studio's performance is how fast everything loads. Microsoft has chosen Intel's Rapid Storage Technology, which links a 2TB spinning drive to 128GB of flash memory instead of traditional HDD or SSD.  

Intel's Rapid technology stores data all your files on the hard drive, while frequently used data is stored on the SSD for faster access. Although you can't directly access the faster storage, files are supposed to load quickly, even when handling intense tasks such as 3D rendering or animation creation.  

The Studio also doubles as a giant tablet 

The most interesting feature of Surface Studio is the touchscreen LCD, a gorgeous 28-inch screen with a resolution of 4500x3000 and 10 points of contact. Although 4,500 x 3,000 isn't the highest resolution for AIOs, it's sharper than 4K without being excessive. This screen resolution and size, paired with a 3:2 aspect ratio, allow you to multitask while providing a clear view of all the apps.  

The touch display supports PixelSense technology, known for its excellent control of contrast and colour accuracy. Other colour profiles to choose from include Vivid, DCI-P3, and sRGB. Another standout feature associated with Surface's display is the Zero Gravity Hinge. This cleverly named mechanism eliminates the effort to move the 13-pound display, making it easy to switch from a standard all-in-one PC to a digital drawing surface tablet. 

When you lower the display, the touchscreen stays at the same angle. Thus, you can also adjust the tilt to different levels for drawing and writing, just like with the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4. 

The Dial never felt so good 

The Surface Dial is a unique invention of Microsoft. It allows you to tether Bluetooth wirelessly with the Surface Creative Studio. Like a hockey puck, the Surface Dial is a game changer for creatives who prefer Windows 10 over another operating system. This intuitive device offers a tactile and intuitive way to interact with the Surface Studio.  

Within minutes of pairing it, you will notice it spins as Dial and acts as a physical button. Rotate it to adjust values, press it to select options, and even tilt it for additional commands. Placed directly on the Surface Studio's screen, it transforms into a virtual ruler, colour picker, or other context-sensitive tools.  

However, that's not the only thing a Surface Dial can do. It can work with many apps that have been optimised for it, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Photos, Netflix, and Spotify.  

It might sound simple, but a hands-on approach without hindering your workflow is great for keeping your creative process smooth and distraction-free. And if that isn't enough, users can install Creators Update to get even more functionality from the Surface Dial on Surface Studio.  

Webcam makes collaborations easier 

You will find an integrated webcam just above the display. The webcam has a 5-megapixel resolution and can capture 1080 videos. Its depth-sensing feature makes it a good fit for Microsoft's facial recognition tool, Windows Hello. You can set up Windows Hello, which unlocks your computer just by looking at the camera. Surface Studio pairs this webcam with dual microphones to record better audio and reduce background noises as you move in front of your system.  

Role of Surface Studio in Design Workflows 

The Microsoft Surface Studio has revolutionised the work of artists, designers, and creatives. The computer's unique design, powerful hardware, and precise input options make it an invaluable tool for various applications, including illustrations, photo editing, drafting, animation creation, magazine layout, filmmaking, web design, and more.  

Photo and Video Editing 

Video editors need a tool that can handle intensive software without lagging. The highly accurate display of Surface Studio provides exceptional image quality in editing. Moreover, the touchscreen offers intuitive image manipulation and colour correction. Under the hood, the state-of-the-art hardware contributes to efficiently handling larger video files and complex editing applications.  

Graphic Design and Layout  

 Microsoft Surface Studio's expansive, high-resolution touchscreen offers precision drawing, detailed illustration, and complex vector graphics creation. The Surface Pen provides excellent control, while screen drifting capability provides optimal ergonomic comfort. 

Digital Painting and Illustration  

You may not have access to your art supplies when a good idea comes to mind. However, you can draw and paint on your Surface Studio's tablet mode, like on your canvas.  The Surface Pen offers superb stylus input that boasts 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, which helps achieve realistic textures and detailing. Surface Studio also make it easy to make changes to your vision: If you're not satisfied with an illustration, you can simply undo it with a pen stroke or built-in eraser tool to begin over. 

Architectural Design 

As discussed above, the Surface Studio come equipped with powerful processors, cutting-edge graphics, and ample RAM, making it capable of running architectural software like AutoCAD and Revit. The PixelSense display provides a clear view of detailed plans and models. Not only this, but connectivity options like USB 3.0 DisplayPort and SD card slots allow architects to connect to external monitors and other peripherals for additional screen real estate and faster data transfer speeds. 

Downsides of Microsoft Surface Studio 

As an All-in-One computer, the Surface Studio has some compromises. First, all connectivity ports are located on the back of the PC, making it hard to reach them if you place the system against the wall.  

In addition to this, we cannot call Microsoft Surface Studio a silent machine either, as the fan constantly hums, getting louder depending on how much your workload is. If you're running demanding games or processing intensive videos, you'll hear it more, which can be a bit distracting when you're used to silence, but otherwise, it blends into the background. 

How much does a Surface Studio cost? 

Commonly, Microsoft Surface laptops and tablets rank in the premium market, but Surface Studio takes that to new heights. The Surface Studio price ranges from around £2,999 to a whopping £4,249, depending on your chosen configuration. The base Surface unit features a 6th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M graphic card, 8GB RAM and 1TB. On the other hand, the flagship model will bring you 32GB of RAM, an Intel Core i7 processor, and a 4GB GTX 980M eGPU. 

Final Word 

If you are a digital artist, an architect, a graphic designer, or especially an Illustrator, the Surface Studio introduces a creative hub into a world primarily dominated by Wacom tablets. The Surface Studio allows you to design and draw with one device, and the image quality of PixelSense displays is far better than that of traditional AIOs and tablets.  

In terms of price, Microsoft's all-in-one PC is expensive. However, it excels in build quality and innovation beyond offering the best specifications.  

So, if you do not have to do anything with creativity and gaming, there's no enticing reason to purchase one. For the price of a Surface Studio, you could customise a much more powerful desktop PC, and you'll probably still be able to save half the money.