Second Chance Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 - i7/16GB/512GB/GeForce RTX 4050

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a series of powerful 14-inch laptops, suitable for designers who also work on the road a lot. These little powerhouses all have a resolution of 2,400 x 1,600, on which you can edit photos and videos in detail. I tested the laptop in a number of areas. For example, I ran Blender to test the combination of the processor, RAM and video card. I also tried out the fold-out touchscreen to see how practical it would feel.

Small size and sturdy housing
The first thing you notice is the small size of the Surface Studio 2. With a size of 14 inches and a resolution of 2,400 x 1,600, I thought it was an ideal combination for when you as a designer are on the road a lot. Whether I carried the laptop under my arm or put it in my bag, it took up little space. In addition, the housing and keyboard felt nice and sturdy. I often type quite hard and I didn't think the laptop had any trouble with this. The only drawback is the weight. My variant has a separate RTX 4050 video card in the housing, which makes the laptop a lot heavier.

Multifunctional touchscreen
Microsoft Surface laptops have been known for their touchscreen for years and the Studio 2 is no exception. I tried this out first when unpacking. Without any effort I clicked the screen loose from the magnetic back and slid it forward over the keyboard. I easily enabled this presentation mode, but there was more to try. For example, I placed the screen flat on the keyboard and edited a few small files with the touchscreen. Unfortunately, you don't get the Touch Pen as standard with the laptop, but the touchscreen also worked more than fine with my fingers. In this tablet mode, the laptop automatically switches off the keyboard, so I wasn't bothered by strange key combinations while working.

Powerful parts
Because this line is suitable for creative people, I also tried out the more demanding editing program Blender. Thanks to the Intel Core i7 processor and the 32 GB RAM, everything ran more than smoothly, but unfortunately processing took a little longer. The RTX 4050 and Intel Iris Xe are not strong enough for larger industrial designs. Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Premiere Pro ran without any problems. With wait times of up to 10 minutes for average projects, I was more than happy with the power of the Studio 2.