Surface Laptop Studio is stunningly overpriced

Surface Laptop Studio with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD with Intel Core i7 processor: $2,099.

Surface Pro 8 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD with Core i7 processor, official keyboard and pencil: $2,179.

MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD with Apple M1 processor: $1,449.

iPad Pro with mini-LED display, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD with Apple M1 processor, official keyboard and pencil: $1,877.

iPad Pro in above configuration but with Cellular 5G: $2,077.

Surface makes Apple look cheap. And yes – I know they serve different markets and purposes, but it’s still bonkers overpriced.

Conversation 22 comments

  • wunderbar

    Premium Member
    22 September, 2021 - 3:46 pm

    <p>The Surface Laptop Studio’s best comparison, in my opinion, is the Dell XPS 15. they have a lot of similar technical specs and configurations, and likely target similar markets.</p><p><br></p><p>I can only look at Canadian dollars, since that’s where I am, but roughly equivalent XPS 15 laptops are about $500 cheaper than the Surface Laptop Studio. Again, in Canada.</p><p><br></p><p>So it comes down to deciding whether the articulating 3:2 display is worth that money to you. for some people it will be. for others, it won’t.</p><p><br></p><p>the Laptop Studio should not be compared to an M1 MacBook Air since they target very different markets, and despite the apple marketing, a 45W intel processor in the Laptop Studio is a better part than the 10W M1 in the Macbook.</p><p><br></p><p>and the comparison to the iPad Pro speaks more about how poor a value the iPad Pro is, not about any value of the Laptop Studio.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      23 September, 2021 - 6:36 am

      <p>There are similar designs from Lenovo, Acer and HP. Their prices are all in the same region as the Surface.</p>

  • gjsman

    22 September, 2021 - 3:58 pm

    <p>I understand some of your points – I’m coming from the US.</p><p><br></p><p>Also, you are actually incorrect. The M1 is actually about 20% <em>faster</em> in Single and Multi than the Core i7 in the Surface Laptop Studio, according to PassMark. https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-i7-11370H-vs-Apple-M1-8-Core-3200-MHz/4048vs4104 </p>

    • wunderbar

      Premium Member
      22 September, 2021 - 4:27 pm

      <p>Synthetic benchmarks are not useful, especially when we’re literally comparing x86 to ARM. You can’t really compare them anymore. I’m literally typing this on an M1 MacBook Pro which I think is a great machine, but it is not a replacement for the 45W H series parts.</p>

      • Greg Green

        23 September, 2021 - 10:15 am

        <p>Why not, software deficiencies? In terms of performance the M1 is like an i6, beating i3s and 5s and keeping up with i7s on real tasks, sometimes beating them. All with no throttling, less heat and almost no fan noise.</p>

  • yaddamaster

    22 September, 2021 - 4:20 pm

    <p>The Surface Pro 8 is definitely overpriced. But I suggest that the Air is not the competition for the studio – it would be the full Macbook Pro 13 or 16.</p><p><br></p><p>I watched Paul and Leo’s coverage of the reveal and their reactions. I must admit – I simply do not understand this form factor. It’s thick and clunky. The articulating fold-down screen reminds me of a design from five years ago or so – I think it was Asus. That screen also folded over the keyboard leaving a gap.</p><p><br></p><p>I just don’t see this succeeding. I have two of the first gen surface book’s and I love the design. Never had an issue with the hinge.</p>

    • lvthunder

      Premium Member
      22 September, 2021 - 4:29 pm

      <p>That angle it leaves is good. Just look at an old-school drafting table or an animation table. They both are at an angle like that.</p>

    • robincapper

      23 September, 2021 - 5:57 am

      <p>I have a SB2 and agree with you. Love the tech spec of this new one but not the form factor. I love using my SB2 as a big light consumption tablet or on its own for site note taking. Pop it back on the base and it is a CAD workstation again. No way to do that with Studio, a 4lb tablet?</p>

      • yaddamaster

        23 September, 2021 - 10:13 am

        <p>Yes – I think that’s my problem with this thing. Perhaps I’ll have to actually see one in person but I just don’t see this thing actually ever getting moved around. If the screen could detatch then maybe.</p><p><br></p><p>It just looks awkward and fragile. And heavy. Anyhow, I guess we’ll see. I’m just disappointed that the form factor of the Surfacebook is no more.</p>

  • polloloco51

    22 September, 2021 - 4:24 pm

    <p>My philosophy with PCs, just wait 3-4 years and buy it (used) 50-70% of it’s original cost!</p><p><br></p><p>If you know where to look, you can find some in really good condition too!</p><p><br></p><p>I actually bought a Surface Book 1, for $100 a few months ago. It works very nicely. Albeit it had some dings here and there! It was also strangely running Ubuntu, which was blown away after I brought it home! </p><p><br></p><p>For the price of the Studio Book. You can get a lot of equally powerful, and if not better machines for the money! Especially, gaming laptops like the "Razer Blade". </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

    • lvthunder

      Premium Member
      22 September, 2021 - 5:33 pm

      <p>Someone buying this machine isn’t necessarily looking for a bargain. They are looking for a machine that matches their needs and preferences. I’ll end up buying one eventually because I like the way I can use Photoshop with it. It’s also why I like Surface Book so much. I would hate to go back to using Photoshop on a traditional Laptop or Desktop.</p>

      • VancouverNinja

        Premium Member
        22 September, 2021 - 5:36 pm

        <p>Our iMac graphics team was salivating over it this morning. There’s nothing like it for creatives – its simply a beautiful laptop.</p>

  • lvthunder

    Premium Member
    22 September, 2021 - 5:30 pm

    <p>The Laptop Studio is the same price as the Surface Book. I bought the top end 13" Surface Book 3 (i7 32GB RAM 1TB HD) for $2700. The Laptop Studio (i7 32GB RAM 1TB HD) is the same price. </p>

    • Errole

      20 July, 2022 - 10:54 am

      <p>I do photography wedding and events. I’m looking at your same spec SLS. How good is it for the work I do.</p><p><br></p><p>Almost all my former Microsoft co workers tell me to get a M1 Mac. I’m upgrading from my book 2. But I want to know your opinion on SLS. </p>

  • VancouverNinja

    Premium Member
    22 September, 2021 - 5:34 pm

    <p>We picked up Surface Duo 2s for some of our team, some Go 3s, and Studio laptops. We are finally getting rid of our last Apple iPads for the Gos. </p><p><br></p><p>The Duo 2 is virtually sold out already which is faster than expected; it sure looks amazing. </p>

  • whistlerpro

    22 September, 2021 - 6:52 pm

    <p>No MacBook Pro in the comparison? I wouldn’t compare this to an iPad…</p>

    • whistlerpro

      22 September, 2021 - 6:55 pm

      <p>16" MacBook Pro with Core i7 Processor, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD $2399</p>

      • Daishi

        Premium Member
        22 September, 2021 - 11:01 pm

        <p>But that doesn’t fit into the obviously BS narrative they’re trying to create.</p>

  • curtisspendlove

    22 September, 2021 - 7:51 pm

    <p>The tablet comparisons are probably about the best you can get. The iPad Pro is very expensive (and will do far less than a Surface Pro—at least for some people). </p><p><br></p><p>(For instance, I could do the majority of my coding on this, especially with Windows Pro on it. You really can’t do any meaningful programming on an iPad.)</p><p><br></p><p>I think a more fair comparison for the Studio Laptop will be when Apple drops the new Mx MacBook Pros.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    22 September, 2021 - 8:11 pm

    <p>Anything the market will bear is fine &amp; dandy.</p><p><br></p><p>MSFT is on a mission to find out many MSFT fans there are who’d drop $2K-3K on a Surface device.</p><p><br></p><p>Myself, if I could justify a brand new laptop, I’d buy a Lenovo ThinkPad E15: joystick pointer, full size Up/Down cursor keys with PgUp/PgDown keys bracketing the Up key, full numeric keypad. Is it painfully obvious I’m a multiple-decades Excel user? Given my own keyboard habits, there’s no way I’d ever buy any laptop with half-height Up/Down keys, which effectively rules out HP, Surface and far too many Dell laptops.</p>

  • angusmatheson

    23 September, 2021 - 1:31 am

    <p>Just wait until Apple reveals their new MacBook Pro prices. I bet they will make eyeballs bleed. But at least in the Apple keynote they hopefully won’t say we designed this $2000 computer for “everybody” because clearly “everybody” has 2K to spend on a computer.</p>

  • navarac

    24 September, 2021 - 7:20 am

    <p>Price doesn’t matter in the UK. Not available until "Early 2022"! In other words: "Buy another brand", which is what a lot of disappointed people just may do. Or not fall for the Windows 11 scam.</p><p><br></p><p><em>Typed on a Surface Pro 3 running Linux.</em> </p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC