I’m a big fan of the ability to pull the screen forward and magnetically clip it to the desk just above the trackpad, putting it in a secure, slanted position that’s super-handy for drawing on the touchscreen. But the tablet mode is still useful for those who want to draw and sketch at a desk based on my experience with the device. With a starting weight of 1.7kg, the Laptop Studio is far too hefty to be used like a traditional on-the-go tablet such as the iPad or Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8. The most impressive aspect of the Surface Laptop Studio is its screen hinge, which allows the device to not only be used as a clamshell laptop, but also as a tablet – albeit an extremely heavy one. Haptic feedback trackpad takes some getting used to.Doesn’t come bundled with the Surface Pen.Versatile hinge is great for digital artists.But the lack of a more powerful graphics card option became an issue when I tried to run more demanding processes on it, like 4K video editing. But with the allure of the Surface brand, Microsoft may be onto a winning combination with the Surface Laptop Studio. After over a week using the device as my main laptop I can confirm it is a brilliant device for hobbyists and more casual users. Microsoft isn’t the first company to create such a design, with the Acer ConceptD Ezel range beating the Surface Laptop Studio to the punch. Microsoft has created a new screen hinge that still allows you to use this high-performance laptop as a tablet, but without detaching it from the main deck and all of the powerful components stuffed inside. The new Surface Laptop Studio addresses this flaw. Being able to detach the screen made it a joy to use for doodlers and artists, but as the GPU was baked into the main chassis, using the device as a tablet would lead to a compromised performance. Microsoft’s Surface Book range sported a clever design – but, ultimately, it was flawed.

All-day battery life This laptop lasted 10 hours in our battery benchmark test, proving that it can outlast the working day when dealing with productivity tasks.Entry-level graphics performance The optional Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti allows you to complete tasks such as video editing and 3D animation but rival laptops offer more power.Can be used like a graphics tablet The versatile hinge allows you to fold the touchscreen down flat, and use the Laptop Studio like a tablet – although you’ll need to purchase a Surface pen separately.

Microsoft surface pro video editing