In the hardware space, Microsoft has been all about setting standards. It's done it for 2-in-1 laptops with the Surface Pro 4, and now it seems have set the bar for all-in-one PCs with the Surface Studio.
Just like the rumors and leaks foretold, the Surface Studio is a 28-inch all-in-one PC with a new iteration on Microsoft's PixelSense display and an all-new way to control the device in the Surface Dial. What the rumors and leaks didn't prepare us for, however, was the price: a whopping $2,999 via pre-orders open now. (Microsoft is keeping tight-lipped on international availability and pricing.)
So, how does the Surface Studio justify that astronomical price tag? In being an incredibly strong contender for the title of "Best All-in-One PC of All Time," that's how.
Design, feel and what's inside
Microsoft touted on stage that, at 12.5mm at its thickest point, the Surface Studio is the thinnest desktop monitor ever created. The word "monitor" is key there, as there's actually no hardware within the screen unit, like most all-in-one PCs.
Nay, Microsoft shoved all of that stuff – the processor, the graphics, the memory and the hard drive – into the tiny base that holds the "zero-gravity hinge." It makes for a beautiful-looking product that makes the hardware seem to disappear.
The zero-gravity hinge absorbs all of torque required to move the 13-pound display to create a shockingly easy experience in switching from its standard desktop PC orientation and that of a massive digital drawing surface. The chrome hinges on which the screen sits give the all-aluminum device a welcome touch of sheen.
Using the device in its 20-degree-angled drawing orientation feels wonderful even for someone that isn't a digital artist by any stretch. It's like having the most powerful Wacom tablet in the world that just so happens to be a complete computer running Windows 10 Pro.
The components inside allow for a seamless drawing experience, in that your taps, swipes and other stylus gestures are rendered so near 1:1 that it seems instantaneous.
Those components include up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-6820HQ processor at 2.7GHz, Nvidia's GTX 980M graphics chip with 4GB of memory, as much as 32GB of RAM and a hybrid hard drive as large as 2TB (128GB SSD). All of that sits in the Mac mini-like puck in the base, powering the 4,500 x 3,000 (!!!) touchscreen at 192 pixels per inch.
Now, you might balk at the graphics chip from last year, and Microsoft hasn't had much to say about why this device doesn't include a 10-series Nvidia chip with the latest Pascal architecture. Our best guess is that Microsoft started work on this way before Pascal was even a thing, and got the power they wanted out of the old hat graphics processor.
In our brief time with the device, we didn't see any graphical performance issues that we think would be fixed with the absolute latest Nvidia graphics. While you could certainly game on this device, that shouldn't be the end goal for your three grand spent.
All in all, the Studio feels like the most premium all-in-one we've ever laid hands on, something we'd have no business working on short of a full TechRadar review.
The Surface Dial, and how it works
One of the most interesting bits about the Surface Studio isn't the all-in-one at all, but its brand new accessory, the Surface Dial. This is a radial control module that operates over Bluetooth, just like the included Surface Keyboard and Surface Mouse.
But, unless you're pre-ordering your Surface Studio as of this first writing, you'll have to pony up an additional $99 – again, nothing about international pricing and availability – to take advantage of it. Here's why you might want to do that.
The Dial offers specific controls in certain Windows apps, like the upcoming Paint3D, allowing for quick access to controls that you'd otherwise have to stop drawing to use. For instance, in Bing Maps, you can use the Dial to zoom and tilt a 3D map image.
In an app like Paint3D, you can access all sorts of color swatches and pen or brush styles by simply long-pressing the Dial. Then, you just turn the dial to your desired selection, and press in once.
Better yet, the Dial can interact with the Surface Studio screen to make its radial options around the device when it's placed anywhere on the screen's surface. Imagine drawing something with the Surface Pen in your right hand and immediately changing the color of your input with the Dial in your left hand. It's a marvel to watch much less try yourself.
Of course, the Surface Dial is one of those accessories that only digital artists and other creative professionals are going to get the most out of. But, that's where the Surface Studio is aimed at anyway: digital artists that are sick of using separate surfaces to create on.
Early verdict
Microsoft may very well have set another standard in a hardware category that hasn't seen much innovation geared toward professionals in a while, save for advances in resolution. You might balk at the price, and chances are that, if you are, then you don't work for a design firm or do freelance digital artwork.
From its gorgeous touch display that can switch between DCI-P3 and sRGB color profiles in an instant to its awfully powerful innards and clever design, Surface Studio is the most beautiful and complete all-in-one we've ever seen. And, with such an exorbitant price, it's as if Microsoft knows that.
The Surface Studio might not be for all of us in the same way a Surface Pro 4 might be, but that's not the point. The point is to lay a figurative mic drop on the tech vendors powering the creative industry, and we think it's done just that.
