We've got the new Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio in-house! Our Executive Editor Daniel Rubino just published his full review for both, so make sure you give those a read if you haven't already. In addition to our written reviews, we also have unboxing and hands-on videos for you to enjoy.
First up, we have the Surface Laptop Studio, which I consider to be the star of all the new Surfaces shipping this fall. It's a new form factor for Surface, dropping the detachable design of the Surface Book 3 in favor of a new pull-forward design that cannot be detached.
But it's not the form factor that I think makes this laptop shine; it's the keybord, trackpad, and overall design. This is by far the best feeling Surface I've ever held, and the keyboard is amazing. It's tactile and satisfying to use. The "Precision Haptic" touchpad is also great, with four levels of intensity to choose from.
We've also unboxed the Surface Pro 8, which finally aligns itself with the Surface Pro X in terms of design. If you're a classic Surface Pro user, the Surface Pro 8 is going to be a big upgrade to you. For the Surface Pro line, I think the Surface Pro 8 is basically perfect. The 13-inch 120Hz display is great, and the hardware feels great too.
We have the Pro 8 in Graphite, a new colorway for the Surface Pro line. It's a slightly lighter black than that found on the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X, but it's also less fingerprinty. Microsoft has changed up how it applies the paint so that it doesn't hold on to smudges as easily, a godsend for anyone who gets annoyed by that kind of thing.
Anyway, like mentioned above, we recommend you check out our written reviews for a complete detailed analysis of these new devices. Our unboxing videos only scratch the surface (heh) of what's new.
Bottom line: Surface Laptop Studio delivers a powerful, flexible, workstation-style PC perfect for artists, engineers, and some light gaming. No other laptop currently does everything it can do at this level. But, like all Surfaces, you pay for that experience.
Basically perfect
Bottom line: Surface Pro 8 finally hits its full potential with the all-new redesign for 2021. With Thunderbolt 4, optional LTE, 120Hz display, new haptic Slim Pen, 11th Gen Intel, and a new graphite colorway this is a worthwhile upgrade.
