The versions share an excellent display, great performance, and stellar touchpad-the second-gen has a new haptic version with adjustable click sensitivity, a right-click area, and an Adaptive Touch mode that makes it easier for those with limited mobility in their hands. We had a great experience with the first-generation Laptop Studio ( 8/10, WIRED Recommends), but we can't say the same for the Laptop Studio 2 ( 6/10, WIRED Review).

We’ll share our thoughts on the Studio 2+ soon. And while it’s a pricey machine, it does also come with a Surface Pen, Surface Keyboard, and Surface Mouse. Of course, we’ll have to put it through its paces to see whether these numbers hold up. There’s also a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, which the company claims offers double the graphics performance. It’s not the latest chipset on the market, but Microsoft says it offers 50 percent faster CPU performance than the Surface Studio 2. Under the hood is the 11th-gen Intel Core i7 11370H processor running Windows 11. With external display support, you can also connect the Surface Studio 2+ to three 4K UHD monitors with up to a 60-Hz refresh rate. You’ll also get three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a 1-gigabit Ethernet connector. It packs a 28-inch touchscreen display (4500 x 3000 pixel resolution) with a flexible hinge and stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. The all-in-one PC for graphic designers, the Studio 2+ doesn’t differ all that much from its predecessor, which launched four years ago.

Specs to look for: Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD You can still find both versions on Amazon, where they're on sale often. But the 16-gigabyte/256-gigabyte configuration is still available. Since the Surface Laptop Go 3 is now available (our thoughts on that, below), the 8-gigabytes of RAM and 128-gigabyte SSD are out of stock on Microsoft's site. The middle option is the best value, offering 8 gigabytes of RAM and a 128-gigabyte SSD. There are three configurations available, all using the same Intel Core i5 chip, but varying in RAM and SSD size. It's also a great alternative to consider if, like us, you're not impressed by the upgrades on the Laptop 5 but are looking to get a clamshell Surface device. Still, if you like the portability of the Surface Go hybrid but want the more traditional clamshell design, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is an excellent option. That means text can appear slightly pixelated.

The biggest is the subpar screen, which is not even HD (1080p) resolution. Microsoft claims the Surface Go 2 can last up to 13.5 hours, but we reached closer to 7 hours on average. It feels like a $1,000 laptop, but it does make some compromises to keep the price so low, like the lack of a keyboard backlight. The top is aluminum, and the bottom is polycarbonate resin, which is stiffer and stronger than your typical laptop plastic. It's small and svelte, with clean lines and a nice solid feel-something that's rare at this price. If you want your Pro to be a true hybrid tablet-laptop, you’ll also need to buy the essential Microsoft Type Cover keyboard (it’s not included). As with last year’s model, there is no longer a microSD slot. You also get two USB-C ports, a magnetic charging port, and a Windows Hello–compatible 1080p webcam. The screen can be set with a 120-Hz refresh rate (120 frames per second), but this will significantly impact battery life.

No matter which configuration you land on, each Pro has 12th-generation Intel chips (the 5G model is powered by a Microsoft SQ 3 chip from Qualcomm) and the 2880 x 1920-pixel resolution screen with a document-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio. The new version doesn’t differ much from the Surface Pro 8 ( 7/10, WIRED Recommends), apart from an updated processor and a new 5G option. The Surface Pro 9 bridges the gap between laptop and tablet pretty well. The original Surface design, with its kickstand and keyboard cover, is still a joy all these years later.

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