Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review: stunning screen and a decent update to the Studio's internals, except for an outdated CPU and no Thunderbolt 3
Microsoft's Surface Studio 2 has everything you ever wanted in a creative desktop, and costs more than you probably ever wanted to spend.
Context & Ripple Effects
The Surface Studio 2 lands two years after the original, and the review cycle is déjà vu: the 2016 coverage already praised the display and hinge while flagging a year-old CPU and GPU, plus thin Dial app support. Wired's verdict on the sequel repeats the shape — gorgeous screen, decent internal bump, outdated processor.
The pattern matters because it persists: Microsoft didn't ship a follow-up until the 2022 Surface Studio 2+ with an 11th Gen i7, and by then the desktop had effectively been folded into the Surface Laptop Studio 2 line at $2,000. The Studio has become Microsoft's showcase for industrial design first and silicon second.
First-order effects
- Creative professionals paying flagship prices get a meaningfully better GPU and screen but a trailing-edge CPU and no Thunderbolt 3, limiting dock and peripheral options on day one.
Second-order effects
- The absence of Thunderbolt 3 pushes accessory and eGPU vendors toward USB-A/USB-C alternatives for Studio owners, while spec-conscious buyers cross-shop machines whose silicon isn't a generation behind.
Third-order effects
- If the cadence holds — 2016 original, 2018 refresh, 2022 Studio 2+, then a laptop-shaped successor — the all-in-one Studio form factor gives way to convertibles, with Microsoft competing on design and display rather than processor leadership.
The trend: Microsoft's premium creator hardware consistently ships trailing-edge silicon, betting that display and industrial design can carry devices its own reviewers keep dinging for outdated CPUs.