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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a larger OLED screen, more storage space, and better screen colors, making it excellent for tasks that demand high-quality visuals, such as photo and video editing. Its robust graphics card also makes it suitable for gaming. However, it's heavier, has a shorter battery life, and lacks a touchscreen compared to the Surface Laptop Studio 2. The Surface Laptop Studio 2, despite its higher price, delivers faster overall performance, especially for engineering applications and 3D tasks, and it's more portable with longer battery life and a smoother high-refresh-rate IPS touchscreen. If portability and top-notch engineering performance are crucial for you, then the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is the better option, but if you prioritize a larger display, better colors, and storage space for creative tasks at a lower cost, the Gigabyte Aero 16 should be your pick. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 16
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Very good for software development
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.4
7.9
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for general use, and engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen for gaming and AI, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 boasts a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and brightness that make it ideal for everyday tasks and professional design work, thanks to wide color gamuts ensuring accurate color representation. However, for gaming and 3D applications, where fast-moving visuals are crucial, its lower refresh rate hinders performance, leading to less smooth gameplay. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2's display also excels in general use and creative tasks, offering similar color precision and clarity, but like the Aero 16, lacks the higher refresh rate gamers need for fluid motion and rapid reactions.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
7.8
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,260
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a price of $1,260 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.0
8.3
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both very good for general use.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is rated very good for general use due to its high amount of RAM for multitasking and excellent screen quality, along with a form factor that enhances portability and innovative versatility as a convertible tablet-laptop hybrid, notwithstanding a shorter battery life when compared to the Gigabyte Aero 16 which is good for general use, offering solid CPU performance and an OLED screen with high color accuracy but lower portability due to its larger size and weight. While the Aero provides ample storage and vivid screen colors, the Surface Laptop has a higher-quality keyboard and better speaker quality, which are important for a comfortable and immersive user experience.
Gaming and AI
7.8
7.7
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both good for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.6
8.7
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 stands out for engineering and design due to its high-resolution OLED display and robust graphics card (Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti) combined with a powerful CPU (Intel i7-12700H) and considerable storage space, making it suitable for demanding visual tasks. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, with a flexible display hinge, higher RAM, and a formidable graphics card (Nvidia RTX 4060) paired with an advanced CPU (Intel i7-13700H), caters to those prioritizing multitasking in design workflows while offering versatility in use as a laptop or drawing tablet.
Content Creation
8.2
8.4
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9
8.2
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Gigabyte Aero 16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gigabyte Aero 16 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,260 | $3,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | September 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.88'' | 12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.07 lbs | 4.41 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.78" | 9.06" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 2048 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 368 nits | 503 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Gigabyte Aero 16
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Isaac Rouse | May 2022
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 16 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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