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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Surface Laptop Go 2 is less expensive, lighter, and offers better portability with a higher portability score, making it suitable for everyday tasks and travel. However, it has lower performance scores across the board, making it less ideal for demanding tasks. In contrast, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a heftier price tag and is heavier, but it boasts a more powerful processor, a high-end GPU supporting hardware ray tracing and DLSS, significantly more storage and RAM, and better performance scores, especially for 3D and machine learning, engineering, and intensive gaming. It also has a larger and higher resolution screen with greater color coverage and brightness, though this contributes to its reduced portability. Both laptops offer similar battery life, but the Studio 2's features suit professional-grade applications like video editing, 3D modeling, and gaming, whereas the Laptop Go 2 is more for general use and light productivity. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
- Excellent portability
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
8.3
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
401.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 excels in general use due to its more powerful Intel i7 CPU, a significant amount of RAM, and a superior screen with higher resolution and refresh rate, whereas the Surface Laptop Go 2, though lighter and more portable, has a less powerful Intel i5 CPU and less RAM, which could limit performance in demanding tasks. Additionally, the Studio 2's larger and higher quality display is better suited for extensive use, but its higher weight compared to the Go 2 reduces its portability.
Gaming and AI
6.0
7.7
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, with its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and a refresh rate of 60Hz, is less suitable for demanding gaming and 3D tasks compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, which boasts an Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and a higher refresh rate of 120Hz. The latter also provides a more powerful CPU and superior screen quality, enhancing its gaming and 3D capabilities.
Engineering and Design
6.5
8.7
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a mid-range CPU and integrated GPU, making it fair for engineering and design tasks; it boasts good portability at the cost of lower performance in critical areas like screen quality. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers a high-end CPU, dedicated GPU, and better screen quality, greatly benefiting engineering and design use, but it's less portable due to its increased weight and size.
Content Creation
7.1
8.4
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
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
7.0
8.2
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Screen Quality
6.9
7.9
12.4in
SIZE
14.4in
1536 x 1024
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
401.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, screen quality hinges on clarity, color accuracy, and comfort for the eyes, which means a high-resolution display and a panel type that produces vivid colors and good viewing angles, like IPS, are desirable; both Surface models offer this, with the Studio 2 likely having an edge in resolution and brightness. Engineering and design professionals need precise color representation for their work, making wide color gamuts critical; the Studio 2 is tailored for this audience, boasting a richer color spectrum coverage. Gaming and 3D applications demand smooth motion, achieved by high refresh rate screens, and while these Surface laptops offer excellent resolution and panel types, they lack the high refresh rates preferred for these fields.
Portability
Excellent
Good
12.4in
SIZE
14.4in
2.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$774
$3,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a price of $774 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
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Key similarities
Battery
8.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has 8 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$774 | $3,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | September 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | 12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.48 lbs | 4.41 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 10.95" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.12" | 9.06" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1135G7 | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 12.4" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1536 x 1024 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 401 nits | 503 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | August 2022
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the laptop team
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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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