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Surface Laptop Studio
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Creator 16 AI Studio
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·

For a balance of performance and versatility, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is a strong choice, offering a high-quality display with touchscreen capabilities and a unique hinge that allows for multiple modes of use, making it suitable for both creative work and everyday tasks. It's also more affordable and portable than the MSI, with decent battery life and a good selection of ports. However, if your primary focus is on intensive tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or high-end gaming, the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio's superior graphics card, larger RAM, and high-resolution Mini LED display will deliver exceptional performance, albeit at a higher price point and with less portability due to its larger size and weight. 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 Studio
  • Very good overall build quality
  • Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio
  • Very good for general use
  • Best in class for engineering and design
  • Very good for gaming and AI
  • Very good for software development
  • Excellent for content creation
  • Best in class overall display quality

Key differences

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General Use

7.4
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
8.8
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
491.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.

Gaming and AI

6.6
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
8.9
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair.

Engineering and Design

7.3
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
9.5
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is best in class for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.

Content Creation

7.4
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
9.1
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is excellent for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.

Software Development

7.3
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
8.9
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.

Screen Quality

8.0
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
9.7
14.4in
SIZE
16.0in
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Build Quality

8.5
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
7.4
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has good build quality.

Cost

$1,700
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
$2,999
Product image
Product image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

$3,500

$4,000

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a price of $1,700 and the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio costs $2,999.
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Key similarities

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Battery

8.0 Hours
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
9.0 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has 9 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
Surface Laptop Studio
Creator 16 AI Studio
Good
14.4in
SIZE
16.0in
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and MSI Creator 16 AI Studio both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

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How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Microsoft Surface Laptop StudioMSI Creator 16 AI Studio
Microsoft Surface Laptop StudioMSI Creator 16 AI Studio

GENERAL

Price
$1,700
$2,999
Release Date
September 1, 2021March 1, 2024
Overall Dimensions
12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75''14'' x 10.2'' x 0.79''
Weight
4 lbs4.39 lbs
Width
12.72"14.01"
Depth
8.98"10.22"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-11370HIntel Core Ultra 9 185H
RAM
16 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
02
Storage
512 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8 Hours9 Hours
Battery Capacity
58 Wh99.9 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14.4"16"
Display Technology
IPSMini LED
Resolution
2400 x 16003840 x 2400
Refresh Rate
120Hz120Hz
Display Brightness
491 nits1000 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
8.5/107.4/10
Portability Score
7.9/107.4/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
6.8/108/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
8/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
8/108/10
Webcam
1080p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
01
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
23
Thunderbolt Version
44

Shopping

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Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Tom Brant | October 2021
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."

Get a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio or the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio

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.

About MSI

MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.

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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

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Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
124,995
Recommendations made
27,083
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

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.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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