The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers better performance for 3D rendering and machine learning tasks due to its more powerful graphics card, making it well-suited for engineering and intensive gaming. However, the XPG Xenia 14, while less powerful, is significantly lighter and boasts a longer battery life. If portability and battery life are higher priorities over graphical tasks, the Xenia 14 could be an ideal choice. The Surface Laptop Studio has a higher-resolution touchscreen display which could be preferable for creative tasks, but it is more expensive. If cost is a concern and you primarily perform general tasks, the Xenia 14 offers a more budget-friendly option. 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
Good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Advantages of the XPG Xenia 14
Excellent portability
Very good battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0/10
6.9/10
14.4in
SIZE
14.0in
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen than the XPG Xenia 14 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a high-resolution display with vibrant color output and adequate brightness, making it excellent for general use and engineering tasks that require precise color representation. However, its lower refresh rate compared to gaming-optimized screens makes it less ideal for 3D applications where smooth motion is crucial. The XPG Xenia 14, while offering a clear and bright display suitable for everyday tasks and color-accurate work in engineering and design, also falls short for gaming and 3D due to its less responsive screen refresh rate.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has 8 hours of battery life. The XPG Xenia 14 has 10 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.
Portability
Good
Excellent
14.4in
SIZE
14.0in
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The XPG Xenia 14 has excellent portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.2/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the XPG Xenia 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,700
$800
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a price of $1,700 and the XPG Xenia 14 costs $800.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and XPG Xenia 14 are both good for general use.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers a vivid and high-resolution touchscreen display, enhanced by a powerful CPU and dedicated graphics, making it versatile for both traditional computing and creative tasks like drawing with its flexible hinge design.
Gaming and AI
6.6/10
6.1/10
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and XPG Xenia 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate of 120, offers better gaming and 3D performance than the XPG Xenia 14, which has an integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU and a lower refresh rate of 60. While the Surface Laptop Studio's GPU is more capable for gaming and 3D tasks, the XPG Xenia 14 may compensate with better portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
6.8/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio to be good for engineering and design, while the XPG Xenia 14 is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, with its high-performance CPU, dedicated GPU, substantial RAM and high-quality touchscreen display with flexible hinge, is well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks. Meanwhile, the XPG Xenia 14 offers similar CPU and RAM capacity, but with an integrated GPU and a high-resolution non-touch screen, making it a more portable but less graphic-intensive choice suitable for design tasks that are not dependent on a dedicated GPU.
Content Creation
7.4/10
7.4/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and XPG Xenia 14 are both 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
7.3/10
7.2/10
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and XPG Xenia 14 are both good for software development.
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.
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How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and the XPG Xenia 14 compare to other laptops
"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."
"The Xenia 14 is a top 14-inch laptop under 1 kg. ADATA isn't exactly known for its laptops and so we weren't expecting much from its first 14-inch Ultrabook. With that said, we're pleasantly surprised by how well the Xenia 14 looks and performs. Not only is it incredibly light, but it has a color accurate 16:10 display, high CPU and GPU performance, easy RAM and SSD serviceability, plenty of port options including Thunderbolt 4, and long battery life. It packs a lot of punch and features considering the size and weight to be better than even the LG Gram series."
Get a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio or the XPG Xenia 14
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.
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
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
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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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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.