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Surface Laptop Studio 2
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Cyborg 15
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you prioritize a device with high performance and can afford a higher-priced option, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, with its superior processor and more RAM, is better suited for intensive engineering tasks, 3D rendering, and machine learning. However, its portability is limited due to its weight. On the other hand, the MSI Cyborg 15 offers less power but at a significantly lower price and nearly the same portability, making it an adequate choice for general use and casual gaming, but less ideal for demanding engineering applications. 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 2
  • Very good for general use
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Very good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Good overall display quality
  • Very good overall build quality
  • Very good speakers
  • Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
  • The MSI Cyborg 15 has no clear advantages over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2.

Key differences

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General Use

8.3
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
7.3
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
503.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.

Gaming and AI

7.7
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
7.2
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for gaming and AI, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is somewhat better.

Engineering and Design

8.7
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
7.5
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
64.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.

Content Creation

8.4
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
7.5
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
64.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.

Software Development

8.2
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
7.2
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
64.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the MSI Cyborg 15 is good.

Screen Quality

7.9
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
6.8
14.4in
SIZE
15.6in
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
503.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.

Build Quality

8.5
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
6.7
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.

Cost

$2,900
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
$1,100
Product image
Product image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

$3,500

$4,000

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a price of $2,900 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
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Key similarities

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Battery

8.0 Hours
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
7.5 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Cyborg 15
Good
14.4in
SIZE
15.6in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and MSI Cyborg 15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

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How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and the MSI Cyborg 15 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2MSI Cyborg 15
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2MSI Cyborg 15

GENERAL

Price
$2,900
$1,100
Release Date
September 1, 2023May 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86''14.2'' x 9.9'' x 0.9''
Weight
4.41 lbs4.37 lbs
Width
12.72"14.15"
Depth
9.06"9.86"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-13700HIntel i7-12650H
RAM
64 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
02
Storage
1024 GB512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8 Hours7.5 Hours
Battery Capacity
58 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14.4"15.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2400 x 16001920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
120Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
503 nits234 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
8.5/106.8/10
Portability Score
7.5/107.3/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
6.8/106.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
8/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
8/106.8/10
Webcam
1080p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
02
USB-C ports
21
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
22
Thunderbolt Version
4N/A

Shopping

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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."

MSI Cyborg 15

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Sascha Mölck | April 2023
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."

Get a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 or the MSI Cyborg 15

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
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97,395
Recommendations made
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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

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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