The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is designed for high mobility, with better portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, making it suitable for on-the-go use and general productivity tasks. It features a touchscreen and a more versatile 3:2 aspect ratio suited for creative works and document editing. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 18, with its more powerful processor and graphics card, is targeted towards intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks. However, it's larger and heavier, and its battery life is shorter, which impacts its portability. Both laptops have high-quality displays and keyboards, but if your priority is performance for demanding applications and games, the Razer Blade 18 excels in that area, while the Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers greater versatility and ease of transport for everyday tasks and creative projects. 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
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 18
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7/10
8.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good.
The Razer Blade 18 outperforms the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 in gaming and 3D tasks primarily due to its superior GPU and higher screen refresh rate, which are crucial for fast-paced, graphically intensive experiences. While both have high-quality CPUs and screens, the Razer Blade 18's top-tier GPU alongside a faster refresh rate screen provides smoother visuals and better performance in demanding scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
9.3/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 18 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, with a versatile hinge for tablet use, provides a notable balance for engineering and design with its powerful CPU, ample RAM, and a high-quality GPU adequate for demanding tasks, while its high-resolution touchscreen with a 3:2 aspect ratio benefits design work. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 18, with its superior processing power via a more advanced CPU, higher-tier GPU, and larger high-refresh-rate display, excels in engineering and design applications, although it's less portable and has a non-touchscreen display. Both laptops have excellent screen quality but prioritize different user needs and preferences.
Screen Quality
7.9/10
8.9/10
14.4in
SIZE
18.0in
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
503.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
The Razer Blade 18 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a display with vivid color reproduction and high resolution, which makes texts and images sharp and clear, a key consideration for general use and detail-oriented engineering work. However, the screen's lower refresh rate is less ideal for gaming and 3D applications, where smoother motion is crucial. The Razer Blade 18 offers similar benefits for general computing and professional design with its strong color accuracy and high resolution but is also not optimized for gaming or 3D due to a refresh rate that doesn't match the needs of these high-speed visual tasks.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 18 has 4 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
Fair
14.4in
SIZE
18.0in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability, while the Razer Blade 18 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$3,300
$10
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a price of $3,300 and the Razer Blade 18 costs $10.
The Razer Blade 18 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very good for general use.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 stands out for general use with its versatile form factor that allows it to function as both a laptop and a drawing tablet, substantial memory for multitasking, and high-resolution touchscreen display, but it offers less portability and shorter battery life compared to some alternatives. The Razer Blade 18, on the other hand, provides a more powerful CPU and GPU setup suitable for demanding tasks and a larger screen with excellent color coverage and brightness, yet it is less portable due to its larger size and heavier weight, and it also has a shorter battery life than some others.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.6/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 18 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
8.2/10
8.5/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
64.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2400 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 18 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Razer Blade 18 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and the Razer Blade 18 compare to other laptops
"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."
"Razer made a powerful laptop in the Blade 18, showing off a beautiful and fast display and the same high-quality build we’ve come to expect from this product line. It’s also quite expensive, which is hardly a surprise, but bears repeating even in this price range. It’s pricier than the Scar 18 despite an inferior GPU and half the storage, so you really have to want the Blade 18’s design to justify the cost."
Get a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 or the Razer Blade 18
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
110,895
Recommendations made
24,028
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.