When I read Microsoft was making a big announcement earlier this week I thought maybe the software titan was preparing to unveil their next generation Surface Pro tablet or maybe software. Never in a million years I would've thought they would unveil what I consider to be next level technology, the Surface Studio.
I'm going to get this off my chest and say the Surface Pro Studio is a definite game changer in the all-in-one computer realm which has a lot going on for itself, great design, combine with gorgeous display and impeccable hardware.
First off that design, strikingly beautiful, almost intimidating because of its sheer size. The Studio sports a massive 28-inch "PixelSense" touch screen display which Microsoft is saying is the "Thinnest LCD monitor ever built" measuring in at a mere 12.5mm in thickness. Boasted by Microsoft, the display has over 13.5 million pixels, that's 63 percent more than any 4K TV on that's being sold on the market according to Microsoft with a 3:2 aspect ratio for 192 pixels per inch.
The Surface Pro Studio main intent according to Microsoft is to "turn your desk into a studio" which it does thanks in part to the computer being constructed on a hinge, enabling future purchasers of the Studio to push it down and creatively draw on the touch screen with the Surface Pen, or manipulate it with a palm sized portable Dial.
Did I just mentioned a palm-size dial in the paragraph above? Yes I did, the Dial, by far the computers most standout feature will let users rapidly access the screen, scroll through a pile of documents, zoom in and out, turn down the brightness on the display, this same Dial will also be compatible with the Surface Book and Pro 4. The Dial unfortunately will not come with the Surface Studio, but you'll still get the Surface Pen. The price tag for the Dial will run you $99, and as of now Microsoft is taking pre-orders for the Dial.
The hardware does not fall short of being impressive, present is an Intel 6th Gen Core i5 and i7 processor, up to 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX GDDR5 graphic card, up to 32GB of RAM. Image capturing on the Surface Studio is made possible with a 5.0 MP camera with full 1080p HD video capability, for sound output, it has a Stereo 2.1 speakers with Dolby ® Audio, 3.5 mm headphone jack. And yes there is the standard 1 Gigabit Ethernet port, WiFi capable, Bluetooth 4.0 connection.
Along with the Surface Pen, the Surface Studio comes with a pretty nifty keyboard and mouse, borrowing its peripheral design from Apple.
Probably the only negative with the Surface Studio is price, very expensive price that is, $2999 to start, with the higher end option setting you back at $4,199. Insanely expensive price and all, the Surface Studio will still serve a valuable purpose benefiting engineers, designs and commercial artists.
You can now pre-order the Surface Studio right at this very moment with expected delivery taking place in December, right in time for the holiday season.