Time to break out the popcorn because the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is just around the corner—likely just a few months away from an unveiling and release. Here is the latest round of leaks for the Surface Laptop Studio 2 from Redditor “SurfaceDockGuy” with a bonus round of leaks as well.
Nice! Hope they shaved off about a pound. The CPU looks promising!
Edited the title to add the word “laptop” and to tack “rumors” at the end, so we can have a separate thread later when it officially releases.
Thinking about this some more, here’s what I’m hoping to see:
Main wishes:
- an AMOLED or miniLED option
- dramatically faster CPU (more than quad core)
- a bit thinner and a lot lighter
- power button with fingerprint reader, accessible in both laptop and studio mode
Minor gripes
- add TB4 port(s) on the right side as well
- make it easier to open so we can swap the SSD easily
- no more stickers as part of the construction (underside of ledge)
- make it harder to toggle the Fn key mode (e.g. make it require long-press)
- add a divet behind the pen so it’s easier to pull out from under the ledge
Why the fingerprint reader? Because Windows Hello doesn’t work when the camera is pointed at the ceiling in tablet mode / Studio mode.
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I’ll believe it when I see it. 14th gen Intel hasn’t been released yet, so how could Microsoft be ready to release 13th gen?
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It would be atypical but 13th Gen is a drop-in replacement for 12th Gen (both are FCBGA1744) which would well explain their unusual speediness in upgrading. They would be expectedly moving to either 12th or 13th Gen in their natural progression from the first Surface Laptop Studio’s 11th Gen. The i7-13800H is faster than the i9-12900HK and therefore the M2 Max, so that’s a huge win. I am highly considering getting a Surface Laptop Studio 2 at this point since it is finally not just an overclocked or less power throttled Surface Pro but a true desktop replacement. The RTX 4060 would be more than enough to sate my gaming needs too.
13th Gen would shock me. Given Microsoft seems almost hell bent on staying a generation behind, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the release a Laptop Studio 2 in the Fall 2023 still with 12th gen.
So assuming this does hit for the Spring refresh around June, this would be quite the change of pace for Microsoft.
As much as I rather they offer a RTX 4070/80/90, using a 4060 will likely help retain the same power consumption as the previous model. (so Docks and chargers will still work)
And much like the SLS1 and the Book 3, I’d imagine they will also be offering a model with a more Quadro based graphics option (at least for the commercial market) maybe an RTX A5000?
But the biggest improvement in my opinion, they finally brought the Surface Brand to 64GB of Ram.
Ever since Apple starting having offerings of 64GB to 128GB of Ram on their devices…you would be amazed on the commercial side how that created demand for a 64GB Surface.
The Geekbench scores are legitimate so I feel confident about it. Two reasons. First, it was confirmed by a trusted source, Gustave Monce on Twitter. If you do not know who this person is, Monce is the same person who single-handedly maintains the WOA Project (the project that brings Windows driver support to the Surface Duo) on GitHub. Second, the five-letter code of the device—OEMEL—follows the same pattern used by other preproduction Surface devices that are tested on Geekbench. The Surface Team historically and ceremoniously has teased new devices just before release by testing them on Geekbench to seed the leak bed before release. So I would be confident in saying this leak is a bonafide leak, and a strategically planted leak at that—to get the media sources and tech diehards clamoring about their upcoming project just in time for release in the near future.
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Looks like Surface devices might lose the Surface Connect port, at least if the leaked new Surface Dock is any indication:
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So Gustave is really
Desperately trying to get to a Surface Mini that Satya will release…
“It was like a Moleskine,” Panay says of a point two years ago when Microsoft began working on what would become the Surface Book laptop. “It was awesome.”
Looks a lot like a Moleskine to me…
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Just in time before possibly learning that the SLS2 will use a 12th gen CPU, here’s an article from Ars Technica why that wouldn’t matter much anyway.
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So the usual “year behind Microsoft” will be ok with the 12th gen in the SLS2 vs the current 13th… 
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Uh, but the leaked benchmarks show it with 13th Gen? I appreciate the sentiment though! 
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Oh right! Never mind 
Regarding rumors about a MS SLS 2: Those initial benchmarks on Geekbench Hifihedgehog mentioned here triggered rumors and reporting on several sites, after which everything went quiet again.
Now, about 6-7 weeks later, there seems to be a 2nd wave of rumors, worded such as if new and recent specs/sightings/information etc. were available. Case in point: Windowsarea.de rambles about a “sighting” of a SLS 2 with a RTX 4060 and modern CPUs.
This seems misleading because their reporting still goes back to the very same benchmarks from February.
Is this re-hashing of older information simply a case of running out of catchy headlines, or could this be indicative of a product announcement in the (very) near future?
The former.
Doesn’t Microsloth usually roll out some new device at their developer’s meeting in May?
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The Surface Book 3 was released in early May 2020 and the Surface Pro 5 was released in June 2017, so it could be possible we will see new hardware.
In my opinion, now would be the ideal time since every other OEM has a 13th gen product out on the market now. Not that the Laptop Studio was ever a top seller, but with its ageing 11th gen chip, its hard to make the argument for one. And if they saved the Laptop Studio 2 for the Fall, (along with a Pro 10 and Laptop 6)…it will be outdated in no time as everyone else starts putting out 14th gen products a few months later (the fall refresh is always sucky in this regard). If you are going to put out a 13th gen device…now is the time.
The Surface Go 3 is also super old in the tooth, with its 10th gen i3, that desperately needs an update.
But with the way the market is right now, it hards to say what Microsoft will and won’t do.
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Agreed and the latest rumors we have heard say that the SLS at least in the current form factor is going to be the last one.
OTOH, part of those same rumors is that the pro 10 will sort of combine the pro and SLS lines with a dollop of the old Surface book DNA.
In other words, a “pro 10” but with multiple “dock” options including the current keyboard covers, but also a “new” dock that has elements of the SLS (multiple postures) and older Book 3 docks (higher performance dedicated graphics options).
Additionally this change will allow MS to iterate faster on incorporating newer Intel and Nvidia chipsets in to the Surface Line, a common gripe about the current models from corporate customers.
last but not least, the Go will continue as is until either the Nuvia chips are available and/or another ARM licensee (possibly UNISOC) delivers a suitable chipset for the Go target demo. In other words, the Go will become a WOA device.
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If true, I feel that’s somewhat unfortunate. That idea makes prefect sense when you have a separate Surface Book and Surface Pro with the same class CPU, but with the Laptop Studio offering 35w and (hopefully) 45w processors, that alone can situationally be more alluring then just the graphics card.
While good for the Pro line, I feel that’s an overall disservice to the overall brand since it leaves Surface without a powerhouse option. Even the Laptop Studio when it was more in its prime you could argue was mid range as it was. Just from the inquires I get, if Microsoft released a genuine power house Developers Surface…64GB+ Ram, with a Core i9 option, and RTX 4070/4080+, I’m confident that would draw alot of interest. But god forbid they make something too powerful for Dock compatibility.
We had a “Converged Surface” thread back in old forum, where we tossed in ideas about how the Surface line would evolve.
It looks like they are heading towards the one tablet (Surface Pro), one laptop (Surface Laptop), and one desktop (Surface Studio) route…and maybe one phone? (Surface Duo just hanging in there. 
)
If true, then I think it’s possible we will see beefier CPU options for laptop. SL can already take pen input, so maybe they’ll consider making a screen hinge version. If anyone remembers the Vaio Flip from 9 years ago, these don’t have to be chonky boys:
I’m sure with current advancements, MS could get the screen portion to be nearly as thin as the current Laptop screen.