Surface Studio hands-on review: It's worth trying

Maybe I should switch from Mac?

Surface Studio, the first all-in-one desktop PC for the Surface brand announced at the Microsoft event on October 26th. Equipped with a touch display, it is trying to stand up to the iMac with the feature that the display can be folded and written with a special hinge structure. It's a pretty aggressive price tag, starting at $3,000 at the very least, but after trying it out, I found it to be well worth it.

We're ready for a hands-on review from Gizmodo's Christina Warren.

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At first glance, the Surface Studio with its 3:2 28-inch display is spacious and beautiful. The display is so bright and vivid that it's almost as if you could jump into it and swim. In addition, the thickness is very thin at 12.5mm, and I am amazed that the whole is a touch display. The "Surface Pen" for the Surface Studio sticks to the side with a magnet, and is almost the same thickness as the display, making it a perfect fit. Anyway, it's thin, the thinnest...! That was my first impression.

Surface Studio looks just like an iMac. But with its thin bezels, sleek back, and wireless keyboard and mouse pairing, it feels like an all-in-one. The difference from the iMac is that the physical interfaces such as the USB 3.0 port, power supply, and mini display port are all mounted on the bottom stand side. The display is supported by two chrome-plated arms from the bottom stand, and the interfaces are completely hidden behind the display.

If you pull down the Surface Studio display and place it on a table like a tablet, you can use it as a touch display. . For starters, the display is surprisingly light (it's actually 5.8kg), and its so-called "zero-gravity hinge" design allows you to easily push it down to a 20-degree angle with just one hand. If you want to adjust more accurately, it is more stable to use both hands, but it was possible to operate with one hand.

When the screen is upright, it's suitable for playing games, editing documents and photos, but when it's laid down, the Surface Studio really shines. The 3:2 aspect ratio feels a little unusual, but I felt that this ratio was suitable when using two monitors side by side.

The screen resolution is below 5K, which is a bit below the iMac, but it's barely noticeable. When you work up close to the display, you realize the beauty of the screen again.

The Surface Pen acts as a mouse on a touchscreen (you can use your finger, of course), but like the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, the pen is extremely responsive. Wacom's $3,000 Cintiq 27QHD has better pressure sensitivity at 2,024 levels (Surface's 1,024 levels), but if you're not a creator working with a tablet, the Surface Pen is smooth and responsive enough. is also good.

Similar to the existing Surface series, when you draw something on the display, the Surface Pen always "keep" input information. Also, even if you put your arm on the display, you can concentrate on drawing with the pen without reacting to the pressure. The experience of drawing on the large screen of Surface Studio was an immersive experience that cannot be replaced with any other device. It feels like you are inside a canvas or a photograph.

In addition, a new tool called "Surface Dial" has been developed for Surface Studio. It will be an additional $100 (about 10,000 yen), but this was also quite good. Sit at your desk and turn the dial to scroll smoothly through the screen. For example, if your mouse selects the brush tool, you can rotate the Surface dial to adjust the size of the brush. Also, if you have selected the Color tool, you can turn the Surface dial to choose a color from the color palette. Additionally, pressing and holding a button on the dial reveals a radial tool menu for easy access to other features and options.

The operation with the dial placed on the screen was also novel. Press and hold the top button to reveal the ruler and color wheel for easy access to their functions. By turning the dial, you can select more colors and change the direction of the ruler. The dial has haptics (a tactile engine) built into it, so when you swipe the top, you can "feel" the movement.

I haven't spent a lot of time trying out the Surface Studio, but the machine is very fast and responsive. Starting at $3,000, it's a good price, but I thought it was worth it.

As someone who has been a Mac user for a long time, I can take this opportunity to switch to Windows 10. Even for professional creators (obviously Surface Studio is made for professional use), the ability to work with the screen itself lying or standing on the table is a new and fun experience. I hope you will provide it.

Related article: ・Summary of cool things announced by Microsoft at the event ・Microsoft announced a 30,000 yen VR headset that can be used on a notebook PC. Scheduled to be supported from the next update of Windows 10 ・Microsoft's declaration of war !? "If you buy Surface, trade in your Macbook" campaign started

Christina Warren - Gizmodo US [original] (mayumine)