Fellow artist here. I also got the SLS and love it. But I’m having a bit of a creative block. Hah. Thanks for showing your art with the SLS. It is motivating me to get back to it!
No problem that is the worse. The only advice I can say about art block is to draw through it. At least in my opinion art block one of those things that taken when your about to improve because your starting to see things you want to improve that you may not have seen before. So keep on pushing and you'll make it past it 👍🏽.
great job! love that you're using clip studio paint which I love! I'm personally in the Surface Pro 8 camp and love it. If I was into traditional laptops, I would consider the Surface Laptop Studio but I just love the form factor and kickstand of the Surface Pro line (own the SP8, SP7, SP2017, SP4, and SP2).
Much appreciated, and thank you! I definitely was a Surface pro user in the beginning but one day when I try to use the pro on my lap and it didn't work to well and ever since then I went with the Surface Book and now the Laptop Studio. I must admit there are times where I do wish I had the pro 8 because of that lightweight tablet form factor though.
Do newer surface pro have the battery and screen flickering issue? My sp4 battery bulged 2 times within 4 years. want to know if Microsoft solve these major issues before i consider buying a new surface again. Thanks
@@sketchbook6323 The Surface Pro 4 was the first computer to use Intel's Skylake processor which was one of their worst processors ever. A lot of companies had problems with Skylake, mostly because of the power management problems (which was the reason why the Surface Pro 4 kept waking up in the bag; you would take it out and the battery was empty and the SP4 was hot). Skylake was the reason why Apple decided to dump Intel and do their own processors. I would say starting with Surface Pro 6 and 7, things were fantastic. The new processor in SP8 does get hot but doesn't have the problems of SP4. My SP4 is currently being used at work purely as a work machine. I've since owned (and still have) my Surface Pro 2017, SP7, and SP8. A few of my coworkers own the SP6 which I thought was the pinnacle because that's where the Surface Pro went from dual core to quad core. It was also the coolest running SP.
@@onlysublime Thanks for the info, glad to hear that Microsoft fixed it. I was mad when they choose to ignore user even they already knew that's a design flaws that make the battery and screen issues, but still not make a recall.
Definitely worth the buy! I'm loving mine and with more apps coming to the windows store because windows 11, really interested in what the future brings.
Really appreciate all these artist reviews! Between the Surface Studio and the M1 ipad, which one do you feel is best for drawing? I noticed the Surface Studio is a bit on the heavier side so it made me wonder how viable it is as a device to draw on the go without a table to rest it on. There's the obvious advantage of being able to use it as an actual computer, so I was a bit torn, but if it were to turn someone off from actually using it to draw more often it might not be worth it in my case haha. Would love to know your thoughts!
That's definitely a tough one to answer. It all depends on what you want from your computer besides Art. Both in my opinion are neck and neck as far as drawing with Surface Laptop Studio having more applications to work with including animation application apps as well. Where the iPad does have art apps but procreate is the only difference maker. The Surface Laptop Studio is a tad heavy but I use it on my lap all the time with little to no discomfort. The question you have to ask yourself is how portable do you want it to be? If you plan on taking trips drawing outside at parks I'd be more inclined to go with a m1 iPad or the surface pro 8 for portability. If you're doing more stationary at the home drawings I'd would go for the Surface laptop Studio. I hope that helps 👍🏾.
@@C.Wilson I really hate the ipad os. The only thing I use my ipad pro for is procreate. Drawing is a hobby for me and the ipad is an extremely expensive toy in my eyes. I really just want the best drawing experience and it seems the ipad is still it when it comes to tablets. The studio is close but still has work to do.
@@orlfane1622 I think the new Surface Pro 9 will be a good challenge to the iPad. There is a new pen as well so maybe even more improvements in that area.
@@C.Wilson The one thing that nobody has corrected yet is the slippery feel of drawing on glass. The paper like screen covers and the tip covers are far from a solution. Hopefully the Surface Pro 9 will be equal to the drawing experience of the ipad. Once Microsoft accomplishes that I would never consider an ipad for drawing when you can have a full desk top OS on the Surface.
@@orlfane1622 ipads cant do anything more than what it currently has. If they push that m1 chip even more the thing will explode lol. The only solution is to adding an actual fan
This is a really great review, even better than most of the other reviewers of your type. Have you done a recent look into using sidecar? I already have an iPad Pro and I’m debating between buying one of these vs buying a MacBook Pro and using sidecar. I love using my iPad for art and I’ve done serious professional work with it but I always find at some point I’ll need to throw it in photoshop because of the layer limit on my iPad and the processing power needed to fully organize and clean up my illustrations. I’m also a video editor so if I’d be looking at max configurations of either MacBook or surface.
Much appreciate the kind words 👍🏽. Side car is possible to use but it has that half second delay when use which is bothersome for me. You definitely could make it work. I tend to go towards the surface device for all in one nature but you will definitely get the best video editor experience with the m1 Mac. I'd would suggest if you invested into the apple ecosystem go with the MacBook. Procreate is getting better and better and side car can help out even more as long as your not expecting the best pen latency when using it.
@@C.Wilson Wow, it was so well timed that I was certain that it was intentional. Either way got a big laugh out of me. Nice video by the way, lots of things to like about this machine. Got one on order myself, looking forward to using it.
This is a great review, thanks! I tried this device at Best Buy and liked it a lot. Maybe someday I'll get one. (I have a Surface Pro 2 15" and don't need to upgrade quite yet.) Also it's very cool to watch you actually make the drawings. Seeing how it works in practice really helps a lot.
@@C.Wilson I'm a musician primarily, but do 2d and 3d art, vr, a lot of stuff with Touch Designer. The SB2 is really amazing and I've been thrilled with it for more than 4 years now. Although I love the detachable screen, its use is limited by the fact that it has short battery life and also no gpu. So for drawing, or anything else that uses the gpu, I have to detach, reverse, and to into tablet mode. So the SLS will improve on those sorts of issues. I'm also excited about the 120 hz refresh rate, the new pen, and the upgraded specs. By the way, I also have an iPad Pro and like it a lot, use it for many things including Procreate and Nomad. I don't love the pencil -- it's too slippery and slides like an ice-skater across the screen and that makes it hard to control when drawing. I use Pen Tips to minimize that problem, but I like the feel of the MS surface pens a lot more. Anyway, thanks for the great view and I'll watch for more of your videos.
Book 3 is still a good device, the only minor downgrade I'll miss is 15in screen. Im pretty sure laptop studio going to on sale for black Friday just unsure how much they'll take off the initial price. Also the book 3 comes with a much 127 watt charger and laptop studio comes with a weaker one so make sure to keep your charger.
I'd say the hardest thing comes comparing the different operating system. Windows being a hybrid brings a clunky experience with touch and pen input whereas ipads and Android have a better touch and pen input applications. The problem comes in with tablet apps not being as useful as the full desktop counterpart. Example clip studio one time purchase is subscriptions base for Android and iOS. Photoshop is not as capable for the iPad vs the desktop version. So each OS has some form of compromise. Windows just happens to be the jack off all trades, not being the best in a single category besides having legacy applications.
Good review! How did you find the thickness at the front edge where you're wrist is? It looks like it's kind of high off the desk, but maybe an optical illusion. For me I like the Surface Pros for the flexibility of drawing angle...but I can't get on with them as general purpose devices - don't sit well on lap, screen too small. So Laptop Studio feels like the better all-rounder.
Thanks! The thickness isn't bad it looks thicker because of the base. I will say though when close down when it's like a tablet I flip it around because the screen starts to dig into my wrist and gets annoying after a while. I'm right there with you on the surface pro, I use to be all in on the pro line up. Then one day tried to use it on the lap and it just wasn't working. So definitely the Laptop Studio is a great all rounder especially when you factor in the type cover and slim pen for the pro 8 starts to push you to around the same price point of laptop studio.
I might take a look at 2nd gen of surface laptop studio. At this price tags I think they're few things missing out like more powerful GPU or at least 8 core AMD or Intel and at this time M1 max just arrived and they're so much more powerful and lower power consumption. Next gen Intel alder lake or AMD zen3+ or zen4 (perhaps)would have a chance against it.But I'm still x86 fanboys and happy to see laptop studio form factor more from other manufacturer.
Definitely see where you're coming from. The new M1 max is a beast but I feel like two different markets they're trying to attract. Microsoft if they keep relying on others to make the chips probably won't catch up unless they take complete control. At least that's my opinion, honestly can't wait for the real world test on the m1 Max capabilities.
I agree that this would've been a beast with an AMD processor and a better Nvidia GPU. I'm guessing the supply chain problems is the reason why they couldn't spec it higher. AMD can barely keep up with demand due to Xbox, PS5, and PCs. Nvidia GPUs are impossible to find. Apple is hogging all of TSMC's manufacturing capacity (they're TSMC's biggest customer and whatever Apple wants, TSMC will give).
Just found your channel. Great review! It's disappointing it's still not up to EMR levels but it does sound like it's close. It'd be great for EMR to have some real competition. I don't care much for the Apple Pencil either, tbh. My biggest issue is that I draw on my lap with my MobileStudio Pro or HP Zbook on a lapdesk (not great for my back but it's just how I am). It doesn't appear that this would be great for drawing/painting in "laptop mode" unless it has a kickstand. I suppose someone could make a case that would enable that though. I know I could get the Surface Pro but it'd be nice to have the bigger screen and video card this one has. I may make a run to Best Buy soon to try it out for myself.
Much appreciated 👍🏾! So this is super unconventional but alternative ways ice drawn on laptop studio is by flipping the display over. So the display is on the outside I then lover the screen by use my hand to prop it so I can use it at any level. So it definitely could work for you but might be a tad odd. I'm glad there at least updating the pen for the first time in forever to get it closer to where it's not bad, I'm hoping more apps add the haptic feedback because that is a neat experience.
@@C.Wilson Yeah, that sounds like too much work while I'm well, working. Right now, I'm working on my 1st-gen MobileStudio Pro 13". I have to send my HP in for repair for the 3rd time since I got it last summer so I'm kinda fed up with it so I've started looking into new options. I may get the Samsung 360 but it'd be nice if had a graphics card option.
@@jasontkruse Yes that does suck my personal opinion if you can live without that extra horsepower is the book 360 is the better buy because price and EMR. You can get a 15in book 360 and still have about $500 extra and it comes with spen. The additional bonus is it's thin and light. Then if you want some gaming can hook up a egpu as well because of thunderbolt 4.
Hi Great review Cedric! I wonder how is the surface pro 8 in comparison to this and in comparison to the ipad pro and using procreate. I'm thinking about using photoshop and/or Clip art with the surface pro 8 if I get that. What I mostly look for is instant reaction/feedback with the pen when you move it. Programs that are optimized for that. What's your thought's? I'm gonna draw realisticly and I go to an art school right no aspiring to be a figure painter/illustrator :). Thx
I've used the Surface pro 8 and the experience is the same as the laptop studio. Near instant feedback with the pen. You lose some horse power because of the loss of a dedicated GPU. The pro 8 is better as a travel tablet/laptop because of the lighter weight and ability to not always have the keyboard. Line quality is a 8 out of 10 because of the little bit of wave still in the line. Also always keep 120hz on at least for the best drawing experience. Now compared to apple pencil 9-10 no wave to line but slippery on the glass and need a matte protector to get that resistance. The biggest thing is apple does have procreate but if you want more I'd lean towards the pro 8. The iPad is amazing if you're strictly drawing and you can do some realistic drawing in pro-create but if you wanted to you could use the full adobe suite and use Photoshop and do more with the pro 8. They both have perks, it just comes down to which eco system are you comfortable with and will you only draw in one app or will eventually want more applications and even go into 3d art.
With the new pro 8 and laptop studio no new pens are going to be better then the slim pen 2. This is because the custom processor in the pen works with the tech in the laptop studio and pro 8.
So is the jittery jagged diagonal lines the fault of the tablet or the pen? I always thought it was the program you are using. I thought the pens input raw data to the tablet and the tablet feeds it to the program to do with it as it pleases. Thats what lazy nezumi is for no?
I believe a combination of things. Pen diameter, screen (matte vs smooth), drivers, digitizer. Jitter at least I believe comes from tilt sensor for parallax correction not responding correctly. Yes adding another combination of software could try to correct the issue. You could also turn the smoothing up via software to mitigate the issue.
OMG, this laptop is amazing. Compared to your ipad pro, which have better latency and make better lines for comic/manga style? do you notice the PPI difference between ipad pro and this laptop? ... I wanted to buy an asus studiobook 16 oled + ipad or s tab... but after watching this video I'm very confused
Latency at 12ms for the studio laptop vs the iPad pro 9ms. The difference at least to me in display quality isn't drastic unless, you're watching hdr content or in bright areas because the min led screen on the pro is better. If you're only doing comics go with the iPad, if you're looking to do more such as draw, animation, and 3d work I'd go for the surface laptop studio.
@@ElcluasicoChuuad individual when testing you won't notice but side by side can can slightly tell. Also if you like to draw non stationary then ipad wins that as well.
How can a laptop with rtx 3050 Ti not be good for gaming? I don't get it. For now those specs seem to be the best for gaming in comparison to any other 2 in 1
Tad unsure what you mean? I thought i said it was decent at gaming. I say decent because you're not going to get the best settings but you will get some solid 60fps gaming on medium to high settings depending on the game.
@@C.Wilson Then I have a question. Which 2 in 1 to choose? For me the most important is power, the one with the best performance, desktop replacement for gaming and heavy duty tasks. Choosing between this surface laptop studio (intel core i7-1137H 4 core,rtx 3050 ti) and lenovo yoga c940 15 (intel core i9-9880H 8 core, gtx 1650 max q. Older processor, worse graphics card but used to be considered as one of the most powerful 2-in-1 around 2 years ago
@@user-ls8tn3iz2n I'd would say the surface laptop studio would be more powerful. The only thing it wouldn't be good at is cpu demanding games because lower cores.
Any tips to keep the angle up in drawing mode? I'm torn between this and Surface Pro 8. I've got a Surface Pro 7+ and constantly her crashes as I've only got 8Gigs of RAM
So it's a bit unorthodox but if you want the screen to be tilted. I typically turn the laptop around and push the screen back and hold my hand behind the screen. That way it simulates the lean back function of the pro. The big question is do you want a laptop with more power or a decently powerful tablet with the pro 8. Both are really good devices with the pro 8 being more portable as well.
@@C.Wilson ugh. I hate doing that. The screen being so thin it will probably warp from being held up. Also this is probably too heavy for me. I've got the Surface Book 2 too and that's too heavy to carry. Someone said to buy an adjustable tablet or laptop stand, about $30 on amazon. You can tilt the whole thing up. Maybe try that 🤔. P/S thanks for replying, appreciate it
I've been dying to know, can you attach a second keyboard while it's in tablet mode and use that for keyboard shortcuts while you do illustrations? I feel like that would really make tablet mode ideal
There isn't a color mode for DCI-P3 but it measures at 100% sRGB, 81% AdobeRGB, and an 88% DCI-P3. Actually opened it up to double check and yep just vivid and srgb are the only modes you can switch to.
When the screen is flat down it's never flexed when I'm drawing. In order to do that you have to put a ton of pressure on the screen. Now the Surface Book does have some flex when drawing because unlike the laptop studio it doesn't have the added support from the hinge being under the screen.
I've not painted in Photoshop but I've dabbled in Fresco and it handles painting and blending with brushes very well and utilizes the pressure sensitivity. Sorry if I could not be more helpful.
@@C.Wilson okay thank you as right now I'm considering this, a regular laptop like a HP Zenbook or an acer conceptD 3 ezel. I'm leaning more to a 2in1 so I can do 3d stuff and also drawing. But it doesn't seem any are perfect yet I'd get the surface 2 but that will cost a huge bomb when first released so I'd need to wait a while for it to go down in price
@@tyluild True the Surface prices are not always the best. One thing the Acer does well similar to the Laptop Studio, is when working in drawing position the keys are not exposed. Those are two best picks at least imo for creatives. You could fair well looking for a used model for either with a warranty.
Really depends on what you're trying to do. If you are strictly drawing character designs and painting a tab S7 plus will work. Now if you're trying to expand into the realm of animation, 3d rendering, editing for voice over then a 2 in 1 like the surface laptop studio or galaxy book 360 will be better in my opinion.
@@C.Wilson I want a fully capable workstation as I'll be in the market for a new laptop soon. The pen capabilities on the Microsoft pen seems to be good but not as good as the tab s7+ pen and so that is also a concern.
@@Jaugarez Then I definitely would recommend the Galaxy book 360 pro 2 because it still uses the the Wacom emr tech like the tab S7. The surface uses ntrig and is slightly behind with the line quality.
@@C.Wilson Thank you for your responses. I'm typically used to gaming laptops only for its power. What kind of trade-offs could I expect from a GalaxyBook2?
I’m definitely at a point where I either should invest in a good laptop or try out the iPad Pro. I want to be able to make art and take on the go! (Really like the idea of how casual the iPad is and being able to use a procreate). Just not sure if there’s anything out there that will give me a bit of both. I’m not too too concerned on price, I’ve wanted to invest in something really nice for myself for awhile now. There’s familiarity with the the iPad and I love how smooth it is. Both in normal use and specifically when drawing and writing. However, it would be great to still have normal laptop functions. (I have no qualms with using an iPad as a laptop tho) Any advice to give?
To me it sounds like you'd like the surface pro 8. It has the portability of an iPad but the desktop experience of Windows 11. The 120hz screen and full blown desktop apps make it one of the best iPad Pro competitors. The app gap won't matter as much in desktop space because you get full adobe and fresco plus clip Studio paint, krita, and just about any animation/art software you want thanks to full windows 11. Then you can get the keyboard for more laptop experience and even him up to an external monitor as well.
@@C.Wilson man I really appreciate the response and this was great! Does it have that same or similar smoothness to it when drawing and writing like the iPad??
@@rylandwells403 No problem 👍🏾. Now with the combo of the slim pen 2 and 120 hz screen and using both I'd say they're on par with each other, especially in smoothness. I leave the laptop studio in 120hz refresh rate to keep a silky smooth drawing experience at all times. The reason I say the pro 8 would edge out the iPad Pro is the desktop apps whereas the iPad is a touch centric device and that is its strong point. Drawing wise they're in my opinion equal.
@@C.Wilson this was exactly what I was wondering! All I needed to hear. I’ll have this on the top of my list and will start looking more into it. Thank you man, great channel and content, had to give you a subscribe 💪🏾
good work pointing out the surface pen's waviness. I remember how most reviewers promoted the surface pen 2 back then. And I bought it only to find out it sucked. I have an old ntrig pen which came with dell precision m6600 worked better than surface pen 2 which is a shame for MS. I am not going to buy this laptop just for the pen tech for sure. I have bought vaio z canvas and surface book 2. None of their pens are good, end up connecting a intuos pro which makes paying high price for pen computers invalid.
I've used so many surface devices I adjusted to the line quality. Then one day I used a Samsung laptop and realized the difference was night and day. I do think they've really improved the slim pen 2 in conjunction with the laptop studio. It to me is a solid 7 but still has yet to catch up to the Wacom emr tech. Hopefully they continue to improve.
@@C.Wilson Yea, I can see the improvement for sure. But MS advertised surface line good for artists long time ago. I have seen many reviewers said they were good for art. But after I bought the surfacebook 2, I know they lied. Yea, I can still produce art to production quality, but the effort is not worth considering how much easier to connect a intuos or even some cheap huion or xp-pen. RUclips needs honest reviewer like you. Thumb up bro.
@@C.Wilson BTW, you might want to try wacom bamboo ink aes pen. It performs better than the surface pen 2 on surface book 2. Still some waviness, but judging from your video I think the bamboo ink is similar to the surface slim pen.
@@iorywang4676 Definitely going to give that a try that. That's why I wish the tab S7 ultra ran windows and was a surface pro alternative emr tech from Wacom really is at the top. Not to mention Huion is better too. They'll probably buy out an art tech to incorporate their tech with the surface line when they get serious about being for artist or partner back with Wacom like they did with the original surface.
The line quality got better but its barley good enough for that price. They should fix the pen for good, instead of just improving because after all those devices are very expensive. But thats definetly better than before.
Going to have agree with you on that the price point is high vs the improvement of the pen. It still needs the fine tuning to catch up to EMR tech. The bad feeling I have is that this might be the last update to the pen for a while, so fingers crossed for software updates to make it even better.
@@C.Wilson I recently got a samsung galaxy book pro 360 which comes with a pen that has wacom emr tech. I had a surface pro 3 before that and the difference between the pens is crazy. I hope that microsoft will get rid of the n-trig tech at some point.
@@C.Wilson - "I always wondered why Microsoft after the first couple of Surface devices ditched Wacom for ntrig" Sadly, n-trig was cheaper, way cheaper and secondly - most Surface owners never bothered using the pen. When you can sell a $150 accessory that sells like hotcakes even if it's no good, why would you bother improving it if people weren't going to use it?
Yes the slim pen 2 is compatible with Photoshop. It doesn't have haptic feedback because adobe has to push an update for that but it does work much better than the previous surface pens if you're using it on the pro 8 or laptop studio.
Personally I'd wait. Next month is the Microsoft event and a new Laptop Studio coming out. That'll be the best time to purchase 1gen laptop studios at a reduced price, or get the new one. 👍🏾
@@sea_hous It comes with a Quad-core Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i5-11300H /i7. The top end model comes with a 3050ti. The extra horse power at least for my needs is needed. Next Laptop Studio 2 is supposed to have the RTX 4060.
Me personally I'd go with the laptop studio because while the idea of having a detachable laptop sounds good the book just had some flaws that couldn't be overlooked especially when the screen was detached. Also it has the latest Intel processor for better power and battery.
The only time you'll need 32gb is for 3D design and animation, and game development (obviously at a hobbyist or student level, non-professional). Sadly for me, that means another $600 ripped from my pocket, but there really isn't anything like this of similar quality on the market atm.
I don't know about that. This is just my opinion the software pretty good and now with the ability to run Android apps. It's kind of evolving even further.
@@C.Wilson forgot to include the time stamp, I was referring to the part of trying to draw a straight line with a ruler. I like this product and planning on getting one once its available on the south african market
Good point indeed the CPU isn't where it should be at, especially since they could easily make a better spec'd version. I still believe there only a few laptops that artist benefit from that have this form factor.
Fellow artist here. I also got the SLS and love it. But I’m having a bit of a creative block. Hah. Thanks for showing your art with the SLS. It is motivating me to get back to it!
No problem that is the worse. The only advice I can say about art block is to draw through it. At least in my opinion art block one of those things that taken when your about to improve because your starting to see things you want to improve that you may not have seen before. So keep on pushing and you'll make it past it 👍🏽.
This was a really solid review for artists. Thank you for explaining the different pen technologies.
Thank you for the compliment 👍🏾.
You basically convinced me to get the SLS instead of the SP8 thanks!
Glad I was able to help 👍🏾.
The computer looks beautiful
Definitely my favorite!
Great review. Love that you did a comparison of these! Just what I was looking for.I know this is off topic but your voice is soothing lol
Thank you, much appreciated.
great job! love that you're using clip studio paint which I love! I'm personally in the Surface Pro 8 camp and love it. If I was into traditional laptops, I would consider the Surface Laptop Studio but I just love the form factor and kickstand of the Surface Pro line (own the SP8, SP7, SP2017, SP4, and SP2).
Much appreciated, and thank you! I definitely was a Surface pro user in the beginning but one day when I try to use the pro on my lap and it didn't work to well and ever since then I went with the Surface Book and now the Laptop Studio. I must admit there are times where I do wish I had the pro 8 because of that lightweight tablet form factor though.
Do newer surface pro have the battery and screen flickering issue? My sp4 battery bulged 2 times within 4 years. want to know if Microsoft solve these major issues before i consider buying a new surface again. Thanks
@@sketchbook6323 The Surface Pro 4 was the first computer to use Intel's Skylake processor which was one of their worst processors ever. A lot of companies had problems with Skylake, mostly because of the power management problems (which was the reason why the Surface Pro 4 kept waking up in the bag; you would take it out and the battery was empty and the SP4 was hot). Skylake was the reason why Apple decided to dump Intel and do their own processors. I would say starting with Surface Pro 6 and 7, things were fantastic. The new processor in SP8 does get hot but doesn't have the problems of SP4. My SP4 is currently being used at work purely as a work machine. I've since owned (and still have) my Surface Pro 2017, SP7, and SP8. A few of my coworkers own the SP6 which I thought was the pinnacle because that's where the Surface Pro went from dual core to quad core. It was also the coolest running SP.
@@onlysublime Thanks for the info, glad to hear that Microsoft fixed it. I was mad when they choose to ignore user even they already knew that's a design flaws that make the battery and screen issues, but still not make a recall.
Great to see how an Artist likes it!
Definitely worth the buy! I'm loving mine and with more apps coming to the windows store because windows 11, really interested in what the future brings.
Really appreciate all these artist reviews! Between the Surface Studio and the M1 ipad, which one do you feel is best for drawing?
I noticed the Surface Studio is a bit on the heavier side so it made me wonder how viable it is as a device to draw on the go without a table to rest it on.
There's the obvious advantage of being able to use it as an actual computer, so I was a bit torn, but if it were to turn someone off from actually using it to draw more often it might not be worth it in my case haha. Would love to know your thoughts!
That's definitely a tough one to answer. It all depends on what you want from your computer besides Art. Both in my opinion are neck and neck as far as drawing with Surface Laptop Studio having more applications to work with including animation application apps as well. Where the iPad does have art apps but procreate is the only difference maker. The Surface Laptop Studio is a tad heavy but I use it on my lap all the time with little to no discomfort. The question you have to ask yourself is how portable do you want it to be? If you plan on taking trips drawing outside at parks I'd be more inclined to go with a m1 iPad or the surface pro 8 for portability. If you're doing more stationary at the home drawings I'd would go for the Surface laptop Studio. I hope that helps 👍🏾.
@@C.Wilson I really hate the ipad os. The only thing I use my ipad pro for is procreate. Drawing is a hobby for me and the ipad is an extremely expensive toy in my eyes. I really just want the best drawing experience and it seems the ipad is still it when it comes to tablets. The studio is close but still has work to do.
@@orlfane1622 I think the new Surface Pro 9 will be a good challenge to the iPad. There is a new pen as well so maybe even more improvements in that area.
@@C.Wilson The one thing that nobody has corrected yet is the slippery feel of drawing on glass. The paper like screen covers and the tip covers are far from a solution. Hopefully the Surface Pro 9 will be equal to the drawing experience of the ipad. Once Microsoft accomplishes that I would never consider an ipad for drawing when you can have a full desk top OS on the Surface.
@@orlfane1622 ipads cant do anything more than what it currently has. If they push that m1 chip even more the thing will explode lol. The only solution is to adding an actual fan
This is a really great review, even better than most of the other reviewers of your type.
Have you done a recent look into using sidecar? I already have an iPad Pro and I’m debating between buying one of these vs buying a MacBook Pro and using sidecar. I love using my iPad for art and I’ve done serious professional work with it but I always find at some point I’ll need to throw it in photoshop because of the layer limit on my iPad and the processing power needed to fully organize and clean up my illustrations. I’m also a video editor so if I’d be looking at max configurations of either MacBook or surface.
Much appreciate the kind words 👍🏽. Side car is possible to use but it has that half second delay when use which is bothersome for me. You definitely could make it work. I tend to go towards the surface device for all in one nature but you will definitely get the best video editor experience with the m1 Mac. I'd would suggest if you invested into the apple ecosystem go with the MacBook. Procreate is getting better and better and side car can help out even more as long as your not expecting the best pen latency when using it.
5:48 "There are a few areas that could see some improvement" (music halts) "but... they're very minor" (music continues). LOL
🤣 I did not catch that, good eye on that lol.
@@C.Wilson Wow, it was so well timed that I was certain that it was intentional. Either way got a big laugh out of me. Nice video by the way, lots of things to like about this machine. Got one on order myself, looking forward to using it.
This is a great review, thanks! I tried this device at Best Buy and liked it a lot. Maybe someday I'll get one. (I have a Surface Pro 2 15" and don't need to upgrade quite yet.)
Also it's very cool to watch you actually make the drawings. Seeing how it works in practice really helps a lot.
Thank you! Definitely an awesome piece of hardware and my go to for art. I'm surprised the pro 2 is holding out so well.
@@C.Wilson I'm a musician primarily, but do 2d and 3d art, vr, a lot of stuff with Touch Designer. The SB2 is really amazing and I've been thrilled with it for more than 4 years now.
Although I love the detachable screen, its use is limited by the fact that it has short battery life and also no gpu. So for drawing, or anything else that uses the gpu, I have to detach, reverse, and to into tablet mode. So the SLS will improve on those sorts of issues. I'm also excited about the 120 hz refresh rate, the new pen, and the upgraded specs.
By the way, I also have an iPad Pro and like it a lot, use it for many things including Procreate and Nomad. I don't love the pencil -- it's too slippery and slides like an ice-skater across the screen and that makes it hard to control when drawing. I use Pen Tips to minimize that problem, but I like the feel of the MS surface pens a lot more. Anyway, thanks for the great view and I'll watch for more of your videos.
There's a 15" surface pro?!
@@MiketheNerdRanger Sorry about that -- just a typo on my part. I added to the comment to clarify I meant Surface Book 2 15".
Nice!! Maybe in coupe years ill upgrate to this, i still like my book 3 and has no issue so far but this device really makes me want one!
Book 3 is still a good device, the only minor downgrade I'll miss is 15in screen. Im pretty sure laptop studio going to on sale for black Friday just unsure how much they'll take off the initial price. Also the book 3 comes with a much 127 watt charger and laptop studio comes with a weaker one so make sure to keep your charger.
I also just started off doing tech reviews bro glad to see another poc pursuing this! I do art as well and design. subbed good video 🤟🏼
Much appreciated 🙏🏾 and thank you for compliment and sub. I'm going return the favor and look forward seeing your content!
@@C.Wilson thanks brother really appreciate that. to us growing our channels and chasing those dreams man 🤟🏼
Thanks. I can see the attraction of a windows tablet hybrid. just not alot of people doing reviews or comparison videos.
I'd say the hardest thing comes comparing the different operating system. Windows being a hybrid brings a clunky experience with touch and pen input whereas ipads and Android have a better touch and pen input applications. The problem comes in with tablet apps not being as useful as the full desktop counterpart. Example clip studio one time purchase is subscriptions base for Android and iOS. Photoshop is not as capable for the iPad vs the desktop version. So each OS has some form of compromise. Windows just happens to be the jack off all trades, not being the best in a single category besides having legacy applications.
Good review! How did you find the thickness at the front edge where you're wrist is? It looks like it's kind of high off the desk, but maybe an optical illusion.
For me I like the Surface Pros for the flexibility of drawing angle...but I can't get on with them as general purpose devices - don't sit well on lap, screen too small. So Laptop Studio feels like the better all-rounder.
Thanks! The thickness isn't bad it looks thicker because of the base. I will say though when close down when it's like a tablet I flip it around because the screen starts to dig into my wrist and gets annoying after a while. I'm right there with you on the surface pro, I use to be all in on the pro line up. Then one day tried to use it on the lap and it just wasn't working. So definitely the Laptop Studio is a great all rounder especially when you factor in the type cover and slim pen for the pro 8 starts to push you to around the same price point of laptop studio.
I might take a look at 2nd gen of surface laptop studio. At this price tags I think they're few things missing out like more powerful GPU or at least 8 core AMD or Intel and at this time M1 max just arrived and they're so much more powerful and lower power consumption. Next gen Intel alder lake or AMD zen3+ or zen4 (perhaps)would have a chance against it.But I'm still x86 fanboys and happy to see laptop studio form factor more from other manufacturer.
Definitely see where you're coming from. The new M1 max is a beast but I feel like two different markets they're trying to attract. Microsoft if they keep relying on others to make the chips probably won't catch up unless they take complete control. At least that's my opinion, honestly can't wait for the real world test on the m1 Max capabilities.
I agree that this would've been a beast with an AMD processor and a better Nvidia GPU. I'm guessing the supply chain problems is the reason why they couldn't spec it higher. AMD can barely keep up with demand due to Xbox, PS5, and PCs. Nvidia GPUs are impossible to find. Apple is hogging all of TSMC's manufacturing capacity (they're TSMC's biggest customer and whatever Apple wants, TSMC will give).
Just found your channel. Great review! It's disappointing it's still not up to EMR levels but it does sound like it's close. It'd be great for EMR to have some real competition. I don't care much for the Apple Pencil either, tbh.
My biggest issue is that I draw on my lap with my MobileStudio Pro or HP Zbook on a lapdesk (not great for my back but it's just how I am). It doesn't appear that this would be great for drawing/painting in "laptop mode" unless it has a kickstand. I suppose someone could make a case that would enable that though. I know I could get the Surface Pro but it'd be nice to have the bigger screen and video card this one has.
I may make a run to Best Buy soon to try it out for myself.
Much appreciated 👍🏾! So this is super unconventional but alternative ways ice drawn on laptop studio is by flipping the display over. So the display is on the outside I then lover the screen by use my hand to prop it so I can use it at any level. So it definitely could work for you but might be a tad odd. I'm glad there at least updating the pen for the first time in forever to get it closer to where it's not bad, I'm hoping more apps add the haptic feedback because that is a neat experience.
@@C.Wilson Yeah, that sounds like too much work while I'm well, working.
Right now, I'm working on my 1st-gen MobileStudio Pro 13". I have to send my HP in for repair for the 3rd time since I got it last summer so I'm kinda fed up with it so I've started looking into new options. I may get the Samsung 360 but it'd be nice if had a graphics card option.
@@jasontkruse Yes that does suck my personal opinion if you can live without that extra horsepower is the book 360 is the better buy because price and EMR. You can get a 15in book 360 and still have about $500 extra and it comes with spen. The additional bonus is it's thin and light. Then if you want some gaming can hook up a egpu as well because of thunderbolt 4.
@@C.Wilson Oh, nice. Actually, I put a $5 down payment to reserve the Steam Deck so hopefully the gaming point is moot anyway :)
Hi Great review Cedric! I wonder how is the surface pro 8 in comparison to this and in comparison to the ipad pro and using procreate. I'm thinking about using photoshop and/or Clip art with the surface pro 8 if I get that. What I mostly look for is instant reaction/feedback with the pen when you move it. Programs that are optimized for that. What's your thought's? I'm gonna draw realisticly and I go to an art school right no aspiring to be a figure painter/illustrator :). Thx
I've used the Surface pro 8 and the experience is the same as the laptop studio. Near instant feedback with the pen. You lose some horse power because of the loss of a dedicated GPU. The pro 8 is better as a travel tablet/laptop because of the lighter weight and ability to not always have the keyboard. Line quality is a 8 out of 10 because of the little bit of wave still in the line. Also always keep 120hz on at least for the best drawing experience. Now compared to apple pencil 9-10 no wave to line but slippery on the glass and need a matte protector to get that resistance. The biggest thing is apple does have procreate but if you want more I'd lean towards the pro 8. The iPad is amazing if you're strictly drawing and you can do some realistic drawing in pro-create but if you wanted to you could use the full adobe suite and use Photoshop and do more with the pro 8. They both have perks, it just comes down to which eco system are you comfortable with and will you only draw in one app or will eventually want more applications and even go into 3d art.
Are there other third-party pen options that work better than the microsoft pen?
With the new pro 8 and laptop studio no new pens are going to be better then the slim pen 2. This is because the custom processor in the pen works with the tech in the laptop studio and pro 8.
So is the jittery jagged diagonal lines the fault of the tablet or the pen? I always thought it was the program you are using. I thought the pens input raw data to the tablet and the tablet feeds it to the program to do with it as it pleases. Thats what lazy nezumi is for no?
I believe a combination of things. Pen diameter, screen (matte vs smooth), drivers, digitizer. Jitter at least I believe comes from tilt sensor for parallax correction not responding correctly. Yes adding another combination of software could try to correct the issue. You could also turn the smoothing up via software to mitigate the issue.
OMG, this laptop is amazing. Compared to your ipad pro, which have better latency and make better lines for comic/manga style? do you notice the PPI difference between ipad pro and this laptop? ... I wanted to buy an asus studiobook 16 oled + ipad or s tab... but after watching this video I'm very confused
Latency at 12ms for the studio laptop vs the iPad pro 9ms. The difference at least to me in display quality isn't drastic unless, you're watching hdr content or in bright areas because the min led screen on the pro is better. If you're only doing comics go with the iPad, if you're looking to do more such as draw, animation, and 3d work I'd go for the surface laptop studio.
@@C.Wilson @Cedric Wilson and do you notice the diference between 12ms and 9ms? I do a lot crosshatching and is my main concern :/
@@ElcluasicoChuuad individual when testing you won't notice but side by side can can slightly tell. Also if you like to draw non stationary then ipad wins that as well.
How can a laptop with rtx 3050 Ti not be good for gaming? I don't get it. For now those specs seem to be the best for gaming in comparison to any other 2 in 1
Tad unsure what you mean? I thought i said it was decent at gaming. I say decent because you're not going to get the best settings but you will get some solid 60fps gaming on medium to high settings depending on the game.
@@C.Wilson Then I have a question. Which 2 in 1 to choose? For me the most important is power, the one with the best performance, desktop replacement for gaming and heavy duty tasks. Choosing between this surface laptop studio (intel core i7-1137H 4 core,rtx 3050 ti) and
lenovo yoga c940 15 (intel core i9-9880H 8 core, gtx 1650 max q. Older processor, worse graphics card but used to be considered as one of the most powerful 2-in-1 around 2 years ago
@@user-ls8tn3iz2n I'd would say the surface laptop studio would be more powerful. The only thing it wouldn't be good at is cpu demanding games because lower cores.
Any tips to keep the angle up in drawing mode? I'm torn between this and Surface Pro 8. I've got a Surface Pro 7+ and constantly her crashes as I've only got 8Gigs of RAM
So it's a bit unorthodox but if you want the screen to be tilted. I typically turn the laptop around and push the screen back and hold my hand behind the screen. That way it simulates the lean back function of the pro. The big question is do you want a laptop with more power or a decently powerful tablet with the pro 8. Both are really good devices with the pro 8 being more portable as well.
@@C.Wilson ugh. I hate doing that. The screen being so thin it will probably warp from being held up. Also this is probably too heavy for me. I've got the Surface Book 2 too and that's too heavy to carry. Someone said to buy an adjustable tablet or laptop stand, about $30 on amazon. You can tilt the whole thing up. Maybe try that 🤔. P/S thanks for replying, appreciate it
I've been dying to know, can you attach a second keyboard while it's in tablet mode and use that for keyboard shortcuts while you do illustrations? I feel like that would really make tablet mode ideal
Yes that also works. You can Bluetooth another keyboard and mouse and use shortcuts. I've used my mx keys and mouse to SLS and worked great 👍🏽.
@@C.Wilson awesome, thanks for the reply!
you can also use the Tablet Pro touch hotkeys, works really well while in tablet mode
0:36 sRGB? Is there no DCI-P3 color calibration on this art device???
There isn't a color mode for DCI-P3 but it measures at 100% sRGB, 81% AdobeRGB, and an 88% DCI-P3. Actually opened it up to double check and yep just vivid and srgb are the only modes you can switch to.
Doesn't the screen bend a little when you draw on it? Do you think a surface book 3 would hold up better?
When the screen is flat down it's never flexed when I'm drawing. In order to do that you have to put a ton of pressure on the screen. Now the Surface Book does have some flex when drawing because unlike the laptop studio it doesn't have the added support from the hinge being under the screen.
How well does this work with the Mixer Brush? I do a lot of painting in Photoshop.
I've not painted in Photoshop but I've dabbled in Fresco and it handles painting and blending with brushes very well and utilizes the pressure sensitivity. Sorry if I could not be more helpful.
What was the full model name of that Samsung device? Those lines were clean 🪥
It's the Galaxy Tab S7 plus. It uses Wacom emr so the lines definitely stay clean.
How do you get 10 hours of battery life I get like 3-4?
Would this be good for also using something like 3ds max and unreal. I like to draw but hoping for a 2 in 1 that can also be good for 3d modeling
Yes this definitely is good for that, but the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is getting closer to release and might be better to wait it out imo 👍🏾.
@@C.Wilson okay thank you as right now I'm considering this, a regular laptop like a HP Zenbook or an acer conceptD 3 ezel. I'm leaning more to a 2in1 so I can do 3d stuff and also drawing. But it doesn't seem any are perfect yet I'd get the surface 2 but that will cost a huge bomb when first released so I'd need to wait a while for it to go down in price
@@tyluild True the Surface prices are not always the best. One thing the Acer does well similar to the Laptop Studio, is when working in drawing position the keys are not exposed. Those are two best picks at least imo for creatives. You could fair well looking for a used model for either with a warranty.
I currently have the s7+ would you recommend this as a drawing replacement for my tablet and my current laptop as a 2 in 1?
Really depends on what you're trying to do. If you are strictly drawing character designs and painting a tab S7 plus will work. Now if you're trying to expand into the realm of animation, 3d rendering, editing for voice over then a 2 in 1 like the surface laptop studio or galaxy book 360 will be better in my opinion.
@@C.Wilson I want a fully capable workstation as I'll be in the market for a new laptop soon. The pen capabilities on the Microsoft pen seems to be good but not as good as the tab s7+ pen and so that is also a concern.
@@Jaugarez Then I definitely would recommend the Galaxy book 360 pro 2 because it still uses the the Wacom emr tech like the tab S7. The surface uses ntrig and is slightly behind with the line quality.
@@C.Wilson Thank you for your responses. I'm typically used to gaming laptops only for its power. What kind of trade-offs could I expect from a GalaxyBook2?
I’m definitely at a point where I either should invest in a good laptop or try out the iPad Pro. I want to be able to make art and take on the go! (Really like the idea of how casual the iPad is and being able to use a procreate). Just not sure if there’s anything out there that will give me a bit of both. I’m not too too concerned on price, I’ve wanted to invest in something really nice for myself for awhile now. There’s familiarity with the the iPad and I love how smooth it is. Both in normal use and specifically when drawing and writing. However, it would be great to still have normal laptop functions. (I have no qualms with using an iPad as a laptop tho) Any advice to give?
To me it sounds like you'd like the surface pro 8. It has the portability of an iPad but the desktop experience of Windows 11. The 120hz screen and full blown desktop apps make it one of the best iPad Pro competitors. The app gap won't matter as much in desktop space because you get full adobe and fresco plus clip Studio paint, krita, and just about any animation/art software you want thanks to full windows 11. Then you can get the keyboard for more laptop experience and even him up to an external monitor as well.
@@C.Wilson man I really appreciate the response and this was great! Does it have that same or similar smoothness to it when drawing and writing like the iPad??
@@rylandwells403 No problem 👍🏾. Now with the combo of the slim pen 2 and 120 hz screen and using both I'd say they're on par with each other, especially in smoothness. I leave the laptop studio in 120hz refresh rate to keep a silky smooth drawing experience at all times. The reason I say the pro 8 would edge out the iPad Pro is the desktop apps whereas the iPad is a touch centric device and that is its strong point. Drawing wise they're in my opinion equal.
@@C.Wilson this was exactly what I was wondering! All I needed to hear. I’ll have this on the top of my list and will start looking more into it. Thank you man, great channel and content, had to give you a subscribe 💪🏾
@@rylandwells403 thank you and very much appreciated! 🙌🏾
good work pointing out the surface pen's waviness. I remember how most reviewers promoted the surface pen 2 back then. And I bought it only to find out it sucked. I have an old ntrig pen which came with dell precision m6600 worked better than surface pen 2 which is a shame for MS. I am not going to buy this laptop just for the pen tech for sure. I have bought vaio z canvas and surface book 2. None of their pens are good, end up connecting a intuos pro which makes paying high price for pen computers invalid.
I've used so many surface devices I adjusted to the line quality. Then one day I used a Samsung laptop and realized the difference was night and day. I do think they've really improved the slim pen 2 in conjunction with the laptop studio. It to me is a solid 7 but still has yet to catch up to the Wacom emr tech. Hopefully they continue to improve.
@@C.Wilson Yea, I can see the improvement for sure. But MS advertised surface line good for artists long time ago. I have seen many reviewers said they were good for art. But after I bought the surfacebook 2, I know they lied. Yea, I can still produce art to production quality, but the effort is not worth considering how much easier to connect a intuos or even some cheap huion or xp-pen. RUclips needs honest reviewer like you. Thumb up bro.
@@C.Wilson BTW, you might want to try wacom bamboo ink aes pen. It performs better than the surface pen 2 on surface book 2. Still some waviness, but judging from your video I think the bamboo ink is similar to the surface slim pen.
@@iorywang4676 Definitely going to give that a try that. That's why I wish the tab S7 ultra ran windows and was a surface pro alternative emr tech from Wacom really is at the top. Not to mention Huion is better too. They'll probably buy out an art tech to incorporate their tech with the surface line when they get serious about being for artist or partner back with Wacom like they did with the original surface.
@@C.Wilson I have a Wacom Bamboo pen that I got after losing the Surface pen and it’s pretty good. Not top tier, but easily usable.
The line quality got better but its barley good enough for that price. They should fix the pen for good, instead of just improving because after all those devices are very expensive. But thats definetly better than before.
Going to have agree with you on that the price point is high vs the improvement of the pen. It still needs the fine tuning to catch up to EMR tech. The bad feeling I have is that this might be the last update to the pen for a while, so fingers crossed for software updates to make it even better.
@@C.Wilson I recently got a samsung galaxy book pro 360 which comes with a pen that has wacom emr tech. I had a surface pro 3 before that and the difference between the pens is crazy. I hope that microsoft will get rid of the n-trig tech at some point.
@@michaela984 Yep the EMR tech is so good. I always wondered why Microsoft after the first couple of Surface devices ditched Wacom for ntrig.
@@C.Wilson maybe N-Trig is cheaper lol
@@C.Wilson - "I always wondered why Microsoft after the first couple of Surface devices ditched Wacom for ntrig"
Sadly, n-trig was cheaper, way cheaper and secondly - most Surface owners never bothered using the pen. When you can sell a $150 accessory that sells like hotcakes even if it's no good, why would you bother improving it if people weren't going to use it?
Does the pen work with Photoshop on this laptop?
Yes the slim pen 2 is compatible with Photoshop. It doesn't have haptic feedback because adobe has to push an update for that but it does work much better than the previous surface pens if you're using it on the pro 8 or laptop studio.
I know there's those little nitpicks, but I literally cannot find another device like this.
Agreed 👍🏾. This has been my primary laptop since it was released light gaming and a massive amount of drawing. There really is nothing like it.
Anyone know what program he's running
I'm running Clip Studio Paint.
what drawing program you use on surface laptop studio?
I use Clip Studio Paint.
Any recs for the best studio to buy refurbished for a good price?
Personally I'd wait. Next month is the Microsoft event and a new Laptop Studio coming out. That'll be the best time to purchase 1gen laptop studios at a reduced price, or get the new one. 👍🏾
@@C.Wilson thank you!
Is the first gen the i5?
@@sea_hous It comes with a Quad-core Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i5-11300H /i7. The top end model comes with a 3050ti. The extra horse power at least for my needs is needed. Next Laptop Studio 2 is supposed to have the RTX 4060.
What app are you sketching on
I'm using clip studio paint.
Surface book or surface laptop?? 🤔
Me personally I'd go with the laptop studio because while the idea of having a detachable laptop sounds good the book just had some flaws that couldn't be overlooked especially when the screen was detached. Also it has the latest Intel processor for better power and battery.
Is it enough to buy the 16gb version for graphic design?
Thanks I’m advance
That's definitely enough. I've been using the 16gb version i7 since release and haven't had a problem.
@@C.Wilson
Big thanks 😊
The only time you'll need 32gb is for 3D design and animation, and game development (obviously at a hobbyist or student level, non-professional). Sadly for me, that means another $600 ripped from my pocket, but there really isn't anything like this of similar quality on the market atm.
What app were you drawing on?
Clip paint studio
i bought to use adobe illustrator and im hating it with all my heart... thinking of returning it
The fully spec'd out one with the Core i7?
@@90sssgamer28 yes
It's actually the software which is the problem.
I don't know about that. This is just my opinion the software pretty good and now with the ability to run Android apps. It's kind of evolving even further.
@@C.Wilson forgot to include the time stamp, I was referring to the part of trying to draw a straight line with a ruler. I like this product and planning on getting one once its available on the south african market
@@io_inc oooo that makes sense 👍🏾, this definitely great/neat piece hardware. Hope it becomes available for you soon.
A 1500 dollar pen computer still can't get rid of that wobble? Not worth the price.
The wobble is far from horrible though it's gotten pretty good. I think the problem is ntrig in itself is better suited for writing vs drawing.
The CPU is a joke for that price, even with all the other gimmicks.
Good point indeed the CPU isn't where it should be at, especially since they could easily make a better spec'd version. I still believe there only a few laptops that artist benefit from that have this form factor.