Microsoft Surface Studio 3 — everything we know so far

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Here’s what we've heard about the Microsoft Surface Studio 3 and what we’d like to see

Microsoft Surface Studio 3
(Image credit: Microsoft)

What's going on with the Microsoft Surface Studio 3? The Redmond-based tech giant was expected to release the Surface Studio 3 (according to Windows Central) in 2022. However, due to the pandemic and global chip shortage, plans to release the device were postponed. Considering we're a quarter of the way into 2023, it's unclear if or when this device will ever release.

The Surface Studio line has been a regular favorite on our list of the best all-in-one computers ever since our first Microsoft Surface Studio review in 2016, and we loved the follow-up in our Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review in 2018. But four years is a long time to wait for a new model with current hardware and capabilities. We hope a new version of the Surface Studio is right around the corner, but we can't be sure.

It has been a long time since we've heard any rumblings about the Surface Studio 3. Here are all of the current rumors and a few educated guesses about when the device will be released, what it might cost, and what changes could be coming with the as-yet-unannounced model.

The 28-inch Surface Studio is the biggest member of Microsoft's Surface family of tablets, 2-in-1s and laptops, boasting an impressive look that marries the all-in-one design with the most comfortable touchscreen for drawing we've ever seen.

With an impressive display that supports touch, pen and even the Surface Dial, along with a solid dual-hinge design that lets the monitor adjust to a low angle for comfortable drawing, the Surface Studio has earned its place among the best computers available for serious creatives. Powerful hardware and strong performance make it a worthwhile choice for any professional users. And the whole thing is wrapped in a sleek, beautiful design that is at once simple and sophisticated, both technically and in its stylings.

Read on to find out all we know about the Microsoft Surface Studio 3.

Microsoft Surface Studio 3 release date

Microsoft has not announced the Surface Studio 3.

The first version of the Surface Studio launched in late 2016, and the follow-up Surface Studio 2 launched in November 2018. Going by that 2-year cadence, the Surface Studio 3 should have been released in 2020, but as we said up top, the global pandemic and semiconductor shortage put a damper on that.

There's no telling when the Surface Studio 3 might be announced, let alone released.

Microsoft Surface Studio 3 rumors

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Surface Studio 3 price

With no firm news of a new product or specifications, it's hard to be sure what will happen with the price of a new Surface Studio model, whether it will stay consistent with the pricing of the Surface Studio 2 or whether the price will be raised or lowered.

The Surface Studio 2 starts at $1,399, which is a significant discount from its original $3,499 asking price. If Microsoft is planning any significant upgrades or design changes to a new Surface Studio desktop, the new device could demand a hefty price.

Alternatively, Microsoft could bring the price down in an attempt to make the premium all-in-one desktop more approachable to mainstream consumers. Given the heavy marketing toward creative professionals that surrounded the last two versions of the desktop, this move sounds unlikely. However, a less expensive starting price and a desktop aimed at regular consumers would go a long way to increasing the market share of the Surface brand, so it's not entirely implausible.

If a new model is announced, it's most possible that pricing will be in line with the current Surface Studio 2's original price of $3,499 -- or perhaps more. We expect the starting configuration to pack a Core i7 processor, an Nvidia graphics card and 16GB of RAM. Other configurations with a more powerful CPU, better graphics card, and larger allotments of memory and storage will be more expensive.

Take a look at our Microsoft promo codes page for the latest offers and discounts.  

Microsoft Surface Studio 3 specs

While the Microsoft Surface Studio 3 has yet to be announced, we can make some educated guesses about what sort of changes could show up in a new model this year. Any discussion of hardware and features is speculative, but there are several features we would like to see improved in a new model, and that have room for improvement.

For starters, the 2018 Surface Studio 2 launched with an Intel Core i7-7820HQ processor, a 7th-generation CPU from early 2017 that was already aging when the Surface Studio 2 hit stores in 2018. If Microsoft makes any changes to the Surface all-in-one, a processor update is guaranteed. We hope the new processor is one of the latest 13th-generation Intel Core models and not an aging CPU that's been out for more than a year.

Microsoft Surface Studio 2

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Surface Studio 3 ports 

Switching the existing USB Type-C ports to Thunderbolt 4 is a potential change that has been on Surface-user's wish lists for years. Thunderbolt 4 offers significantly more versatility than USB-C, thanks to faster data speeds, allowing a whole range of peripherals to connect to a machine through a single port, from high-resolution monitors to external storage.

If Thunderbolt 3 or 4 is going to happen on any Surface device, the desktop Studio 3 would be the place it shows up.

Microsoft Surface Studio 3 display 

The other upgrade that rates as highly likely is an improved display. The first and second-generation Studio all-in-ones boasted some of the best displays ever offered, with 4500 x 3000 resolution, a distinct 3:2 aspect ratio and factory color calibration that delivered fantastic color and sharpness.

But even a better-than-4K display feels a little less exciting when compared to Apple's 6K Pro XDR display, and the Surface Studio's 28-inch panels haven't yet offered HDR support, an increasingly essential feature for photographers and videographers alike.

Microsoft Surface Studio 3 redesign

On the more radical end of the spectrum, a Microsoft patent from 2016 fueled rumors that the next Surface Studio may not be an all-in-one at all, with hints of a modular design that relies upon a standalone Surface monitor with the same touch capability and zero-gravity hinge, but without the PC hardware in the base.

Such a change could move the Surface Studio away from the all-in-one design of past models and toward something closer to a high-end display paired with a compact desktop, similar to the best mini PCs.

Alternatively, this modular design could follow in the footsteps of the Surface Hub S2, Microsoft's group-oriented display for meetings and collaboration. While it retains something similar to an all-in-one design, it also offers upgradability by way of a separate module for the internal hardware, letting you slot in new hardware with a cartridge-like product that houses the PC components. 

Microsoft Surface Studio 3 microphones 

Another safe bet points to improved microphones, for easier voice interaction and improved video chat capability. A 2019 report from MSPowerUser.com suggests that Microsoft might be switching to directional micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) microphones, which can offer better noise and echo suppression than traditional mics.

Microsoft Surface Studio 3: What we want to see 

All of the rumored changes to the Surface Studio 3 sound interesting,  but what we would most like to see on a new version of Microsoft's all-in-one desktop is fairly modest: A move to more current hardware and a slightly more affordable price. The previous models have impressed us with their excellent ergonomics and still-impressive 4K+ screen, but we noted both the expense of the previous model and the behind-the-curve processor selection at the time.

Separating the display and PC would open up the benefits of the Surface Studio to a larger market, it would be a drastic departure from Microsoft's current product line, turning a single, complete package into less impressive mini PC paired with a great monitor. While I would love for Microsoft to offer a Surface monitor with the benefits of the Studio's ergonomics and input capabilities, doing so with the Surface Studio name would effectively reduce the most innovative Windows all-in-one on the market to nothing more than a nice monitor. 

Brian Westover
Brian Westover

Brian Westover is currently Lead Analyst, PCs and Hardware at PCMag. Until recently, however, he was Senior Editor at Tom's Guide, where he led the site's TV coverage for several years, reviewing scores of sets and writing about everything from 8K to HDR to HDMI 2.1. He also put his computing knowledge to good use by reviewing many PCs and Mac devices, and also led our router and home networking coverage. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he wrote for TopTenReviews and PCMag.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Yansa
    I too am waiting to see what happens with a possible studio 3. Must likely have i9, lightning usb. I hope it’s upgradable, a larger base to facilitate access is possible, the current base is unnecessarily small and wouldn’t hurt it’s aesthetics becoming a little bigger. It’s too pricey for pros who can afford it but actually need to stay ahead of competitors and can’t due to hardware limitations. It’s too pricey for creative hobbyists whose dollars can buy much more for much less and be able to upgrade as one saves. I like the monitor as does most who reviewed it, but the biggest complaint I saw was the outdated hardware becoming even more so year after year. Any means of upgradeability is necessary and also makes it affordable at the point of the initial purchase. Right now, $3500 itself is a lot to pay for any computer, especially for a “new” 2016 i7, is the 2020 studio3 going to repeat the self-limiting factors but at $4000?
    Reply
  • BrianHbr549
    I was excited to see a new article about the (hopefully) up and coming Microsoft Surface Studio 3..... and then I read the non-article. I would hope your title would read, "With no information released here is our wish list". I expect better things from Tom's Hardware than clickbait. That being said I love my Surface Studio 2 and would love to see the same size screen size with 10 or 12 bit color. Samsung's new QD-OLED is probably too new to make the cut, but a guy can dream. With Thunderbolt 4 adding DMA Protection and USB 4 (which brings the potential of 20V 100W power delivery) upgradability would be greatly increased. These devices are not meant for the general public, so going safe with last years hardware just doesn't make sense.
    Reply
  • BrianHbr549
    Yansa said:
    I too am waiting to see what happens with a possible studio 3. Must likely have i9, lightning usb. I hope it’s upgradable, a larger base to facilitate access is possible, the current base is unnecessarily small and wouldn’t hurt it’s aesthetics becoming a little bigger. It’s too pricey for pros who can afford it but actually need to stay ahead of competitors and can’t due to hardware limitations. It’s too pricey for creative hobbyists whose dollars can buy much more for much less and be able to upgrade as one saves. I like the monitor as does most who reviewed it, but the biggest complaint I saw was the outdated hardware becoming even more so year after year. Any means of upgradeability is necessary and also makes it affordable at the point of the initial purchase. Right now, $3500 itself is a lot to pay for any computer, especially for a “new” 2016 i7, is the 2020 studio3 going to repeat the self-limiting factors but at $4000?

    Lightning is an outdated proprietary connection for Apple. You may have meant Thunderbolt.
    Reply
  • Elterrible
    admin said:
    Here’s everything we know about the Microsoft Surface Studio 3 and what we’d like to see

    Microsoft Surface Studio 3: Release , price, specs and rumors : Read more

    Honestly, this is the most overpriced and underpowered device in the Surface Lineup. Microsoft is Lucky that Apple didn't include Pencil and touch support on their iMac, because that would have killed this product for good.

    MS needs to stop pretending they're apple and make a device where you can upgrade the RAM and Storage! On top of that, stop using Laptop parts for your desktops, or just release a surface monitor with the pen support.
    Reply
  • Miron1
    Quote: "By Brian Westover published July 01, 2022"
    ---
    Not too fast forward August 7th and Wallmart, advertised above as one of the two remaining sellers is out of stock, and Amazon has only two (2) Surface Studio 2 with 32GB memory RAM available in stock, both "new in the box already opened".
    In other words, refunded by customers.
    Perhaps device wasn't making the cut, as far as appetites of 100 billion dollar company is expected to have, but it certainly did find its nich amongst the customers.
    Should Microsoft decide to proceed forward with Microsoft Surface Studio 3 its continuation will be very much thought out, no worries. However, the hurdles in its path are rather steep, and that means device is unlikely to be produced.
    In fact it would probably hurt some people feelings, but, at least in short term, the trajectory of device features, such as CPU speed and designs will go downwards, and prices of devices we are used to see around one thousand dollars, arguably, accessible to majority of consumers, will catapult into area, where Surface Studio was felt with a pinch of salt, if not higher.
    Reply