Microsoft just declare the Surface Laptop Studio , but for close follower of the Surface brand , there ’s one concerning take on this tidings . With the launch of the Laptop Studio coming on October 5 , and with it being ply to creatives and photo and video editors , or even developers , what is run short to chance with the Surface Book lineup ?

Microsoft did n’t foretell a Surface Book 4 at its recent event , and we ’re now left wondering if the Surface Book card is dead for salutary . We ’ve disentangle through the rumors and surmisal to find out .

Price and release date

right on now , it seems improbable that Microsoft has plans to release a machine that is have it off as the Surface Book 4 . Microsoft announced the new flagship Surface Laptop Studio on the face of it in its position . Its Modern hinge and float pattern film divine guidance from the Surface Studio all - in - one , the Surface Pro , and standard Surface Laptop . It also has a 120Hz display and RTX 3050 Ti graphics inside alongside Intel 11th - genesis H35 processors .

This is Microsoft ’s new “ all - knock-down ” Surface , so many technology partizan and tech reviewers have mentioned that the Laptop Studio “ supersede ” the Book 3 , which was last released in May 2020 . This is backed byWindows Central ’s Zac Bowden , who mentioned that Microsoft said the Laptop Studio is a replacement and replacement to the Surface Book ancestry .

That said , we do n’t recall the Surface Book 4 will ever be released . If Microsoft were to have a change of center and it were to be released , though , we ’d consider that the pricing would be well over the $ 1,500 compass . The new Surface Laptop Studio come out at $ 1,600 , so if a Book 4 were to be released , it likely would hail at a hefty price .

A new design?

Even though the Surface Book 4 might be as good as all in , we still need to reflect on what a potential ware like that might terminate up looking like . While the detachable screen door on the Surface Book was a revolutionary idea when initially was announce , Microsoft now seems to have swapped that in favor of the new “ floating ” design of the Laptop Studio . If a Surface Book 4 were to be announced , we believe it could be a stack like the Studio .

The reason why is that this newfangled design let Microsoft to leave behind more room for the GPU , CPU , and other parts at the bottom “ excrescence ” of the gimmick . Thisclears outer space for more potent components ( like an RTX 3050 Ti GPU ) to make the Book 4 more of a MacBook Pro competitor . It also supply more modes of consumption to the gimmick , such as Stage Mode , Studio Mode , and standard laptop mode .

There was nothing wrong with the Surface Book design , though . It still allowed room for a GPU in the base of the keyboard , so if Microsoft want to freshen up the Surface Book without changing the design , it could stick to custom . It would n’t be too surprising if the Book 4 just terminate up with slimmer bezels , as the Pro 8 did .

Intel 11th-generation CPU and RTX 30-series graphics?

Intel ’s former 11th - generation H35 processors and Nvidia ’s RTX 30 - serial wandering GPUs can be found in the Surface Laptop Studio , and maybe even the Surface Book 4 — if it ever come up to be .

The Nvidia GTX 1600 - serial publication crisp in the Surface Book 3 do very well in our tests , but when we review the gadget , we did n’t like the Intel processor performance due to the 15 - watt limit . Intel ’s 11th - propagation chip flip out that thanks to boosts for sluttish play and photo redaction , with Iris Plus unified graphics , so there ’s the chance this might amend .

But since the Surface Book 4 is out for this year , the next - generationAlder Lakeprocessors could be an option if Microsoft really wanted to push out a simulation next twelvemonth . Microsoft is also known to play it safe and go with processors that are a contemporaries old .

Thunderbolt support

We ’ll cease by touching on Thunderbolt support . This is new on both the Surface Pro 8 , as well as the Surface Laptop Studio this year . It allows for Surface devices tounlock the powerof external GPUs , as well as faster datum transferral hurrying to external SSDs .

Even outside monitor support is improved , so you may power two monitor from one embrasure . A lot of that could end up in the Surface Book 4 if it ever came to be , as it looks as though Thunderbolt is the new normal for Microsoft now .