Microsoft launched the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2, an improve to the unique pull-forward 2-in-1 laptop computer with extra highly effective elements inside. It’s a really good laptop computer with some standout options, nevertheless it’s going up in opposition to a really compelling crowd of 14-inch laptops.
The most effective is the Apple MacBook Professional 14, which is extremely well-built, sports activities an impressive Mini-LED show, and provides energy and battery life to area. Can probably the most highly effective Floor ever win this shootout?
Specs and configurations
| Microsoft Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 | Apple MacBook Professional 14 | |
| Dimensions | 12.72 inches x 9.06 inches x 0.86 inches | 12.31 inches x 8.71 inches x 0.60 inches |
| Weight | 4.37 kilos | 3.5 kilos |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-13700H Intel Gen3 Movidius 3700VC VPU AI Accelerator |
Apple M2 Professional (10-core, 12-core) Apple M2 Max (12-core) |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Nvidia RTX 2000 Obtainable |
16-core GPU 19-core GPU 30-core GPU 38-core GPU |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5x 32GB LPDDR5x 64GB LPDDR5x |
16GB 32GB 64GB 96GB |
| Show | 14.4-inch 3:2 PixelSense 2,400 x 1,600 IPS, 120Hz | 14.2-inch 16:10 Liquid Retina XDR 3024 x 1964 |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe SSD 1TB PCIe SSD 2TB PCIe SSD |
512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD 4TB SSD 8TB SSD |
| Contact | Sure | No |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x USB-A 3.1 1 x Floor Join 1 x 3.5mm audio jack 1 x microSD card reader |
3 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x 3.5mm audio jack SD card reader |
| Wi-fi | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Webcam | 1080p with infrared digicam for Home windows 11 Hey | 1080p |
| Working system | Home windows 11 | MacOS Monterey |
| Battery | 58 watt-hour | 70 watt-hour |
| Value |
$2,000+ |
$1,999+ |
| Score | 3.5 out of 5 stars | 4.5 out of 5 stars |
The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 begins at $2,000 for a Core i7-13700H CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics, and a 14.4-inch IPS show. Totally configured, it’s $3,700 for a similar processor, 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060.
The MacBook Professional 14 entry-level mannequin is $1,999, configured with an Apple M2 Professional 10-core CPU/16-core GPU processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14.2-inch Mini-LED show. When absolutely configured, the MacBook prices an astronomical $6,299 for an M2 Max 12-core CPU/38-core GPU chip, 96GB of RAM, and an 8TB SSD.
If we match the MacBook Professional 14 to the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2’s most configuration, it’s $4,099 with the high-end M2 Max. So, the MacBook is roughly $400 dearer. We’ll see if that additional value is justified.
Design
The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 is a versatile machine, with a pull-forward 2-in-1 design the place the show flips at its centerline and might be pulled into place at an angle over the keyboard. Microsoft calls that Studio Mode, and when you pull the show all the best way ahead it turns into pill mode. After all, clamshell mode can also be an choice with the show flipped again into its vertical orientation. That couldn’t be extra totally different from the MacBook Professional 14, which is a conventional clamshell via and thru. Whether or not the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 provides a definite benefit comes down as to if you wish to write on the show utilizing the Floor Slim Pen 2.
Each laptops are extremely effectively constructed, crafted from aluminum with none flexing, bending, or twisting of their lids, keyboard decks, or chassis. The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 is a extra futuristic machine in its aesthetic, with the same old Floor aptitude. That contrasts with the stark simplicity of the MacBook Professional 14 with its blocky unibody design that however manages to look extremely elegant in both Area Grey or Silver.
When it comes to their measurement, the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 is wider, deeper, and thicker at 0.86 inches versus a really skinny 0.60 inches on the MacBook Professional. Microsoft’s laptop computer can also be heavier at 4.37 kilos versus 3.5 kilos. Most of that additional thickness and weight is because of the Floor’s extra advanced design, which is the value you pay for additional flexibility.
The MacBook Professional 14 has the very best keyboard you should buy, Apple’s Magic keyboard, with massive keycaps, wonderful key spacing, and switches that aren’t terribly deep however nonetheless present the snappiest most exact really feel. The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2’s keyboard can also be good, with its personal massive keycaps and nice spacing and switches which can be deeper and in addition fairly snappy and exact. You’ll just like the Floor’s keyboard and love the MacBook’s. Each laptops function wonderful haptic touchpads that may be clicked wherever on the floor, however Apple’s Pressure Contact model is bigger. The Floor does have a contact show, which the MacBook lacks.
Connectivity is sweet on each laptops. The MacBook Air 14 has an additional Thunderbolt 4 port and HDMI whereas the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 has a USB-A port for legacy help. We want the full-size SD card reader within the MacBook Professional 14. Each laptops are additionally updated with their wi-fi connectivity.
Lastly, each laptops even have 1080p webcams, which ought to present equally wonderful picture high quality. The Floor has an infrared digicam for Home windows 11 Hey facial recognition, whereas the MacBook Professional 14 has a Contact ID fingerprint reader embedded within the energy button. Which is best comes all the way down to person choice.
Efficiency
The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 has only one CPU accessible, the 45-watt Intel Core i7-13700H with 14 cores (six Efficiency and eight Environment friendly) and 20 threads. It’s a workhorse CPU that tends to offer wonderful productiveness and inventive efficiency. Microsoft provides a selection of built-in graphics or Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4050 or 4060 GPU. We reviewed the machine with the latter.
The MacBook Professional 14 has a selection of processors, together with the M2 Professional and the M2 Max. You’ll be able to select from a wide range of CPU and GPU core counts to optimize efficiency, and we reviewed the MacBook with the high-end M2 Max with 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores.
Efficiency was comparable in our CPU-intensive Handbrake take a look at and Cinebench R23, so long as you cranked up the Floor into efficiency mode. The MacBook Professional 14 took the lead within the Pugetbench for Premiere Professional benchmark that runs in a dwell model of Adobe’s Premiere Professional and may use discrete graphics to hurry up numerous processes. The MacBook advantages from GPU optimizations on this benchmark.
Each laptops are loads speedy, however the MacBook Professional 14 might be configured to be quicker for creators.
| Handbrake (seconds) |
Cinebench R23 (single/multi) |
Pugetbench Premiere Professional |
|
| Microsoft Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 (Core i7-13700H / RTX 4060) |
Bal: 104 Perf: 77 |
Bal: 1,075 / 10,482 Perf: 1,852 / 13,777 |
Bal: 1,047 Perf: 912 |
| Apple MacBook Professional 14 (M2 Max) |
Bal: 85 Perf: N/A |
Bal: 1,608 / 14,789 Perf: N/A |
Bal: 1,222 Perf: N/A |
Show and audio
The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 has a shiny show with wonderful distinction for an IPS panel, to go together with common shade gamut protection and wonderful shade accuracy. It’s sharp and runs at a speedy 120Hz for clean Home windows 11 animations and inking. It’s an excellent show.
The MacBook Professional 14, although, has a superior mini-LED show that’s as shiny on regular settings however can burn at as much as 1,600 nits when displaying excessive dynamic vary (HDR) content material. It provides wider colours which can be roughly as correct and an extremely excessive distinction ratio that makes for inky blacks. It’s a lot better for creators and media shoppers, and in reality, is maybe the very best laptop computer round (matched by the 16-inch mannequin) for streaming HDR video.
| Microsoft Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 (IPS) |
Apple MacBook Professional 14 (Mini-LED) |
|
| Brightness (nits) |
532 | 511 |
| AdobeRGB gamut | 100% | 100% |
| sRGB gamut | 76% | 89% |
| Accuracy (DeltaE, decrease is best) |
0.98 | 1.13 |
| Distinction ratio | 1,650:1 | 35,450:1 |
Audio additionally closely favors the MacBook Professional 14, which has six audio system and force-canceling woofers that present the very best audio on a 14-inch laptop computer. You’ll love the extremely crisp and clear mids and highs, in addition to the deep bass that’s surprisingly current. The audio will get loads loud, making the built-in audio all you want to your listening wants.
The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 makes use of Omnisonic audio system that challenge up from the keyboard. They sound nice, with good mids and highs and a contact of bass, and so they get loud sufficient for a small room. They’re nowhere close to pretty much as good because the MacBook’s audio however nonetheless adequate that you just’ll solely need headphones for music and motion TV exhibits and flicks. The most important drawback is that the audio system are lined in Studio and Pill modes, with the previous the most probably for watching video.
Portability
The MacBook Professional 14 is smaller, thinner, and lighter than the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2, and it’s extra comfy to tote round. You’ll undoubtedly discover the Floor’s weight, particularly.
The subsequent measure of portability is battery life, and easily put, the MacBook Professional 14 is vastly superior on this metric. It’s going to final at the very least twice so long as the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2, and is likely one of the few machines that can take you throughout a day’s work and effectively into the following. When you push the CPU and GPU then battery life might be much less (as it is going to with the Floor), however doing typical productiveness duties will web you among the longest battery life you’ll discover in a 14-inch laptop computer.
| Microsoft Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 (Core i9-13900H) |
Apple MacBook Professional 14 (M2 Max) |
|
| Net shopping | 7 hours, 29 minutes | 19 hours, 20 minutes |
The MacBook Professional 14 brings higher refinement
The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 is an excellent laptop computer with sturdy efficiency, a rock-solid construct, good enter choices, and a ton of flexibility. However the MacBook Professional 14 is a good laptop computer, with higher total efficiency, the very best keyboard and touchpad round, a a lot better show, and vastly superior battery life.
Sure, you’ll spend a bit extra for the MacBook Professional 14 when equally configured, however at these costs, most individuals gained’t balk on the additional value. Apple’s machine is the very best 14-inch laptop computer you should buy, and for many customers, it’s the higher selection.
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