Surface Studio 3: Release date, everything we know, and what we’re hoping for

Microsoft’s Surface Studio 3 is coming, and in fact, the Surface Studio 2 is the Microsoft PC that hasn’t been refreshed in the longest period of time. It was announced on October 2, 2018 at the same event as the Surface Laptop 2 and Surface Pro 6, two devices that have been revved twice since then.

Moreover, the Surface Studio 2 has last-gen specs at launch. While the new Surface Laptop 2 and Surface Pro 6 were using newer eighth-gen chips, the Studio 2 had seventh-gen processors. This was a problem when Windows 11 was announced. At first, it required an eighth-gen Intel processor, so a brand-new Surface Studio 2, which you can buy today, wouldn’t be supported. The company ended up backtracking on the supported CPUs.

Surface Studio 3 release date: When is it coming out?

Microsoft hasn’t announced the Surface Studio 3 yet, and rumors are starting to circulate that it will be announced at a hardware event on October 12th. The original model was released in late 2016 and the second one came out in late 2018, so we’re well overdue for a refresh.

When Windows 11 released in October, Microsoft released new hero hardware. It ended up being the Surface Pro 8 and the Surface Laptop Studio as the hero devices, and then we got the Surface Go 3 and a Wi-Fi only variant of the Surface Pro X. For this year, alongside this new Surface Studio 3, we’re expecting the Surface Pro 9, Surface Laptop 5, and Surface Pro X 2.

The Surface Studio 3 would fit right in as a new hero product, especially given the similar form factor to the Surface Laptop Studio. But aside from the launch timeframe, there still haven’t been any solid rumors or leaks.

Surface Studio 3: What we’re expecting

When the Surface Studio 2 came out, it came with a spec bump, USB Type-C, and a better display. Here’s what we’re expecting from the Surface Studio 3.

A spec bump

The Surface Studio had sixth-gen processors, while the Surface Studio 2 had seventh-gen chips. Obviously, the Surface Studio 3 should have something substantially newer. From what we’ve heard, it sounds like that might end up using Intel 11th-gen processors, which would be pretty disappointing. Intel has just unveiled its 13th-generation processors for desktops, and 12th-generation models have been out for almost a year. There’s no indication on whether those will be mobile processors like we’ve seen in the past, or if Microsoft is at least switching to desktop parts.

Similarly, the GPU inside the Surface Studio 3 is also likely to be a very big upgrade from the current model. We’re hearing that it will feature Nvidia RTX graphics, which is what you’d expect in 2022. This will most likely be in the RTX 30 series and not the recently-announced RTX 40 series, however, since those aren’t widely available and probably wouldn’t fit in this form factor anyway.

Aside from that, the Surface Studio 3 should come with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and that could be the only SKU available.

New features (including Thunderbolt)

Another change we’re expecting with the Surface Studio 3 is the addition of Thunderbolt 4 support. This is something Microsoft has finally started to embrace with the Surface Pro 8 and Surface laptop Studio, and it makes perfect sense for it to be here. That means you can hook up more accessories with a Thunderbolt dock, or use a more powerful external GPU when the included one isn’t cutting it anymore.

Microsoft should also be adding support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, similar to other premium Surface devices launched in the past year.

Surface Studio 3: The wish list

A bigger screen

The number one thing on my wish list for a Surface Studio 3 is a bigger screen. Right now, it comes in at 28 inches 3:2, which is pretty sweet. But what if we had options? I’d love to see a big 32-inch option.

It would also be nice to see a smaller option, something around 24 inches. Microsoft loves to pretend that the Surface Studio competes with Apple’s iMac, but let’s face it. The new 24 inch iMac with Apple’s M1 processor starts at $1,299. The Surface Studio 2, if you bought one today, still starts at its original price of $3,499.

A lower price

This is similar to what I just said about screen options, because the reason I want to see that smaller option is so Microsoft could make something more affordable. But also, I want the main, 28 inch option to be more affordable, making the new 24-inch option even more affordable.

Let’s face it; the Surface Studio is the least successful line of Surface PCs. After all, even if the hardware was brand-new, $3,500 is an absurd amount of money to pay for a desktop, and that’s the starting point. In order for that to make sense, you really have to want that “convertible desktop” form factor.

Say what you want about Apple’s pricing, but the least expensive iMac is $1,099. That puts an iMac in any home that wants one. Microsoft has pushed to that market with tablets and laptops, but it hasn’t even attempted to do that with desktop PCs. It’s time.

Removable storage

I almost put this in the ‘what to expect’ section, because I truly believe this is something Microsoft will be putting in all of its Surface products. It’s already in the Surface Pro X, Surface Laptop 3 and 4, and the Surface Pro 7+.

Microsoft is renowned for charging ridiculous premiums for storage tiers. For example, the Surface Studio 2 comes in 16GB / 1TB, 32GB / 1TB, and 32GB / 2TB configurations, priced at $3,499.99, $4,199.99, and $4,799.99, respectively. Of course, Microsoft doesn’t want you upgrading your own storage for far less than it would charge you, but that’s one of the benefits of removable storage. And since we’re hearing there may only be one storage variant, it’s even more important to be able to upgrade.

The real benefit, however, is for businesses and governmental institutions. If you’ve got sensitive information on your device and it needs to be serviced, that’s a real problem. With removable storage, you can remove the SSD before sending the device out. It also makes it easier to destroy the storage when recycling the PC. Considering that Microsoft is increasingly focused on the business segment of the market, I’d expect this across the whole portfolio.

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That’s all that we know about the Microsoft Surface Studio 3. As we learn more, we’ll update this page with new information.