Microsoft Surface Studio 2 (2018) Official: Release Date, Price, Features

During a press event in New York today, Microsoft unveiled what it calls the "most powerful Surface ever." The new Surface Studio 2 builds upon the company's original Surface Studio model, bringing the same foundational experience with updated hardware and faster graphics performance. The display is arguably the most important part of the Studio, and that too has received an upgrade.

The Surface Studio 2, as with the original model, is targeted at artists and other creative professionals who need a high-end display with precision pen capabilities. As the video below shows, the product isn't limited only to drawing and image editing, though, also being useful for things like Web design.

The new Surface Studio 2 boasts a display that is 38-percent brighter than the original model, also offering 22-percent better contrast levels and a sleek, modern design. The display supports the Surface Dial and the Surface Pen, the latter of which gets 4,096 levels of pressure with tilt sensitivity.

As well, the updated model is said to offer 50-percent faster GPU performance and next-generation Pascal graphics. As demonstrated in the video above, the device is placed on a very flexible hinge, enabling the user to adjust Studio so that it is nearly flat on the surface or positioned fully upright, with other angles between those two also being an option.

The new Surface Studio 2 2018 model can be preordered starting today in select markets with everyone else getting access starting early next year. The model is listed with a starting price of $3,499 USD on Microsoft's website with a November 15 shipping date.