Floor Studio 2 vs. MacBook Professional 14: the plain alternative

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, however 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 presents energy and battery life to house. Can essentially the most highly effective Floor ever win this shootout?

Specs and configurations

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. Absolutely 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 totally 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 costlier. 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 will be pulled into place at an angle over the keyboard. Microsoft calls that Studio Mode, and in the event 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 completely different from the MacBook Professional 14, which is a standard clamshell by means of and thru. Whether or not the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 presents a definite benefit comes down as to if you need to write on the show utilizing the Floor Slim Pen 2.

Each laptops are extremely properly 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 gadget in its aesthetic, with the standard 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 House Grey or Silver.

By way of their dimension, 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 worth you pay for additional flexibility.

The MacBook Professional 14 has one of the best keyboard you should buy, Apple’s Magic keyboard, with massive keycaps, glorious 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 glorious haptic touchpads that may be clicked wherever on the floor, however Apple’s Power 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 choose 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 glorious picture high quality. The Floor has an infrared digital camera for Home windows 11 Good day facial recognition, whereas the MacBook Professional 14 has a Contact ID fingerprint reader embedded within the energy button. Which is best comes right down to consumer choice.

Efficiency

The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 has only one CPU out there, 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 supply glorious productiveness and artistic efficiency. Microsoft presents a alternative 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 alternative of processors, together with the M2 Professional and the M2 Max. You may 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 check 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 stay model of Adobe’s Premiere Professional and might use discrete graphics to hurry up numerous processes.  The MacBook advantages from GPU optimizations on this benchmark.

Each laptops are a lot speedy, however the MacBook Professional 14 will be configured to be quicker for creators.

Show and audio

The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 has a vivid show with glorious distinction for an IPS panel, to go together with common coloration gamut protection and glorious coloration 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 vivid on regular settings however can burn at as much as 1,600 nits when displaying excessive dynamic vary (HDR) content material. It presents wider colours which can be roughly as correct and an extremely excessive distinction ratio that makes for inky blacks. It’s significantly better for creators and media shoppers, and in reality, is maybe one of the best laptop computer round (matched by the 16-inch mannequin) for streaming HDR video.

Audio additionally closely favors the MacBook Professional 14, which has six audio system and force-canceling woofers that present one of the 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 a lot 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 undertaking up from the keyboard. They sound effective, with good mids and highs and a contact of bass, they usually get loud sufficient for a small room. They’re nowhere close to nearly as good because the MacBook’s audio however nonetheless ok that you simply’ll solely need headphones for music and motion TV reveals and flicks. The largest downside is that the audio system are lined in Studio and Pill modes, with the previous the almost certainly for watching video.

Portability

The MacBook Professional 14 is smaller, thinner, and lighter than the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2, and it’s extra snug to tote round. You’ll undoubtedly discover the Floor’s weight, particularly.

The following measure of portability is battery life, and easily put, the MacBook Professional 14 is vastly superior on this metric. It can final no less than twice so long as the Floor Laptop computer Studio 2, and is likely one of the few machines that can take you during a day’s work and properly into the subsequent. When you push the CPU and GPU then battery life will probably be much less (as it’ll with the Floor), however doing typical productiveness duties will internet you a number of the longest battery life you’ll discover in a 14-inch laptop computer.

The MacBook Professional 14 brings higher refinement

The Floor Laptop computer Studio 2 is an excellent laptop computer with robust 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, one of the best keyboard and touchpad round, a significantly 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 one of the best 14-inch laptop computer you should buy, and for many customers, it’s the higher alternative.

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