Microsoft unveils all-in-one desktop PC ‘Surface Studio’ with zero-gravity hinge

Microsoft’s Windows 10 event in New York was both cool and high on tech. From an all new Surface desktop with “zero-gravity” hinge to a more powerful Surface Book i7 to Paint 3D and Windows 10 VR headsets, it was an evening full of high-tech surprises.

Expanding the horizons of the Surface family, Microsoft launched Surface Studio - an all in one desktop PC that “transforms from a workstation into a powerful digital canvas, unlocking a more natural and immersive way to create on the thinnest LCD monitor ever built.”

The new device has a 28-inch display with 13.5 million pixels (192 PPI) and a 4.5K Ultra HD touchscreen that sits comfortably within the 12.5 mm thin forged aluminum enclosure for the display.

Panos Panay, head of engineering for all of Microsoft’s devices, explained that this computer has “the world’s thinnest LCD monitor ever built” for a desktop.

Also one can switch on the fly between different color modes, DCI-P3 and sRGB. This one will appeal to designers and photographers among others who work and play with colours.

But the main highlight of the new Surface desktop is its ‘zero gravity hinge’ that allows you to adjust the display to near-flat orientation. It is an important addition for the convenience of drawing and marking on the fly.

Coming to the internal specifications, the Surface Studio is powered by a 6th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, coupled with a 1TB of built-in storage, 8GB of RAM and a 2GB GPU. There’s also a linear microphone array at the top of the display and a Surface Studio HD Camera that naturally supports Windows Hello.

There is another model too, that will pack in an even more powerful Core i7 processor, along with 2TB hybrid drive, 32 GB RAM and a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce 980M graphics card. You just need to shell out $1200 extra for this one. Whereas the basic model will cost you $2,999, the high-end i7 processor device will demand $4199.

The Redmond giant also unveiled an accompanying accessory to its Surface Studio called the Surface Dial- “a new tool for the creative process.”

Aimed at graphics designers accessing frequently used features, including scrolling and swiping through documents and images, this handheld device can be rotated to control what’s on the screen, and you can also “click” or “tap” it to access different options as you navigate around, especially when you’re working in 3D.