Surface Laptop Studio: Microsoft finally brings dynamic refresh rate capabilities to its 120 Hz laptop

Microsoft has enabled a long-awaited feature on the Surface Laptop Studio, a convertible laptop of sorts introduced in September 2021. For reference, the Surface Laptop Studio is one of two machines that Microsoft sells with a 120 Hz display, the other being the Surface Pro 8. At launch, Microsoft claimed that the Surface Laptop Studio would support a dynamic refresh rate, mirroring the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 that rely on Apple's ProMotion technology.

However, it has taken until now for Microsoft to deliver on its promise. As of yesterday, Microsoft issued a firmware update that enabled 'Dynamic' mode. Unfortunately, this only allows the Surface Laptop Studio to cycle between 60 Hz and 120 Hz; the machine lacks the hardware necessary to adjust its refresh rate freely or lower than 60 Hz. Theoretically, being able to do so would reduce power consumption, as Android OEMs have aimed to do with LTPO backplanes in flagship smartphones.

Currently, it is unknown when the Surface Pro 8 will receive a comparable dynamic refresh rate mode. Still, the option is rolling out to the Surface Laptop Studio across all versions of Windows 11, as are firmware updates for the Surface Dock 2 and the Surface Slim Pen 2. You can download the latest batch of firmware updates through Windows Update or from Microsoft directly. 

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