It is probably safe to say that the Surface Studio was one of the biggest surprise that Microsoft announced back in 2016. So it is no surprise that some people are working on a Studio Surface of their own. One such company would be Dell, but unlike Microsoft, the company is not aiming to re-create the entire Surface Studio, it’s looking to create a monitor that can rival the Surface Studio.
The monitor in question is called Canvas, and much like the Surface Studio’s screen, the 27″ monitor can be folded down into a sloped surface for artists and designers to lean in and draw on it. As mentioned earlier, the Canvas is just a screen and not a 2-in-1. As such, you can plug in almost any computer into it to give yourself the pseudo-Surface Studio experience.
Also like the Surface Studio, the Canvas monitor comes with its own puck-shaped controller called Totem. Totem works exactly like how the Microsoft Dial works. By placing it on the screen of the Canvas, the Canvas will bring out a circular menu that can be used to control Windows and applications. As Totem uses the very same code that Dial operates on, you could potentially use a Microsoft Dial on the Canvas if you so happen to have one.
Resolution-wise, the Canvas loses out when compared to the Surface Studio. Where the Surface Studio comes with a 4500 x 3000 screen, the Canvas only has a 2560 x 1440 screen. Dell’s choice of a lower resolution monitor stems from the fact that the Canvas would better support a wider range of computers as which has merits of its own.
No pricing was given just yet for the Dell Canvas. As for availability, Dell has said that the Canvas will begin shipping in the U.S. in April.
Source: The Verge