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Microsoft Surface Go: At First Glance
The Surface Go is a nice-looking 10-inch 2-in-1 laptop from Microsoft.
Therefore, since it is a 2-in-1 laptop, you can use the Microsoft Surface Go in tablet mode. Moreover, you can also use it in laptop mode when you add the “Type Cover” (the keyboard).
The intention of Microsoft for the Surface Go was pretty straightforward – to recreate the Microsoft Surface Pro. However, recreating it into a smaller and lighter form factor while retaining its premium experience at a more affordable price is no easy feat.
Speaking of its affordability, the laptop starts at $204.90 – as of the time this review was published (May 2021). However, Microsoft sells the other essential components – the Type Cover and Stylus – separately.
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- Features a slate design for providing you with the ultimate portability and comfortable usability
- 10.5" screen allows a great view of movies and TV shows and yet is small enough to easily carry
- 12.50 Hours battery run time helps you stay unwired and work longer non-stop
- Quad-core (4 Core) core processor offers maximum productivity in a timely efficient manner
- 8 GB memory for smooth multitasking without crashing or slowing down
Therefore, when you add the separate cost of the Type Cover and Stylus, you’re looking at a higher cost. Now that we have discussed the laptop’s price, let’s find out if it lives up to expectation.
Microsoft Surface Go: Design, Dimension & Weight
The Microsoft Surface Go is a 10-inch Windows 10 detachable laptop. Similar to the Microsoft Surface Pro, the Surface Go has a kickstand that rotates 180 degrees.
Speaking of the kickstand, it is used to support the tablet when it isn’t lying flat on a surface. Additionally, the kickstand houses the aesthetic Microsoft logo in silver.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFurthermore, similarly to the Surface Pro, the Surface Go’s chassis is also made of magnesium but with more rounded edges. The magnesium chassis of the Microsoft Surface Go makes it firm and solidly built.
Like I mentioned earlier, the Microsoft Surface Go is a 2-in-1. Therefore, you can use it with or without the Type Cover.
When using the Surface Go in tablet mode, what you get is a thick bezel screen with an on-screen keyboard. Unfortunately, the thick bezels make the screen even smaller than it actually is.
One is left to wonder why Microsoft chose a thick-bezel design at a time when bezel-less screens are the norm. One reason could be probably to create room for the webcam which sits on the top bezel and also for the magnetic keyboard connector on the lower bezel.
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Whatever the reason Microsoft has, the thick bezel offers some advantages. For instance, it makes the Microsoft Surface Go easier to hold when using in tablet form.
The detachable Surface Go’s Type Cover is attached to the lower side of the tablet via a magnetic keyboard connector. Speaking of the type cover, the keys are narrower than that of the Surface Pro.
However, the keys give a decent amount of key travel which results in a satisfying typing experience. The keyboard is backlit and the backlight can be controlled by the navigational keys just like any other Surface computers.
Below the keyboard, you’ll find the precision touchpad. Although the touchpad is a bit small, it is quite responsive and smooth to the touch.
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Moreover, the left and right mouse buttons of the touchpad also give satisfying feedback.
Moving on to the Stylus pen, it delivers a smooth inking experience with little latency delay. It is sufficient for writing notes or making drawing drafts but definitely not for high-precision drawings.
Furthermore, the Stylus pen is perfectly attached to the left side of the laptop. Even when putting the laptop in and out of the bag, the stylus stays in place.
Let’s talk about its ports; the laptop has a 3.5 mm audio jack, a Surface Connect port, and a MicroSD slot. Additionally, there’s a USB Type- C port however, there’s no USB Type-A port that is available on the larger Surface Pro.
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Impressively, the Microsoft Surface Go is more compact and lighter than the iPad Pro 10.5-inch. The iPad Pro measures 250.6 X 174.1 x 6.1 mm and weighs 477 g.
In conclusion, I’ll rate the overall design of Microsoft Surface Go a nine. This is as a result of its quality design and portability.
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- The 1.15 lb light weight saves you from the physical strain of carrying this tablet
- 10.5" screen size and 1920 x 1280 resolution enable smooth visuals, easy content reading, and overall a great user experience
- 12.50 Hours battery run time helps you stay unwired and work longer non-stop
- Quad-core (4 Core) core processor offers maximum productivity in a timely efficient manner
- 8 GB memory makes you productive with its smooth performance
Microsoft Surface Go: Processor (CPU) Performance
Microsoft designed the Surface Go as a cheaper alternative to the Surface Pro. However, while Microsoft achieved this, some trade-offs had to be made.
The biggest trade-off was the choice of processor. The Microsoft Surface Go ships with an Intel Pentium Gold processor.
The Intel Pentium Gold is a low-performance processor. Therefore, do not expect the laptop to perform CPU-intensive tasks like a more powerful laptop would.
However, with the Intel Pentium Gold processor, the laptop can handle basic computing tasks like word processing. Additionally, it will perform web surfing without too many browser tabs running.
To determine the processor performance I performed a Geekbench 4 test.
Based on the outcome of the test, the Microsoft Surface Go scored 3900 points. Sadly, its performance is below that of the iPad 9.7-inch which scored 5,983 points.
On a brighter note, the laptop’s performance surpasses the budget laptop average score of 3,159 points. Additionally, the laptop performed better than the Lenovo Flex 6 which scored 3,072 points.
In conclusion, the laptop’s performance is below that of the iPad 9.7-inch. However, it performed better than other Windows laptops in the same category.
Therefore, I will rate the Microsoft Surface Go an eight for its processor performance.
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Microsoft offers two RAM configurations for the Microsoft Surface Go. You can get the lower configuration with 4 GB RAM while the higher configuration comes with 8 GB RAM.
The model I tested shipped with 8 GB RAM. With this RAM capacity, the laptop was able to multitask fairly.
To test its multitasking ability, I had up to 10 Google Chrome tabs opened.
The browser tabs were running apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Mail, Evernote, and more. Despite these activities running concurrently, the laptop still worked smoothly without lag.
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Based on the outcome of the test, Microsoft Surface Go completed the task in 4 minutes 42 seconds.
Comparatively, the laptop’s performance is faster than that of the ASUS E403NA. The ASUS completed the same task in 5 minutes 56 seconds.
Furthermore, the performance of the Surface Go also surpasses that of the budget laptop average of 7 minutes 15 seconds.
Finally, I will rate the RAM performance of the Microsoft Surface Go a seven. This rating is due to its more impressive performance among competing Windows laptops.
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- 10.5" PixelSense 10-Point Touch Display | UP TO 3.4Hz Intel Pentium Gold Processor | Amazon Renewed | Microsoft Refurbished | Windows 11 PRO
- 1920 x 1280 Screen Resolution (216 ppi) | 4GB RAM | 64GB SSD Storage | Type Cover and all other Accessories SOLD SEPARATELY
- Integrated Intel HD Graphics 615 | MicroSD Media Card Reader | Lightest Surface yet, starting at just 1.15 lbs.
- 1 x USB-C 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x Surface Connect port Surface Type Cover Port MicroSDXC Card Reader (UHS-I) Compatible with Surface Dial
- USB Type-C | 3.5 mm Headphone Jack, All-day battery life, with up to 9 hours of unplugged power, Windows 11 Professional
Microsoft Surface Go: Storage Options & Performance
Microsoft offers two storage options for the Surface Go. For a more budget-friendly option, you’ll get the 64 GB eMMC.
A more expensive variant of the laptop ships with a 128 GB NVMe SSD.
Additionally, Microsoft Surface Go has a microSD card slot that allows you to increase its storage capacity. This is an impressive feature that isn’t on the iPad.
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The model I reviewed shipped with the 128 GB SSD. To determine the storage performance of the laptop, I performed a file copy test.
In the test, I duplicated a 4.97 GB file on the laptop. Based on the test outcome, the laptop duplicated the file at a rate of 87.74 MBps.
Comparing this result with the budget laptop average rate of 44.22 MBps, the Surface Go is faster.
Additionally, the laptop’s copy rate is also faster than that of the Lenovo Flex 6 11. Lenovo Flex 6 11 copied the same file at 35.8 MBps.
In conclusion, i’ll rate the Surface Pro an eight for its impressive copy rate.
Microsoft Surface Go: Graphics Card Performance
The Microsoft Surface Go employs an integrated Intel HD Graphics 615. Although the laptop isn’t a gaming laptop, it can play some light games but not graphical-intensive games.
To determine the gaming performance of the laptop, I played Brutal Legends.
The game ran smoothly at the intro. However, once you’re out in the open, it runs very poorly even at the lowest settings and 720p resolution.
Additionally, I also played Dead Space at high settings and 720p resolution. The game played at 30fps resulting in an enjoyable gaming experience.
Furthermore, to determine the graphics performance of the laptop, I performed a 3DMark test. Based on the test result, Microsoft Surface Go scored 41,552 points.
Again, the iPad 9.7-inch performed better by scoring 52,353 points.
Thankfully, the Surface Pro performed better than the Lenovo Flex 6 11 which scored a lower 25,678 points. Also, the laptop’s performance surpassed the budget laptop average of 21,516 points.
Finally, I will rate the graphics performance a seven. This is due to its passable graphics performance despite not made for graphical tasks.
Microsoft Surface Go: Battery Life & Performance
Microsoft equipped the laptop with a 26.12 Wh Lithium-ion battery. For this battery, Microsoft has promised up to 9 hours of battery life at standard operations.
Although, my battery test didn’t deliver up to 9 hours, the battery performance was not terrible.
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To test the performance of the battery, I watched Netflix while the laptop was on battery better mode. The battery better mode is the default setting when the laptop isn’t plugged into power.
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From my test, I was able to get up to 6 hours 29 minutes of battery life. Therefore the laptop’s battery performance is quite decent.
However, the battery performance is below that of the Lenovo Flex 6 11. The Lenovo lasted 8 hours 45 minutes in the same test.
On a brighter note, Microsoft designed the battery with quick-charge abilities. It charges quickly both on its surface connector charger and on USB-C chargers.
Finally, I will rate the battery performance a six. This rating is due to its underperformance in comparison with other laptops in the same category.
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The Microsoft Surface Go is a portable 2-in-1 laptop. Its portability and ease of use make it a suitable option for students. Having said that, however, to make the laptop efficient for school usage, a higher-end configuration is recommended. This will offer more storage spaces to store schoolwork.
Yes, the Microsoft Surface Go can play light and less graphics-intensive games. For example, in my gaming test, I played Dead Space at high settings and 720p resolution. The game played at 30fps which is a decent frame rate, especially for a non-gaming laptop.
With 4 GB RAM, the Microsoft Surface Go can be used to perform light computing tasks. Also, if the Microsoft Surface Go is your secondary laptop, then 4 GB RAM might be sufficient. However, for users that need to perform more intensive tasks, the 8 GB RAM configuration is recommended.
The choice between the Surface Go or the Surface Pro solely depends on what you need it for. The Surface Go is the smaller option. Also, it is less powerful and less expensive than the larger Surface Pro. Additionally, the Surface Go is recommended for light computing tasks. On the contrary, the Surface Pro is larger, more powerful, and as expected, more expensive. It is recommended for more intensive computing tasks.
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Conclusion
The Microsoft Surface Go is a productive and travel-friendly 2-in-1 laptop. It can perform basic computing operations like checking mail, surfing the web, and light photo editing.
Furthermore, you cannot compare the Microsoft Surface Go’s performance with the better-configured Microsoft Surface Pro. Again, you cannot compare its performance with that of Apple’s iPad.
However, the Microsoft Surface Go performs better than the Windows laptop I pitched it against in most of the tests.
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Finally, I will recommend this laptop for users with light workloads. It is also a good choice for users that need a secondary laptop to be used on the move.
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