The big advantage of the Surface Go is the slim and lightweight design equal iPad, which can run the full Windows software you need. The display of the Surface Go is also impressive. However, Surface Go also has disadvantages that you should know, such as Pentium Gold processor performance is not good.
Surface Go is the smallest and cheapest tablet from Microsoft, but technical specs and applications can still make users feel uncomfortable. Surface Go is not a tablet to compete with the Apple iPad Pro, not to replace the powerful laptops, but for $ 399, you will have a good choice for a different device.
Impressive, high-end design
Surface Go feels like a smaller maybe miniature take on the older Surface, you know. The silver magnesium finish gives it that shiny and solid vibe, pretty much in the same spirit as the Surface Pro. And there is no real sign that the Surface Go is some bargain, cheap-ish kind of tablet.
For the very first time with the Surface Go, you might actually be surprised to find a 10-inch screen in a device that still looks sturdy on the outside. It only weighs about 0.5 kg ,which is basically Microsofts target here, make it as mobile as possible.
Still, the bezel is rather large, and yeah that can be a minus for a lot of people. But the trade off is that the display really holds up. At 1,800×1,200 pixels ,everything looks crisp, and it stays bright enough to show text and images even when the sun is blasting directly at it.
Performance is fine, but it wont blow you away.
Unlike some of the other Surface models before, the Surface Go kind of feels more like a real tablet. That curved grip in the hand, it makes it way more comfortable so you can just keep using it to read or scroll around the Web for hours, without too much fuss, really.. Plus the thin form factor makes it easier to take along, more convenient than a typical laptop.
Meanwhile, Surface Go still provides everything Windows 10 to help work and entertainment efficiency. Of course, for a lightweight device, there are always costs to pay when evaluating performance.
First, the Surface Go comes with a pre-loaded Windows 10S style operating system, basically only allowing apps you get from the Microsoft Store. Technically you can switch and put in Windows 10 Home too, but Microsoft does not really recommend that, like at all.
Second, the Surface Go is tied down to a dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y processor. Microsoft claims this chip is 30 percent faster than the Surface 3’s Atom model. Yet, honestly the Pentium Gold 4415Y is still a low power, low-performance sort of chip ,and it just doesn’t really match a device introduced in 2018.
Sometimes loading a web page has a lot of complicated content and video, making the CPU run up to 100%. 8GB of RAM gives you a little bit of performance improvement so that you can browse Chrome tabs simultaneously. However, the 4GB RAM version can make you feel constrained.
You can still handle office work with multiple Office documents at the same time. Just do not turn on dozens of browser tabs, YouTube videos, and Photoshop simultaneously; everything is fine. Surface Go is still a tablet, not a real laptop.
Surface Go battery life can also make you happy. Surface Go can last 9 hours in the HD video test, 50 minutes, 40 minutes more than Microsoft Surface 3.
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Accessories and connectivity
When redesigning the Surface Go, Microsoft also had to redesign the smaller Type Cover keyboard. The new Type Cover keypad is also much thinner than the previous version, so the keypad stroke is also reduced. However, the amount of feedback is good enough to help the user feel the keypress.
The new cover will cost $ 99 for the standard edition and $ 129 for the high-end version with Alcantara. In addition, the Surface Go comes with a new Surface Pen, which supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensor on the touch screen 10 points. The Surface Pen can be used on Surface Go and all other high-end Surface versions.
Surface Go is equipped with a 5MP front camera and an 8MP rear camera. Interestingly, this low-cost tablet still features Windows Hello, which allows for face recognition.
Aside from the standard Surface charging connector, this tablet also has a very good USB-C connector. For that same connection you can use the USB-C port to plug in the tablet charger. The Microsoft Surface Book 2 is the only device with USB-C available, so it kind of suggests that Microsoft favors the low-cost tablet option. And, separately , the Surface Go comes with a microSDXC card reader underneath the base.
Price and competition
Surface Go has a starting price of $ 399 with a Pentium Gold CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage. The higher-end version costs $ 549, with Pentium Gold CPUs, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSDs.
4GB of RAM is quite useless, and slow memory eMMC memory is so quiet, so the standard Surface Go version is not worth it. And if you choose the premium version, you will have to pay $ 99 more for the Type Cover keyboard and $ 100 for the Surface Pen.
But at this price, you can hardly find a tablet or ultra-thin laptop with the same configuration and meet the needs of working with full Windows software.
Although Surface Go technically looks like a Windows 10 machine, it’s a laptop. You can work in the office, surf the web and watch videos online. And with the slim, easy-to-carry design, the Surface Go is suitable as an accessory that you can carry around in meetings, business trips, or work outside the cafe.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.