Microsoft
Surface Go: Microsoft tackles entry-level
Aprox. 537€ - see price -
See specificationsSold around € 500 (tablet only without keyboard), the Surface Go is designed for small budgets. A very contained price which does not however prevent Microsoft from offering a product of very good quality.
Our review
Presentation
With its previous Surface Pro and Surface Book, Microsoft has always targeted the high-end market by offering high-quality products. With the Surface Go, the Redmond company is trying another proposal: a less powerful product, cheaper, but not less good, at least on paper. An affordable surface but not discount, therefore, which arrives in our labs to pass on the grill.
Construction
It is a constant on the Surface: the finishes are impeccable. With a brushed aluminum chassis, the Surface Go differs from its big sisters by its size, since it adopts a 10-inch screen. We thus find an extremely neat and very pleasant tablet in hand, equipped with a pivoting foot which allows to support it. Note that Microsoft sells the tablet alone (for 450 or 600 € depending on the model), without keyboard (optional for 130 €) or stylus. An incomprehensible strategy in 2018 that allows Microsoft to play on the price, and inflate it artificially with accessories. Accessories which, moreover, enjoy the same impeccable finish.
The keyboard, precisely, has a version adapted to the size of the tablet (10 inches). The Alcantara is there and serves as a cover for the PC. The recipe does not change, the keys always having a pleasant resistance as well as a fairly short stroke, but which remains sufficient. The trackpad is still just as precise and efficient. However, the 10 inch format is sometimes a little small, especially for large hands.
Regarding connectivity, Microsoft made a drastic decision: while USB Type-C took a long time to arrive on Surface products, the Redmond company decided to fully marry this port on the Surface Go. It is equipped USB Type-C port only, and note the absence of USB-A. We also deplore the absence of recharging by USB-C. You must therefore recharge the tablet with the supplied Surface Connector charger.
Note however the presence of a microSD port to increase storage and a mini-jack for audio.
The heating is perfectly well managed. During our usual test protocol (Metro Last Light benchmark for one hour), the Surface Go reached the maximum temperature of 43 ° C in its upper part. Acceptable and not disturbing heating, the keyboard being independent of the heating part. Noise is non-existent, cooling being passive. So no fan.
Ultimately, the Surface Go is in line with previous models, that is to say a great success of design and engineering, marred all the same by some small faults related to the 10 inch format.
Screen
The Surface Go is equipped with a 10-inch IPS screen. Microsoft has kept its 3: 2 ratio so special and therefore offers a definition of 1800 x 1200 px. The focus was not on edge reduction, since the screen / front ratio is 70%, which is quite low. Nevertheless, the care given to the display is appreciable.
contrast 2150: 1 Delta E 1.8 temperature 6590 K
The passage of our probe in front of the screen reveals simply excellent results. It thus offers a dynamic contrast measured at 2200: 1. The colorimetry is also well controlled, the Delta E average being 1.8. The temperature is 6,590 K, which is very close to the video standard (6,500 K). The grays therefore neither draw towards blue nor towards red. The average gamma stabilizes at 2.2 along the entire spectrum and is therefore excellent. The maximum brightness reaches the appreciable value of 376 cd / m². The remanence is rather good for a computer not dedicated to the game, since it is limited to 13 ms.
In short, a flawless one that does honor to the Surface range.
Performances
The Surface Go is positioned as an affordable, low-power ultraportable. While the ARM was the expected choice, Microsoft finally opted for an Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y processor supported by 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD. Once the tests are done, the results come as no surprise. Note that there is a version with 64 GB storage in eMMC, therefore potentially slower.
Difficult to deliver good performance with such a processor. During our usual tests (photo, video, audio compression, etc.), this PC reached an index of 34 with our (new) test protocol. This places it behind the Galaxy Book equipped with an Intel Core m3, but still in front of the Chuwi Lapbook and its Celeron. In use, the Surface Go allows you to do simple office work and Internet browsing in good conditions, but no more.
Mobility / Autonomy
With its diagonal of 10 inches, the Surface Go adopts more the format of a tablet than an ultraportable. As a result, it fits very easily into a bag and does not take up space. Its weight of 522 grams (without the keyboard) contributes to this transportability, just like the small charger. The optional keyboard weighs 240 grams.
On the autonomy side, the Surface Go is less brilliant. Indeed, during our usual test (Netflix in Chrome, brightness at 200 cd / m², headphones plugged in), the tablet-PC turned off after 5 hours and 51 minutes. A result far from shameful, but a little disappointing all the same.
Audio
Surface Go adopts a tablet format, and therefore the sound quality of a tablet. The speakers are placed on the front on the side of the screen, which gives a natural look. If they are not very powerful, they deliver a correctly balanced sound, which makes it possible to have intelligible voices, with clearly identifiable timbres, and to listen to music occasionally. Note the presence of Dolby processing activated by default which adds relatively discreet dynamic compression which compensates for the lack of power. It also very effectively accentuates the feeling of stereophonic width, at the cost of a little fuzzy spatialization. Processing deactivated, stereophony regains precision, but is then limited to the physical dimensions of the tablet.
The headphone jack offers correct results, despite a high hair distortion and a little low power. Relatively low power for a PC, but normal for a tablet.
Conclusion
With the Surface Go, Microsoft wanted to offer something that goes beyond its usual lines by targeting the entry level. The Redmond company has not forgotten to take special care with its product, especially in terms of design and screen. However, we still regret this kit selling system (optional keyboard) to artificially increase the price, as well as a somewhat disappointing autonomy.
Specifications
Reviews
I love this device! UPDATE: No problems being out of "S Mode".
I think the Surface Go is a fantastic device if you don't set your expectations unreasonably high. For reference, I got the 64GB base model, a black type cover, and a Surface pen.
After unboxing, setup takes slightly longer than "just a moment" as the device likes to say, but if you've already got a Windows 10 device, it's pretty quick and easy. Following the initial startup, the device will need to download a variety of updates, but within 2 hours or so mine was fully up to date after multiple installations, restarts, etc ... standard computer update affairs.
I switched it out of "S mode" almost immediately, because I didn't want to be bootstrapped to the Microsoft store, and it's nice that they give you the option. It doesn't require any restart or anything, and allows you to install apps from anywhere.
Regarding performance, I have done email, lots of internet browsing and video watching, movies, drawing, and light photo editing and social networking. The device is not lightning fast and it doesn't need to be. It rarely lags more than a second or 2 to open programs but if you're used to a higher performing desktop or laptop then you will notice. The glossy screen is beautiful and photos and videos look great. There are front firing speakers that sound pretty decent but not much better than your average smartphone speakers, but this is understandable. The device makes zero noise as well, no fans or spinning disks are present here and it rarely gets hot to the touch.
Really any light duty thing you would do on a normal Windows 10 PC can be done here. And that's where this thing shines, it's versatility is just head and shoulders above laptops because of how wonderfully portable it is. It feels sturdy, good in the hand or in the lap, and the fully adjustable kickstand is magnificent. In my opinion, the add on keyboard is absolutely essential. It clips on quickly and easily with nice strong magnets. The keys are small and take some getting used to, but having a full keyboard with back-lighting in this form factor is amazing. They are far better than on screen typing. The trackpad is also wonderful, it looks silly large on there but that is a good thing. It's responsive and has a nice clicky feeling.
I don't think that the Surface Pen is nearly as essential, but it is fun and works excellent. I could see myself using it for casual note taking, there is virtually no noticeable lag.
The charger the device comes with has a proprietary port, but you can also charge it via USB-C, which is great if you have a phone with that port, because you only need one charger while you travel.
The only things worth complaining about on this device are made up for by its sturdy build and excellent functionality. It makes a fantastic bridge between the smartphone and PC, perfect for when a smartphone just isn't enough and a full size PC is too much. You don't even need to stow it during takeoff and landing on planes !!! So, set your expectations to a realistic level and the Surface Go, even the base model, will meet them.
As an added bonus personally, the Surface Go has helped me use my smartphone less, to the point that I removed most social media from my phone. When you don't have Facebook and Instagram in your pocket at all times, it is pretty amazing how quickly you realize how often you used to mindlessly scroll through your feeds. So you could say it has made me more mindful of my screen time and helped me leave both it and my phone in my pocket or out of reach more often, which we could all use a break from now and then.
One more thing ... this one is just a tip. Don't buy office! This device has a small enough screen that it qualifies for the free version of MS Office Mobile. Search online for how to get them!
UPDATE 2/4/19: I've owned this for several months now and have had zero issues. Changing out of S mode and installing Chrome and other non-Windows store programs has been no problem, no noticeable impact to memory usage or performance. Battery life is still good, just a great little device to have.
This thing is great
If you need a PC to do light work and can live with a 10 inch display, you'll love it. Or maybe you want a tablet that can be more than just that. I like the whole philosophy behind it, a device that you can take anywhere and use it in all your activities. After using it at work I can take the keyboard off and watch a movie or browse the web while listening some music or use a pen to do some digital painting as a hobby, It's just so versatile. I think this is the closest thing to what Microsoft wanted to achieve with the Surface line. Even closer than the already great Surface Pro.
And there's this premium feel to it. The magnesium body feels very solid, the kickstand doesn't move if you don't want to and if you pair it with the Alcantara keyboard it's just a very different experience that you can feel. And yet it's so light. You'll have a disappointing experience touching a plastic laptop after using one of these.
The downside is that it isn't precisely cheap. If you want it to be more than a tablet, you'll have to add the type cover keyboard, around $ 100 or more if you buy a Microsoft one (it's also great but I'm not reviewing it here). This just happens to be an affordable Surface product, and they're always expensive. But also so versatile and innovative that you'll find they worth it.
It's also very sturdy. I found that out yesterday (there was a dog involved), it fell from a feet high right on the edge of the screen. I thought I would find a shattered or cracked display, but there was nothing on it. Not even on the edge, not a single dent or scratch on the whole thing, and it's working like if nothing happened (I'm using it to write this review).
Most people complain about relatively short battery life but you can work for hours on it. I get it to work the whole day with the screen at its darkest and the battery saving mode on. Unless you use it outside that's enough brightness and performance for what you'll be using it. Another common complain are the thick bezels, but they're there for a reason, which becomes very obvious when you use it like a tablet.
This might not be the device for you if what you want is high performance for CPU or graphic demanding tasks (and of course it's far from being a gamer PC) or if you really hate Windows. But if you're looking for a portable PC / tablet you can't go wrong with this. It's light, sturdy, completelly silent, has a sleek desing and offers a full desktop experience. And if you already own a Surface Pro you'll find this fascinating and even charming. It's a scaled down version of it.
Strictly a secondary computer...love it!
Great portable computer. I have the Surface Pro 3 so I am familiar with the Surface family. I decided to see how long I can use the Surface Go with windows 10 S OS, which means that you can only install apps from the MS Windows Store ... so far, so good. If I have a need to upgrade to Windows 10 Home, the switch is very easy via the Windows Store ... just remember, you may have to update the Windows Store app then the upgrade to Windows 10 Home, for free, is available.
I use this as a secondary computer to surf web, watch Netflix, work on MS Office documents ... works exactly as advertised.