The danger of making anything smaller and cheaper is that you run the risk of making it too small and too cheap. The newest member of the Surface family avoids both traps.
If Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop Go looks familiar, that’s no accident. It’s a smaller, cheaper version of its older cousin, the Surface Laptop, which is now in its third iteration.
This isn’t a laptop for an extreme power user. Instead, it’s aimed at more casual business and personal use cases, where a high-priced enterprise-class machine would be overkill.
The danger of making anything smaller and cheaper is that you run the risk of making it too small and too cheap. After spending a week with the Surface Laptop Go, I can report that it avoids both traps, although I hesitate to recommend the underpowered entry-level configuration.
The consumer version of Surface Laptop Go is available in three configurations.
- The entry-level configuration comes with a 10th Generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of eMMC storage for $550.
- An upgraded configuration includes the same CPU, with 8 GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD, for $700.
- The top configuration also includes 8 GB of RAM with a 256 GB SSD, for $900. I reviewed this configuration.
By contrast, the full-sized 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3 starts at $979, and the top configuration checks in at a cool $2400.
If you shop at the Microsoft Store for Business or with one of Microsoft’s commercial partners, the entry-level configuration is not available; commercial configurations of Surface Laptop Go include one additional model, with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD storage, for $1200.
All configurations are available in Platinum; the two configurations with 8 GB of RAM are also available in Ice Blue and Sandstone.
One week is not enough time to form a fully measured opinion of a new device, so consider this report a first look rather than a formal review.
HONEY, I SHRUNK THE LAPTOP
If you’re familiar with the Surface Laptop 3, this device will seem completely familiar, albeit slightly smaller.
The display, for example, is 12.45 inches (measured diagonally), compared to the 13.5 inches of the Surface Laptop 3. The overall package is lighter as well, weighing in at 2.45 lbs (1,110 g) compared to the 2.84 lbs (1,288 g) of the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop.
That ever-so-slightly downsized package means an ever-so-slightly compressed keyboard layout as well. The difference is only about 5/8 of an inch from side to side, and the keys themselves are full size. I had no problem adjusting to the layout and typing at full speed. The Precision Touchpad beneath the keyboard is also full size and works as smoothly as it does on other Surface devices.
As with other members of the Surface family, build quality is impressive. The hinge operates smoothly and stays in position to its maximum extension. Unlike the larger Surface Laptop, this device doesn’t have an all-aluminum case; instead, the top and keyboard cover are aluminum, and the base is made from a “polycarbonate composite resin system with glass fiber and 30% post-consumer recycled content.” There’s a noticeable difference in the appearance of this plastic base, but it feels solid, not cheap or flimsy. It’s also about 1.5 mm thicker than the Surface Laptop 3.
The minimal allotment of ports is identical to the larger Surface Laptop. On the left are a single USB-A port and a single USB-C port, along with a 3.5 mm headphone jack. On the right is a Surface Connect port. The compact 39W charger is capable of Fast Charging the device to 80% in an hour.
THE COMPROMISES
Making the Surface Laptop Go smaller and cheaper doesn’t just involve shaving its exterior dimensions. The feature list includes a handful of cost-cutting design compromises as well.
For starters, this model ships with Windows 10 Home in S Mode. If you’re planning to give this PC to a student for remote learning, that might save you some support headaches, but it also increases the risk that they’ll be unable to install a required software package. Fortunately, switching out of S Mode is a simple process.
If you’re accustomed to the high-resolution display of other Surface devices, you’ll need to scale back your expectations with the Surface Laptop Go. The default resolution is 1536 x 1024, or 148 PPI, compared to the 201 PPI display of the slightly larger Surface Laptop display. My review unit was configured for 100% scaling, which might be appropriate for a teenager’s eyes, but I was far more comfortable after bumping the scaling factor up to 125%.
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