Microsoft unveils smaller, cheaper Surface tablet

Microsoft has unveiled its smallest and least expensive Surface tablet yet, a long-rumored portable device that will compete with Apple’s iPad Mini.

The Redmond company announced the new tablet after a Microsoft Twitter account sent out a teaser Monday with a picture showing four other Surface versions and the tagline “Where will Surface go next?”

To the Surface Go. The new 10-inch tablet is available now for pre-order in the U.S. and several other countries and is priced competitively to the iPad Mini, with a $399 price tag for the 64-GB storage option, and $549 for a 128-GB version.

The tablets will be available in U.S. stores beginning Aug. 2.

The lightweight, 1.15pound Surface Go — about twice as big as many smartphones — is designed to be portable, but Microsoft has also developed accessories to give it more of a laptop feel.

A keyboard case with a trackpad will go on sale at the same time for between $99 and $129, depending on the color, and a Bluetooth mouse costs $34.99.

Microsoft had developed a smaller Surface years ago. Industry watchers expected the device, dubbed the Surface Mini, to be released in 2014, but it never materialized. Specs of the device popped up years later, showing a tablet less powerful than the Go announced today.