Microsoft debuts the 12in Surface Laptop Go
Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go makes some compromises with Windows 10 in S Mode and a sub-1080p screen.
Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop Go finally looks like the Surface that everyone can buy. It’s a smaller 12.5in notebook PC that retains the high points of the Surface line-up, at just £549 from fave.co/2GX0juC.
Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop Go fits within the niche between the 10.5in Surface Go 2 tablet, and the 13in versions of the Surface Laptop 3. Inside lies a 10th-gen Core chip, though Microsoft has made some compromises,
too: a return to Windows 10 S and a display that doesn’t quite reach 1080p resolution. We haven’t seen this product in person yet, but we already have a lot of information about it. Keep reading to learn more about this affordable Surface.
SPECIFICATIONS
• 12.45in (1,536x1,024; 148 ppi) multitouch PixelSense display
• Windows 10 Home in S Mode
• Core i5-1035G1 CPU
• UHD Graphics GPU
• 4GB-8GB LPDDR4x RAM
• 64GB eMMC, 128GB-256GB SSD
• 1x USB-C
• 1x USB-A
• Surface Connect
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 720p f2.0 (user-facing) webcam
• ‘Up to 13 hours of typical device usage’ with Fast Charging
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 278.18x205.67x15.69mm
• 1.11kg
Microsoft is offering the Surface Laptop Go in three different colour schemes – the familiar Platinum and Sandstone, but also a new Ice Blue option.
While you’re probably familiar with the Sandstone and Platinum finishes, you can take a look at the Ice Blue below.
PRICE
Microsoft is offering overlapping configurations of the Surface Laptop Go for consumers, education and business. Microsoft’s education channel offers an additional model not shown here.
£549: Core i5/4GB RAM/64GB SSD:
£699: Core i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD
£899: Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD
While that £549 starting price is appealing, the basic Core i5/4GB RAM/64GB configuration should probably be passed over in favour of more powerful options. The £699 Core
i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD is acceptable, especially when paired with Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage.
Across all configurations, Microsoft says you can expect the familiar Surface keyboard, Windows Hello accessibility and strong battery life, albeit with a few compromises here and there.
The first of these is a return to Windows 10 in S Mode, which debuted with the original Surface Laptop. Microsoft ditched Windows 10 S in later Laptops, however, suggesting that it had moved away from the OS. Windows 10 in S Mode prohibits traditional Win32 apps for security’s sake. However, Microsoft also makes it easy to for you to switch from Windows 10 in S Mode to Windows 10 Home, and for free.
The second is the Surface Laptop Go’s 12.45in display. Though it incorporates the familiar 3:2 ratio found in other Surfaces, it doesn’t quite achieve 1080p resolution, at 1,536x1,024 (148ppi). To be fair, that’s about the pixels per inch (ppi) of a 15in 1080p display, though buyers may not realize that. In any event, we’ll have to test it to see whether that resolution actually works within the smaller screen.
Microsoft’s other Surface devices are known for having high-quality, 1080p cameras, but the Surface Laptop Go steps down to 720p – which, to be fair, is par for the course on many other rival laptops.
What we haven’t seen before on a Surface product is a fingerprint reader – other Surface products have used depth cameras for authentication. Microsoft has mounted it on top of the Laptop Go’s power button. This approach has been effective for laptops we’ve seen from Huawei, such as its MateBook X Pro.
One interesting wrinkle is that the Core i5/4GB/64GB option does not include the fingerprint reader in the power button. We’re not quite sure why, or whether Windows Hello is enabled on this configuration at all.
DESIGN
The Surface Laptop Go design shows the give and take of creating an affordable laptop. Microsoft has returned to its metal finishes, apparently ditching the Alcantara fabric coating entirely. The smaller 12.4in PixelSense display may feel cramped for intensive work, but it certainly helps shave off cost – and it might not be seen as a major limitation if customers are working in more cramped conditions at home anyway.
We might have hoped for an 11th-gen Tiger Lake chip inside the Surface Laptop Go, though Intel’s 10th-gen chips are certainly fine. It actually puts the Surface Laptop Go inside the same family as the Surface Laptop 3 (Ice Lake), at least where components are concerned.
The Surface Laptop Go’s port configuration appears very familiar, with a mix of USB-A and USB-C ports alongside the Surface Connector. You’ll probably want to add a USB-C hub to your shopping list if you’re thinking about an external monitor – and you might be, given the Surface Laptop Go’s smaller screen. Even the 10.5in Surface Go 2 provided a 1,920x1,280 display. Intel’s 10th-gen processors support a 1080p external monitor, though, so adding one shouldn’t be an issue.
Microsoft says the Surface Laptop Go’s keyboard is equipped with a comfortable 1.3mm of key travel. Keyboards are a consistent strength for Microsoft’s Surface family, though earlier Surface Laptops included a more luxurious 1.5mm of key travel.
(That tiny difference, believe it or not, is noticeable.) Underneath are Microsoft’s Omnisonic speakers. There’s also a pair of far-field mics for Microsoft Teams or Zoom calls.
One mystery that we’re waiting to examine is battery life. Microsoft claims the Surface Laptop Go will offer 13 hours of battery life. Microsoft’s tests assume a rather dim 150 nits of light output, substantially less than what we use for testing. A nice plus is fast charging: Microsoft says you can charge your Surface Laptop Go to 80 per cent in just over an hour.
Microsoft has flirted with a massmarket Surface before, but there have always been some trade-offs. Microsoft’s first-generation Surface Laptop established the basics – a great display, keyboard and battery life – within a streamlined, minimalist design aimed at turning heads from Apple’s MacBooks on college campuses. But it also shipped with Windows 10 S inside, which may have turned off potential buyers.
Meanwhile, Microsoft’s ‘affordable’ Surface was its Surface Go line-up, a compact 10in tablet that cost £399 and saddled you with a somewhat anaemic Pentium-class processor. Our £719 Surface Go 2 review unit suffered from the same limitations – and, unfortunately, charged an extra £125 for the keyboard.
The Surface Laptop Go fits somewhere in the middle. Will its performance follow suit? We’ll let you know when we’ve had a chance to test it.