Who needs speed?
According to Microsoft, the new Go is 64% faster than the original and, yes, the Intel Core m3-8100Y CPU in the more powerful Surface Go 2 is a big step up. Before you get too excited, though, note that this improvement comes from a low base: the original Surface Go was no speed fiend.
While the Surface Go 2 is fine for office-based tasks such as word processing, browsing the web and streaming, there’s a limited amount of power on offer here, so more demanding tasks such as RAW photo editing will slow things down dramatically. Even having multiple tabs open in Chrome and working on large Google Sheets can have a negative impact on how responsive the Surface Go 2 feels to use, and you can forget about video editing or rendering.
In terms of benchmarks, the Surface Go 2 compares well to the previous version but poorly to pretty much everything else. In our own tests, it scored 32 to the 20 of its predecessor, but consider that the Honor MagicBook 14 ( see p65) thundered to 109.
Or compare its results in Geekbench 4’s single-core and multicore tests, where its 4,056 and 6,790 look great next to the 2,133 and 4,105 of the first Surface Go, but are liquidated by the Honor’s 3,975 and 11,951. Even the basic Apple iPad runs it close, scoring 3,553 and 6,078 in Geekbench 4.
Anything other than basic games will also prove beyond the Surface Go 2. I ran the ageing Dirt: Showdown benchmark at a lowly 720p and it achieved an average frame rate of only 14fps. This is clearly no speed demon, and the cheaper Surface Go 2 is likely to be even less so.
Battery life is fine, but not great. The Surface Go 2 lasted 7hrs 17mins in our video-rundown test with Flight mode engaged and the screen set to a brightness of 170cd/m², which is middling by modern ultraportable Windows laptop standards.
“I love the careful attention that Microsoft has paid to the finer details too, such as the top-quality webcam and surprisingly good speakers”
love the careful attention that Microsoft has paid to the finer details too, such as the top-quality webcam, excellent microphone and surprisingly good speakers.
However, the Surface Go 2 suffers from one big, insurmountable weakness: the power on tap. It’s certainly not right for all-day work. Meanwhile, if you’re primarily looking for a tablet, buy an iPad. Those hunting for maximum value and lots of power are better off with a proper laptop such as the Honor MagicBook 14.
With all those caveats in place, I would recommend the Surface Go 2 to the lightest of users or as a companion device. If you don’t need power or a big screen – and want Windows – the Microsoft Surface Go 2 is the best dual-purpose ultraportable machine I’ve seen.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dual-core 1.1GHz Intel Core m3-8100Y processor 8GB RAM Intel UHD Graphics 615 10.5in touchscreen IPS display, 1,920 x 1,280 resolution 128GB SSD 5-megapixel webcam 8-megapixel rear camera 2x2 802.11ax Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5 USB-C 3 3.5mm jack microSD card reader Surface Connect port NFC 27Wh battery
Windows 10 Home in S mode 245 x 175 x 8.3mm (WDH) 544g 1yr limited warranty