The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go remains a highlight of the Surface lineup thanks to its ultra-cheap price, excellent build quality and gorgeous screen. This laptop redefines what budget laptops should look like, and is perfect for students. Meanwhile, however, the Surface Laptop Go 2 has been launched.
The Surface Laptop Go is one of the most adorable little laptops we’ve ever used here. It is incredibly thin and light – only 0.62 inches thick and 2.45 lb, respectively. This is definitely a laptop that is an absolute dream to carry around while commuting or traveling between classes – as soon as that’s one thing you can do regularly, at least.
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1 (4-cores, 3.60GHz boost)
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x RAM
- Screen: 12.4-Inch 1,536 x 1,024 Touchscreen
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Ports: 1 x USB Type C, 1 x USB Type A, 1 x 3.5mm Audio, 1 x Surface Connect
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5
- Camera: Widescreen HD (720p) webcam
- Weight: 2.45 lb (1.11kg)
- Size: 10.95 x 8.10 x 0.62 in (27.81 x 20.57 x 1.57cm; W x D x H)
Where to get Microsoft Surface Laptop Go?
It’s also incredibly solid for the price. Although the bottom of the laptop is plastic, the keyboard and screen are incredibly solid aluminum, resulting in a device with a premium feel.
Even the screen is incredibly solid. This is the kind of build quality we expect from laptops that cost twice as much. No flimsy plastic laptop casing here, and the Surface Laptop Go is something you can toss in your bag like this without worrying about it breaking.
There are no compromises in terms of style either. The Surface Laptop Go we received for review has an attractive Ice Blue finish. It also comes in a Sandstone finish, along with the classic Platinum color option that virtually every other Surface device has.
The closest comparison we can think of here is the 12-inch MacBook that Apple has relentlessly ignored for the past few years. The build quality and good looks are here, at a lower price. Apple’s super-ultra-portable device may have beaten the Surface Laptop Go in terms of thinness, but it is much more limited on what you can actually connect to it.
Instead of being stuck with one USB-C port like the Apple MacBook, the Surface Go has Microsoft’s Surface Connect port for charging and expansion, one USB-C port, a USB-A port and a 3.5mm combo headphone/mic jack. That’s still not many ports, but far more than we would expect from a laptop like this, especially given its small size.
For a laptop that will inevitably be used a lot for school, the input should also be good, and it certainly is. The Surface Laptop Go’s keyboard is one of the best we’ve ever used in a laptop, even much more expensive ones, and the trackpad does an excellent job, and is even quite large, considering the laptop’s footprint.