Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review: A low-cost Surface of middling value

Price When Reviewed

$799.99

Best Prices Today: Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

$629.99

$799.99

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$799.99

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$799.99

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Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2 laptop computer tries to persuade you {that a} processor improve is sufficient to sway you over the competitors whereas tweaking the value configurations and including a brand new shade. And you understand what? The soar to an 11th-gen Core chip does matter, particularly while you regulate the Windows 11 efficiency settings.

We’ll introduce you to one of the best of what the Surface Laptop Go 2 has to supply (a wonderful fingerprint reader), but additionally level out some comparably-priced laptops which will supply extra of what you’re on the lookout for. You’ll additionally wish to pay shut consideration to the real-time pricing. In this market, an anticipated worth minimize of simply $100 beneath the listing worth could make an actual distinction.

Surface Laptop Go 2: Specs and options

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2 stays comparatively unchanged from its earlier iteration, the unique Surface Laptop Go, with all however two main specs receiving upgrades. The Go 2 now makes use of Intel’s 11th-gen Core processor inside, although with a single choice: the Core i5-1135G7. That’s a era behind most laptops, which use Intel’s 12th-gen Core chips or rival Ryzen processors from AMD. Microsoft additionally made a serious change within the OS. It now makes use of Windows 11 Home, which eliminates all the earlier app configuration points surrounding the inclusion of Windows 10 in S Mode.

Consumers could select from between 4GB and 8GB of RAM or 128GB and 256GB of SSD storage. We’d advocate that potential consumers keep away from the $599 4GB RAM model, because the reminiscence constraints can have an antagonistic impact on efficiency. Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage and potential third-party exterior storage choices make both the 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB storage choices viable, nevertheless, and a 64GB SSD choice supplied within the Surface Laptop Go has been eliminated. In truth, Microsoft encourages you to activate OneDrive cloud backup throughout the setup course of.

Overall, your Surface Laptop Go 2 choices vary from between $599 to $799 versus the $549 to $899 vary of the sooner mannequin. This doesn’t fairly hit the price range worth level of competing laptops, however arguably represents one thing of a worth minimize, too.

Otherwise, Microsoft has added a brand new shade configuration, Sage. This is along with the present Platinum, Ice Blue, and Sandstone shade choices. Businesses even have the selection of shopping for the Surface Laptop Go 2 for Business, which comes pre-loaded with Windows 11 Pro fairly than the Windows 11 Home OS that accompanies the buyer fashions. The Business model might be configured with Windows 10 Pro as nicely.

• Display: 12.45-inch (1536×1024, 148 PPI) 10-point multitouch PixelSense show
• Processor: Core i5-1135G7
• Graphics: Xe Graphics
• Memory:  4GB-8GB LPDDR4x (8GB as examined)
• Storage: 128GB-256GB SSD (256GB as examined)
• Ports: 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A, Surface Connect, 3.5mm audio jack
• Camera: 720p f2.0 (user-facing)
• Battery: 39.7Wh (design capability), 40.7Wh (measured full cost capability)
• Wireless: WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1
• Operating system: Windows 11 Home (client); Windows 11 Pro/Windows 10 Pro (enterprise)
• Dimensions (inches): 10.95 x 8.12 x 0.62 inches
• Weight: 2.48 kilos
• Chassis: Aluminum, with polycarbonate resin (30 p.c post-consumer recycled content material)
• Colors: Ice Blue, Sandstone, Platinum, Sage
• Price: Beginning at $599 ($799 as examined)

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Surface Laptop Go 2: Build high quality and ports

The Surface Laptop Go 2 is actually a refresh of the unique Surface Laptop Go and we’d encourage you to re-read our unique Surface Laptop Go review for extra element. We’ll recap the details right here, however essentially the most important variations are in efficiency, which we summarize within the sections beneath.

Microsoft designed the Surface Laptop Go 2 as its reply to a Chromebook, a (comparatively) cheap, compact clamshell laptop computer. In the previous, the Surface Laptop Go was a showcase for Windows 11 in S Mode, a restricted model of the working system that restricted customers to downloading pre-approved apps from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft hasn’t mentioned why it made the change, nevertheless it affords the liberty to obtain no matter app you’d like with out the necessity to swap out from Windows 11 in S Mode, because the laptop computer ships with Windows 11 Home as a substitute.

Physically, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is a compact, light-weight laptop computer whose show folds again to about 45 levels. Inside the field, Microsoft features a 39W charger that powers the laptop computer by way of the Surface Connect connector on the right-hand facet of the show. Alternatively, you’ll be capable to cost the laptop computer by way of the USB-C port, supplied you could have a third-party USB charger that provides sufficient energy. Typing on the Surface Laptop Go 2 could seem like it could be a bit cramped, given the smaller keyboard deck. However, Microsoft shaves off simply half an inch of keyboard area in comparison with, say, the Surface Laptop Studio. It’s simply effective.

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As we famous in our evaluate of the Surface Laptop Go, the smaller dimensions additionally profit the show. Though the 12.45-inch (148 PPI) show doesn’t fairly attain the pixel density of a 1080p display screen, the smaller show doesn’t negatively impression the smaller pixel depend by that a lot. Images will nonetheless look a bit of grainy in locations, and also you’ll discover some textual content that isn’t as sharp as you’d count on on the laptop computer’s display screen. But there’s additionally nothing stopping you from connecting it to an exterior, higher-resolution show as nicely. The purist in us needed to reject its 1024p show from the get-go, however virtually it actually doesn’t matter. On the opposite hand, it’s a bit of bizarre that it has far much less display screen decision than Microsoft’s $629.99 Surface Go 3 tablet.

On the left-hand facet of the laptop computer you’ll discover a standard USB-A port, a USB-C port, and headphone jack, appropriate for connecting each fashionable and legacy gadgets. On the right-hand facet Microsoft consists of the Surface Connect port, which has begun phasing out in its dearer Surface gadgets. The Surface Connect means that you can increase the Surface Laptop Go 2’s I/O capabilities by way of the Surface Dock, together with shows. In any occasion, the Surface Laptop Go 2 will assist as much as one extra 4K show and one 1080p show (or two 1080p shows), each at 60Hz. That’s in all probability completely effective for a price range laptop computer.

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The Surface Laptop Go 2 shouldn’t be fanless. It seems to vent air out and in by way of the hinge. The default Windows 11 setting for energy/efficiency is its lowest setting, when the fan will often kick beneath a load. This normally doesn’t occur throughout Web shopping or workplace work, nevertheless. You can flip up the efficiency by way of the Windows 11 settings, the place it’s going to make a small distinction (extra on that in our efficiency part). While you’re nearly certain to expertise fan noise, it shouldn’t be an annoyance.

We’ll refer you to our unique Surface Laptop Go review for extra particulars on the sub-1080p show. The brief reply is that no, the decrease pixel density doesn’t appear to matter, although it’s noticeable in sure instances. While that show was rated at about 330 nits of luminance, we measured the Surface Laptop Go 2’s show producing 358 nits of luminance. While it’s not likely vibrant sufficient to work exterior in direct daylight, it must be effective for even well-lit rooms. The shade gamut, nevertheless, is fairly poor. It’s 96 p.c of the sRGB shade gamut, however solely 71 p.c of AdobeRGB. This shouldn’t be a creator’s laptop computer.

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Surface keyboards have historically been among the many greatest within the trade, although they’ve declined a bit lately. The Surface Laptop Go 2 keyboard stays, so far as we will inform, unchanged from the Surface Laptop Go keyboard, with 1.3mm of key journey. That’s fairly snug in my guide, with a keyboard deck that fills nearly all the width of the keyboard. Unfortunately, Microsoft selected to exclude keyboard backlighting on each generations of the Surface Laptop Go.

I can’t complain concerning the trackpad, both: it’s pretty giant and fills the obtainable palm relaxation. It’s clickable all the way in which to the highest, although it requires some effort within the higher half. Gestures labored as anticipated.

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You’ll in all probability just like the fingerprint reader that’s nestled beneath the facility button. Windows asks you to extensively practice it, resting and eradicating your finger many occasions earlier than it’s glad, at varied angles. This pays off; the Surface Laptop Go 2’s fingerprint reader was fast and responsive, and might log you in and energy up the PC in a single faucet. And sure, a fingerprint reader doesn’t care whether or not you’re sporting a protecting masks in a public place, both.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 accommodates a pair of upward-facing Omnisonic audio system, enhanced with Dolby Atmos. The audio is pretty middling. It’s nothing to complain about (the place flat laptop computer audio is anxious), however nothing to put in writing dwelling about both. There are nonetheless higher laptops the place audio is anxious. HP’s use of its B&O audio system can present first rate sound on their price range laptops and Dell’s Latitude 9510 and up to date XPS notebooks present undeniably richer, fuller sound.

Microsoft selected a regular 720p user-facing digicam as a substitute of a 1080p webcam for the Surface Laptop Go 2, which is in keeping with the competitors, each price range laptops in addition to dearer opponents. Like its predecessor, the ensuing picture is considerably delicate, although with good shade stability and publicity. A pair of far-field mics will assist with Zoom and Teams calls, although they didn’t sound any worse or higher than different gadgets when checked with Windows’ Voice Recorder app.

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The Surface Laptop Go 2 doesn’t appear to ship with bloatware, though that is considerably configurable: throughout the setup course of, Windows 11 will ask whether or not you need your laptop computer arrange for gaming, productiveness, a household surroundings, or some mixture of the varied selections. In normal, it’s a comparatively optimized machine.

Surface Laptop Go 2 efficiency

The processor improve provides a bit to the general efficiency of the Surface Laptop Go 2, although it’s essential to notice that Microsoft launched the Surface Laptop Go 2 (with an 11th-gen Core chip inside) throughout the interval through which increasingly more laptops are transport with a 12th-gen “Alder Lake” Core chip or AMD’s Ryzen equal. On the opposite hand, efficiency shouldn’t be your first precedence with the Surface Laptop Go 2.

Real-world checks with the Surface Laptop Go 2 bolstered our impressions of its predecessor. Opt for 8GB of RAM and try to be effective. The laptop computer surfed the online utilizing Microsoft Edge acceptably, and performed again 4K video utilizing streaming companies simply effective. That’s a little bit of a misnomer, in fact, since a 4K60 YouTube video was really delivered to the laptop computer utilizing sub-1080p decision after the laptop computer’s capabilities have been detected. With that mentioned, it nonetheless carried out almost completely, dropping simply 3 frames in a 10,000-frame check loop.

Naturally, this isn’t a gaming laptop computer, although you’ll be able to definitely check out Game Pass Ultimate’s cloud gaming function. We used an older Xbox 360 controller, related by way of USB, and obtained what we might count on of a streamed cloud recreation. Our 3DMark benchmark beneath signifies that the Surface Laptop Go 2 actually isn’t a gaming PC, in any other case.

We’ve in contrast the $799 Surface Laptop Go 2 to different price range PCs we’ve lately examined: the $860 Acer Swift 3 (SF316-51), the $849 Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1, the $499 Acer Aspire 5, and the $1,000 Acer Swift X, which provides a discrete GPU for additional gaming oomph. We’ve additionally included the comparably priced $750 HP Pavilion Aero 13, the $799-$899 Acer Aspire Vero, and two Microsoft Surface gadgets, the Surface Laptop 4 (Ryzen) and the unique Surface Laptop Go.

We use 4 customary checks: UL’s PCMark 10 and 3DMark to measure normal workplace utilization and 3D gameplay plus Cinebench R15 and the Handbrake video conversion device.

PCMark 10 offers a bloc of checks, from Web shopping to workplace work, in addition to gentle gaming and even some CAD work. It’s an excellent total device to check efficiency and the Surface Laptop Go 2 performs pretty nicely. This is an effective check to find out merely how nicely the Surface Laptop Go 2 will carry out on common.

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For apps that don’t fall into the vary of workloads that PCMark covers, we use Cinebench R15 to measure how nicely the laptop computer would carry out. Intel’s Core i5-1135G7 is a quad-core chip with eight threads and we faucet all of them to render a picture as shortly as potential. This pushes the laptop computer’s processor to the restrict for a short while.

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For a extra extended check, we use Handbrake, a video conversion device that transcodes video into different codecs. Here, we take a Hollywood-quality video and transcode it right into a size and format appropriate for a pill. While it simulates a real-world activity, it additionally measures how nicely the laptop computer retains itself cool beneath a heavy load. A thermally well-managed laptop computer can carry out at increased clock speeds for an extended time period, finishing the duty shortly.

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We use 3DMark to evaluate how nicely the GPU performs. With the transfer to a “G7” graphics chip, we count on a bump in graphics efficiency, although nothing near what a discrete GPU would ship. The Surface Laptop Go 2 performs adequately for a laptop computer in its class.

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Finally, we loop a 4K video time and again till the battery expires. The Surface Laptop Go 2 has a battery with equivalent capability as its predecessor, so we’d count on about the identical battery life, with some variation allowed for the brand new Windows 11 working system and processor. The Go 2 falls a minute in need of 9 hours of battery life.

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Conclusion:

Part of the enchantment of the Surface Laptop Go 2 is its worth. But a sensible purchaser ought to begin wanting on the tradeoffs. Would paying $200 extra for a laptop computer just like the (at the moment unavailable) Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon and its attractive 2.8K OLED display screen make extra sense? For about $950 (at press time), you should purchase the Acer Swift X, a full-fledged ultraportable gaming machine. What concerning the Acer Swift 3 (SF316-51), a perennial contender on the $800-ish vary? Even the comparably priced HP Pavilion Aero 13 affords much more for the greenback. The competitors is intense.

Certain Microsoft Surface gadgets are merely greatest in school, justifying their worth premium: the Surface Pro 8 pill, for instance. The Surface Laptop Go 2 merely isn’t and price range consumers should ask tougher questions in the case of paying extra. While the Surface Laptop Go 2 is okay for what it affords, its downside is all too frequent. The competitors can supply as a lot for much less.