Microsoft's updated Surface line-up includes the new Microsoft Surface Laptop Go, a sleek and stylish small laptop that is perfectly balanced in terms of power, battery life and size.
Powered by a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go comes with two memory options (4 GB and 8 GB) and three storage options, including eMMC (64 GB) or SSD (128 GB or 256 GB). The unit I received for review came with 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD. In terms of performance, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is a fast laptop, ideal for light to medium applications - web, document creation, light photo editing, browsing, streaming all work well on this platform.
Out-of-the-box, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go comes with Windows 10 in S Mode as well as Microsoft 365 (Office 2016) pre-installed. You will still need a subscription to use Microsoft Office apps.
Windows 10 in S mode is similar in all things UI (User Interface) to other Windows 10 versions. The basic difference here is that Windows 10 in S Mode allows you to run apps downloaded from the Windows Store only (or the Microsoft Office apps that come pre-installed). The idea is to create a more secure platform where malware risks are reduced drastically by eliminating the possibility of external applications being infection vectors.
Because of this, the UX (User Experience) is a bit different though. If you try downloading and installing an application from the Internet a message will appear and let you know "For security and performance, Windows 10 in S mode run Microsoft-verified apps".
You will also find that some built-in apps won't run - mainly if they can negatively affect security or allow you to make significant changes to your device. This means no access to a command prompt (either CMD or Powershell) and certainly no regedit. But strangely enough, you do get access to Computer Management. Another thing is the lack of a Microsoft Store Teams apps - while you have a Skype app, you will have to resort to browser-based Teams if your organisation requires you to use that platform.
If do need to use non-Microsoft Store application you can always switch the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go from Windows 10 in S Mode to Windows 10 Pro - for free and quickly. This really should be done if you plan to have non-Microsoft Stores applications installed e.g. my daughter attends a school that offers Adobe education licences so that students can use their applications (mainly Photoshop and Indesign) during art classes.
For my review, I decided to stick with Windows 10 in S mode. This means I can use Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge browser but can't install other browsers. No big deal here as I have been using Microsoft Edge for a few months now and it is a great Chromium-based option if you don't want to go too deep into Google's ecosystem with their Chrome browser.
I have installed Paint.Net and instead of Notepad++ I have installed Code Writer (which I am using right now to write this review). Prime Video and Spotify come pre-installed, but I have also downloaded Netflix. So no big problems here.
The 12.4" PixelSense touchscreen display supports 1536 by 1024 pixels (148 PPI) and it's powered by an integrated Intel UHD GPU. It also sports the Surface's 3:2 aspect ratio. It will notice it uses a more traditional laptop hinge instead of the futuristic hinge introduced with the original Surface Laptop devices. It moves nicely and easily.
A 720 HD camera is located on top of the screen and a white LED lets you know when the camera is in use. I tried it with Skype and the built-in camera app and it does an ok job. This is not a high megapixel camera - in 720 HD photo mode, it is basically a 0.9 megapixel device. It can also capture 720 HD video in 16:9 ratio (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS. But most interestingly it supports HDR mode.
Measuring 278.18mm x 205.67mm x 15.69mm and weighing at only 1.1 Kg, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is ideal for people on the go - and its full-size laptop keyboard sits on an aluminium top, making it very comfortable to type - the only thing you might notice here is the lack of backlit keys. It does have a power button incorporated into the layout (on the top row, next do DEL) and it even includes a fingerprint reader, meaning you can use Windows Hello to quickly login into your laptop.
Typing is quite comfortable and the keys have good spacing between them, so much better than the Surface detachable keyboards (if you ever experienced those).
While the keyboard area is made of aluminium, the rest of the body is made of a polycarbonate composite resin with 30% post-consumer recycled content. It looks good and stylish, not going too far from the design lines you see in previous Surface laptop models (and yes, this includes the Windows logo on top of the device).
In terms of ports, on the left side you will find one USB-A, one USB-C port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, with a Surface Connect port on the right side. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go supports WiFi 802.11 6 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.0 but does not have an on-device ethernet port.
On my first boot after setup Windows Update installed some firmware updates, alongside this month's Windows updates. It also offered the newly released Windows 10 20H2 as an optional install - which I accepted. This update was very quick, which means it is now running exactly the same version I have on my desktop and another laptop.
Windows Security provides anti-malware and device security. This includes the latest Windows 10 technologies like reputation-based protection (for Microsoft Edge, including SmartScreen), memory protection and the well tested over the years, Windows Firewall.
So there you have it: the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is a well-priced laptop, light and built with quality materials - just what students and remote workers need for these times.
