Microsoft officially launches a new tablet in its Surface range, the Surface Go. This 2-in-1 device makes headlines because of the promise of a “Low-Cost Surface”.
Surface Go: Microsoft’s first one with USB Type-C port
The Surface Go is the first Surface product in which the company has installed a USB-C connection. That’s a little surprising, because last year Microsoft said USB-C wasn’t mass-produced. Despite the USB C port, power is still supplied via the usual surface-connect connection. Microsoft does not give any concrete information about the size of the battery – but Microsoft promises about nine hours running time with one charge.
This Surface Go is the smallest, lightest and most affordable model in the Surface range. It features a 10″ screen and has a thickness of 8.3 mm for a weight of 521 grams.
Surface Go: 10.8-inch display in the magnesium housing
With Surface Go, Microsoft sticks to its design philosophy: The device basically looks like a slightly shrunken Surface Pro with a 10.8-inch instead of a 12-inch pixelsense display – and the 165-degree swivel-mounted stand is also part of the package. The 3:2 display has a resolution of 1,800 x 1,200 pixels and supports 4,096 pressure levels for pen input.
Its PixelSense 3:2 display supports the Surface Pen. Like the other Surface models on the market, it can be connected to a “Covers” transforming it into a laptop.
Surface Go, details
As we announced before the official announcement, its powertrain is based on an Intel platform.
We find a 7th generation Pentium Gold 4415Y processor with a Fanless design. Clearly, the cooling of the chip is ensured without the use of ventilation.
RAM and Processor details
Microsoft has integrated an Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y dual-core chip as the processor, which belongs to the Kaby Lake series. However, in terms of performance, it is not expected to match the performance of a Core i5 or Core i7 processor installed in the Surface Pro series. Depending on the model, the processor is supported by four to eight gigabytes of RAM and 64 or 128 gigabytes of internal flash memory. The memory can be expanded via a MicroSD card slot. It should be mentioned that the smallest and cheapest model is equipped with eMMC memory, while the more expensive variants have real SSDs.
Microsoft Surface Go Tablet
There are many possibilities on the RAM and storage side. You can choose between 4 or 8 GB RAM and 64 GB eMMc or 128 or 256 GB SSD. The equipment includes a microSD card reader which provides up to 1 TB of additional storage.
The surface Go is equipped with the USB Type-C and includes a 5-megapixel front camera with Windows Hello for biometric authentication. A Wifi module is in the game and an LTE version is planned by the end of the year.
Microsoft Surface Go Specifications
From a technical point of view, the Surface Go specifications do not bring any major surprises that were not known in advance. The 10-inch tablet from Microsoft is equipped with an Intel Pentium dual-core processor, which is located above Atom and Celeron, but below the cheapest core CPU. In terms of performance, the device will be at about the level of an older Core i3 or m3.
- Display: 10-inch 1800 x 1200, 3: 2 PixelSense display
- Processor: Intel Pentium 4415Y (Gold)
- Random access memory:
- 4 gigabytes 1866MHz LPDDR3
- 8 Gigabyte 1866MHz LPDDR3
- Speicher:
- 64 gigabytes of eMMC
- 128 gigabytes SSD
- 256 gigabytes SSD
- Connectors: Surface Connect, USB Type-C 3.1, MicroSD, 3.5mm Audio
- Connectivity: WLAN ac, Bluetooth, NFC, LTE (optional, not available for startup)
- Cameras: 5 megapixel webcam, 8 megapixel rear camera
- Features: Windows Hello Face Recognition, Dolby Audio Premium
- Battery life: up to 9 hours
- Weight: 521 grams
- Depth: 8.3 millimeters
Surface Go, Pricing and Availability
The tablet will be available from August 2 next. Pre-orders are already possible with a price starting at 399 dollars. The conversion into a laptop computer requires the purchase of an optional “cover” charged $99.
It is important to underline that this Surface Go is delivered with a special version of Windows 10, Windows 10 in mode S. It limits the uses of the user by prohibiting the Win32 programs while obliging a compulsory passage by Microsoft Store for all the purchases.
The Surface Go is announced in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
Surface Go delivery date and market launch
Not only the price in Europe differs from the USA, but also the Surface Go delivery date in this country is significantly later. The small tablet from Microsoft will be delivered on August 28th. In the USA, the device will be launched on August 2.
This means that European customers have to wait almost a month longer for the 10-inch tablet.