{"id":303,"date":"2020-10-13T13:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T13:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1322898"},"modified":"2020-10-13T13:00:02","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T13:00:02","slug":"surface-laptop-go-review-an-almost-perfect-sub-1000-laptop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=303","title":{"rendered":"Surface Laptop Go Review: An almost perfect sub-$1000 laptop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There\u2019s not much you need to know about the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/plugged\/2020\/10\/01\/microsofts-549-surface-laptop-go-could-be-its-most-compelling-pc-yet\/\">Surface Laptop Go<\/a>, Microsoft\u2019s new entry-level device, that I can\u2019t summarize in a bullet list. I\u2019ve been using it for the past week, and I love this little thing for a variety of reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s relatively affordable, starting at $550 and maxing out at $900.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s a gorgeous laptop, with a mostly metal design, slim bezels, and solid construction that feels <em>good<\/em> to use. Even the plastic underside feels reassuringly firm.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s small and light, with a 12.4-inch screen and a weight of 1.11 kg (2.45 lb).<\/li>\n<li>The keyboard and trackpad are fantastic for something so small.<\/li>\n<li>It performs well, with a full-fledged 10th Gen Core i5 processor.<\/li>\n<li>It has enough battery to get me through the workday on a charge.<\/li>\n<li>It has both a USB-C and USB-A port.<\/li>\n<li>It comes in blue! (and \u2018sandstone\u2019 and \u2018platinum\u2019, but who cares about those?)<\/li>\n<li>And it makes few compromises to get to that price point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let\u2019s talk about those compromises then, as they might be what make or break this laptop for you. To me, there is just one thing that keeps the Surface Laptop from being a no-brainer recommendation: the 3:2 display has a resolution of just 1,536 x 1024. I can\u2019t remember the last time I used a laptop with resolution lower than 1080p, much less from the Surface family.<\/p>\n<p>So you\u2019ll first have to decide whether you can deal with a less than \u2018Retina-quality\u2019 display. But if you can get over the resolution, it\u2019s not really a <em>bad<\/em> screen.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1322963 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8.jpg\" alt width=\"394\" height=\"525\" sizes=\"(max-width: 394px) 100vw, 394px\" data-lazy=\"true\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8.jpg 1640w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-157x210.jpg 157w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-202x270.jpg 202w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-101x135.jpg 101w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-796x1061.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-1592x2123.jpg 1592w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-840x1120.jpg 840w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-687x916.jpg 687w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-414x552.jpg 414w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-4-of-8-354x472.jpg 354w\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>The 148 pixels-per-inch sharpness is not so far behind the norm for the price. There are plenty of 13-inch 1080p-ish laptops on the market, and those are only a little bit sharper, at about 165 ppi. The Laptop Go\u2019s sharpness is basically equivalent to a 1080p display on a 15-inch display. More importantly, the Laptop Go\u2019s colors are accurate and decently saturated. Its contrast is good, and it gets bright enough for outdoor use. There\u2019s no uneven backlighting, yucky IPS glow, or annoying tint.<\/p>\n<p>It won\u2019t win any awards, but the Surface Go\u2019s display is still better than what I normally see in this price class. The display also features narrow bezels and rounded corners, which give the Laptop Go a more modern look than either the Surface Laptop 3 or Surface Book.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also still a touchscreen, although that brings me to compromise #2: there\u2019s no pen support. That makes me sad as a long time Surface stan, and weakens it a bit as a proposition for students. Granted, it\u2019s not a 2-in-1, so you probably wouldn\u2019t be doing much doodling anyway, but I wish I could use the pen for annotations and the like. <span>If you prioritize the display over CPU performance, you should consider the Surface Go 2 instead.&nbsp;<\/span>That one has a 1920 x 1280 display and full pen support.<\/p>\n<p>Compromise #3 is the fact that the keyboard has no backlighting. That was a surprise, as it\u2019s not something you\u2019d think would be particularly cost-prohibitive, and it can be a little irksome if you\u2019re typing late at night.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1322962 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-3-of-8.jpg\" alt width=\"516\" height=\"290\" sizes=\"(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px\" data-lazy=\"true\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-3-of-8.jpg 1640w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-3-of-8-280x158.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-3-of-8-479x270.jpg 479w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-3-of-8-240x135.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-3-of-8-796x448.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-3-of-8-1592x897.jpg 1592w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-3-of-8-1200x675.jpg 1200w\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>And lastly, compromise #4 is the fact that the $549 configuration has just 4GB of RAM and 64GB of slow eMMC storage. This is clearly intended to be the cloud-first configuration, and there\u2019s no microSD slot for semi-permanent storage expansion like on the Surface Go. My review unit was the $900 config with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. I suspect the $700, 8GB\/128GB unit is the sweetspot.<\/p>\n<p>And\u2026 that\u2019s it. Once I got over the initial shock of the resolution, there were no bad surprises \u2014 everything else about the Surface Laptop Go was a joy to use.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from what I\u2019ve already mentioned, the built-in fingerprint reader works swiftly, the&nbsp;speakers are surprisingly good for the category, the 720p camera isn\u2019t godawful, and the dual microphones are nice and clear.<\/p>\n<p>I might care more about the lack of keyboard backlighting if it didn\u2019t feel so darn good to type on. It has a satisfying 1.3mm of travel and nary a sign of keyboard flex. It\u2019s as good as the keyboard on any Surface Laptop, which is to say among the best in the market.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1322960 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8.jpg\" alt width=\"365\" height=\"365\" sizes=\"(max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" data-lazy=\"true\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8.jpg 1640w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-210x210.jpg 210w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-270x270.jpg 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-135x135.jpg 135w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-796x796.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-1592x1592.jpg 1592w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-192x192.jpg 192w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-1472x1472.jpg 1472w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-1104x1104.jpg 1104w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-912x912.jpg 912w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-550x550.jpg 550w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-470x470.jpg 470w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Surface-Laptop-Go-1-of-8-1200x1200.jpg 1200w\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>Performance from the Core i5 processor is what you\u2019d expect: solid for everyday tasks. Photoshop and Lightroom run smoothly, and web-browsing with my usual cavalcade of&nbsp;tabs didn\u2019t slow it to a crawl (granted, I do use Edge, which is better at RAM management than Chrome). I also tried connecting it to my 4K monitor, and it handled my typical workloads with surprising aplomb. The best I can say about the Surface Laptop Go is that I normally work on a Surface Book 3 and a desktop, and I did not miss them for the week I\u2019ve switched over.<\/p>\n<p>The last part of the equation is battery life, which was similarly solid. Microsoft claims 13-hours of real world use, and while I couldn\u2019t quite reach those heights, an 8-hour workday was realistic so long as I didn\u2019t keep brightness on max.<\/p>\n<p>I got what I wanted from my time with the Surface Laptop Go: A good laptop that didn\u2019t betray its sub-$1000 nature.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1322974 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7.png\" alt width=\"506\" height=\"507\" sizes=\"(max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px\" data-lazy=\"true\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7.png 1592w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-96x96.png 96w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-209x210.png 209w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-269x270.png 269w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-135x135.png 135w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-796x798.png 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-192x192.png 192w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-1472x1472.png 1472w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-1104x1104.png 1104w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-912x912.png 912w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-550x550.png 550w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-470x470.png 470w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/Snag_2a1f25c7-1200x1200.png 1200w\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sure some readers will exclaim: \u201cyou can get better specs for less money from _____!\u201d Yes, you can. You can also buy a used laptop and get even more bang for your buck. Stretch the comparison and you probably pick up a used desktop from Craigslist&nbsp;for even more performance.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s missing the point of this device: the Surface Laptop Go is a <em>nice<\/em> cheap laptop. A really&nbsp;nice one. It\u2019s a product I\u2019d be genuinely happy to own on its own merit \u2013 not just because I couldn\u2019t afford a more expensive option. It\u2019s one I\u2019d be happy to recommend to friends and family who don\u2019t care about specs and simply want something that feels good to use. Frankly, I prefer its design and size to the more expensive Surface Laptop 3.<\/p>\n<p>The elephants in the room are Chromebooks, some of which do offer nice design (though not quite this nice) and smooth performance at low prices. But the inability to run full-fledged desktop applications makes the comparison moot for many users. I\u2019ve tried to make Chromebooks my primary PC several times over the years, but I\u2019ve never succeeded \u2014 there\u2019s always something I need that\u2019s available on Windows or Mac but not on Google\u2019s OS.<\/p>\n<p>No such worry with the Laptop Go \u2013 it\u2019ll run anything you throw at it. It\u2019s small, it\u2019s light, the battery lasts, the design is stunning, and the compromises are few; for many people, that combination will outweigh the performance-per-dollar you might be able to get from competitors. If you can get over a fuzzy screen, the Laptop Go is the easiest Surface to recommend yet.<\/p>\n<p><i>For more gear, gadget, and hardware news and reviews, follow Plugged on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/plugged\">Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/@thenextweb\/plugged-54nihknvy\">Flipboard<\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-post-pubDate\"> Published October 13, 2020 \u2014 13:00 UTC <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/plugged\/2020\/10\/13\/surface-laptop-go-review-an-almost-perfect-sub-1000-laptop\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s not much you need to know about the&nbsp;Surface Laptop Go, Microsoft\u2019s new entry-level device, that I can\u2019t summarize in a bullet list. I\u2019ve been using it for the past week, and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}