OPINION : The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go has been one of my pet laptop ranges for a few years now , and a go - to option for recommendations . But , not any longer .
The range does n’t have any unique features and public presentation is below average , but it gain the angelic stain for pricing . TheSurface Laptop Go 2had a starting price of $ 599/£529 , set up it towards the cheaper end of the Windows laptop market .
As a result , Trusted Reviews has frequently set the Surface Laptop Go at the top of ourBest Budget Laptopranking . But , follow the launch of theMicrosoft Surface Laptop Go 3 , I ’m not convince that strong form will remain .
rather of keep to that low affordable damage , Microsoft has upped the start Leontyne Price of the Surface Laptop Go 3 to $ 799/£799 . There are caveat to this cost increase , principally that Microsoft has ditched the alkali 4GBRAMand 128 GB entrepot choice , leaving you with 8 GB random memory and 256 GB as the minimal specs .
I can understand this decision to some degree , as 4 GB Aries is very grim by 2023 ’s measure . However , I did n’t personally have a major job with using 4 GB of RAM for past iterations of the Surface Laptop Go , just as long as I accept the laptop computer ’s limitation . have multiple spec option also allows customers to select the ideal execution for their workloads – maybe they just need a laptop to open e-mail and watch YouTube .
It ’s also confutable whether Microsoft has made enough pinch to the Surface Laptop Go series over the years to justify that $ 799/£799 toll point . The Surface Laptop Go 3 has only been treat to a unmarried rising slope : a unexampled CPU . What ’s worse , that processor is already over a twelvemonth out of date – I ’ve antecedently forgiven that sin since it ’s been meditate by the price , but it ’s becoming harder to forgive now the cost is mouse up .
It ’s frustrating that Microsoft has n’t provided any extra upgrade to the laptop . I ’m still pining for a 1080p screen resolution , a Full HD webcam and a keyboard backlight . The design sense outdated too , with a lumpy bezel taking up worthful screen space .
It ’s admittedly dependable that the cost of the Surface Laptop Go 3 still undersell the vast absolute majority of Windows portable on the market , so expect all of the above upgrade is unrealistic . But I ’m still disappoint that Microsoft has n’t devil to upgrade anything other than the processor since the original Surface Laptop Go first launched back in 2020 .
And with the new $ 799/£799 starting price , it ’s hard not to be tempted by slightly more expensive laptop . TheM1 - power MacBook Airis the most obvious choice , costing just $ 999/£999 and boast superior performance , screen , battery living and design . If you have the extra $ 200/£200 to spend , it ’s a monolithic upgrade .
Neglecting laptop order certainly is n’t a new thing for Microsoft – it ’s done the exact same for the Surface Laptop , Surface Pro and Surface Go ranges . But the potential decay of the Surface Laptop Go feels specially sour give it ’s previously provided so many people with an low-cost entranceway point to Windows laptop .
Microsoft ultimately had a laptop deserving buying over the likes of the MacBook Air , Dell XPS 13and more . And now it ’s ditch the one aspect that made the Surface Laptop Go such an appealing gimmick : a budget - well-disposed price .
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