Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 does n’t introduce many changes compared to the archetype . It remains a rattling portable machine , now with boosted business leader and top - up battery life-time . This package think it is still one of the good value windowpane laptops available , even if its low - solvent showing dampens my turmoil .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
I think theSurfaceLaptop Gowas swell . Its dry pint - sized build ingredient makes it delightfully portable , and it all comes in an affordable package . Good flavour and comme il faut performance fuse with the value proffer to make this a stiff option for those on a budget or scholarly person buyer .
The original 12 - inch laptop computer receive plenty of eclat , so it ’s no surprisal Microsoft chose to free a follow - up . It is Microsoft though and , as such , there are n’t many upgrade . The most noticeable change from the outside is a raw Sage dark-green colour options .
It isn’texactlythe same though . Microsoft has whop a new 11th Gen Intel microchip in the Surface Laptop Go 2 , and you ’ll find this improves both public presentation and stamp battery . Then , that ’s about it when it come up to changes .
Microsoft has ditched the base configuration though , mean pesky eMMC store is no more on this diddy machine . The jump price is now $ 599.99/£529 , which present outstanding value for money . The suggestion looks even better now the flagshipMicrosoft Surface Pro 9hybrid pill has been released , with its £ 989 base Leontyne Price .
Design
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is endearingly tiny . Its 12.4 - inch touchscreen is notably more compact than a more conventional 13 - inch laptop screen , so you ’ll want to check that you ’re felicitous to downsize before piddle a leverage .
It has fill me a while to adjust to the small size of it having previously used a 16 - inch laptop computer , and has been troublesome whenever I ’ve want multiple apps and web browser app tabs displayed at the same time . But otherwise , I think the 12.4 - inch panel is perfectly o.k. for typecast up essay , read emails and scrolling through social media .
I ’m quite fond of the unexampled Sage colour option pictured in this review , expand upon the other Platinum , Ice Blue and Sandstone option . They all help to give the Surface Laptop Go 2 more personality , which is novel after seeing countless peat bog - standard smooth-spoken automobile . Although I am disappointed to see you have to drop at least £ 629 for any colouration other than Platinum .
laptop computer can begin to feel a little slight and cheap when they ’re uncommitted around the $ 600/£500 mark , but the Surface Laptop Go 2 is an exception . The lid is made of aluminium , while the base uses an atomic number 13 and polycarbonate composite resin . It all feels pleasingly sturdy , with only needlessly hard keyboard press causing any obtrusive flex .
I can break up up the laptop in one hand and wave it around in the air without fear of my wrist joint snapping , weigh just 1127 g which is lighter than both aMacBook AirandDell XPS 13 OLED . It ’s surprisingly chunky though , but not to the extent that it ’s unmanageable to fit inside any traveling bag .
embrasure selection is fine , with a USB - C , USB - A and headphone jackstones lined across the left ridge , although I ’m disappoint that Microsoft has n’t addedThunderboltsupport to hotfoot up data point transfers . There ’s also a Surface Connect interface on the correct side to see to it compatibility with Microsoft ’s proprietary magnetic charger . I ’d personally choose Microsoft to trench this charging solution in favour of additional USB - C connections , but it ’s not a major emergence .
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a 720p webcam integrated into the top projection screen bezel . Video capture count really grainy , but it ’s still perfectly usable for nonchalant video recording chats or conference call . The laptop computer ’s speakers are located underneath the keyboard , and can be cranked up to a mellow volume . Bass is n’t abominably sound and you ’ll notice some distortion at a in high spirits volume , but I still think the audio performance is good at this damage .
I really wish the laptop computer ’s keyboard , with thick key presses for comfortable typing , and the spacebar seeing snappy , tacky feedback . The keyboard is a petty cramped liken to larger laptops , so you may need to retrain your brawn memory for prodding sure Key , but keys are space out just enough to avoid frequent typos .
Microsoft has also once again refused to total a keyboard backlight , which may be problematic if you like to type up essays beyond sunset . And while I ’m pleased to see the responsive fingermark sensor come back to the power key to enable speedier sign - ins , it ’s a shame it ’s not available on the base configuration .
Moving onto the trackpad , it feels smooth to the soupcon and super responsive . Microsoft has opted for the traditional physical trackpad here , so you may hear subtle and satisfying chink when you press down – there ’s no tactual feedback technology here like with theSurface Laptop Studio .
Screen
The screen was the weakest aspect of the original Surface Laptop Go when it found in 2020 , and Microsoft has n’t done anything to address the emergence .
The 1536 x 1024 resolution means this laptop computer has one of the abject pixel densities you ’ll likely find , so figure of speech lack that acuate focus found on Full HD ( and better ) panel . The tall 3:2 view proportion also bestow itself better to web pages and documents than television , making this a sub - standard familiar for the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus .
That say , I ’ve still had a good time watching Attenborough ’s Our Planet on the Surface Laptop Go 2 , so it ’s still absolutely all right if you do n’t listen lechatelierite - absolved mental imagery .
My colorimeter also render it to have decent depiction quality , with a 1095:1 contrast ensuring lite color still stand out well from dark backgrounds . The 395 - nit Georgia home boy brightness will also assist you to counteract bright environments , whether you ’re in the office or working outdoors .
Even the sRGB colour coverage is bully at 92.1 % so it wo n’t stomach noticeable distortion when watch video and ogling photos . It ’s not quite good enough for presenting colour accurately to a professional monetary standard for serious pic and television editing , but the Surface Laptop Go 2 was never designate for such vivid workloads .
Microsoft has also retained the touchscreen , allowing you to zoom into a picture by pinching the board or scroll down a news program provender via swiping . It , unluckily , does n’t support a stylus , so it wo n’t be compatible with Microsoft ’s own Surface Pen .
Performance
The big upgrade for the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is undoubtedly the new processor , with Microsoft go up a generation to the eleventh Gen Intel Core i5 - 1135G7 .
That ’s notably still a generation behind all of the latest and swell laptops on the market , with 12th Generation Intel check now available . But I reckon it ’s a average compromise given the low-cost Mary Leontyne Price which undersell the majority of Windows - powered contest .
I did detect a execution difference between the Surface Laptop Go 2 and other late laptops I ’ve reviewed , with webpages and applications taking a span of seconds longer to laden . prefer for the 4 GB of RAM configuration may slow down those speeds even further since I ’m using the 8 GB model .
But Microsoft ’s laptop still grapple to provide a suave execution with multiple apps and internet browser check unresolved simultaneously . The Surface Laptop Go 2 is comfortably powerful enough for canonical productiveness chore , and should only really falter if you want to cut video or child’s play games .
The bench mark event that I pull in back up my impressions , demonstrate noticeably good results than the original Surface Laptop Go . However , it ’s still trail far behind theAcer Swift 3 in terms of performance force thanks to the inclusion body of AMD ’s Ryzen 5 5500U crisp .
But there are n’t many Windows laptop that can offer such good performance at a price this low , so the Surface Laptop Go 2 still represents a bargain . This is especially rightful when put up against the recent , and more expensive , Surface Pro 9 gadget . In our testing , the cheaper gimmick derive out on top on unmarried - Congress of Racial Equality benchmarking as well as our holistic examination . The Surface Pro 9 undoubtedly has much better multi - core chopper but , for day - to - day productiveness , the Surface Laptop Go 2 typify enceinte value compared with its newer sibling .
I ’m a little disappoint by the SSD speeds though , with a read speed of 3435MB / s and a write swiftness of 1624MB / s. That latter result means the Laptop Go 2 may be a little inert when installing apps or large filing cabinet onto the effort .
Microsoft has trench the Qaeda storage option for the Surface Laptop Go 2 , so you ca n’t go lower than a 128 GB SSD . While this has meant the start cost has been increased to £ 529 , I still call back it ’s a honorable move as the old base 64 GB option was n’t spacious enough for most user .
Battery
A fresh chip does n’t just mean faster operation , it can also leave in ranking battery life history – and that ’s exactly what ’s happened with the Surface Laptop Go 2 .
After release the luminosity down to 150 nits and using the PCMark 10 battery benchmark to simulate day - to - day applications programme , the Surface Laptop Go 2 manage to survive for 9 hour and 11 minutes .
For comparison , the original Surface Laptop Go live 8 60 minutes and 44 minutes in the same test . That stand for you ’re only getting a 30 - minute hike , but I ’m not complaining . However , it ’s worth mentioning that rival laptops such as the Acer Swift 3 are adequate to of lasting even longer on a single charge .
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Should you buy it?
Aside from the low price , the chief appeal of this Windows laptop computer is its lilliputian sizing . It ’s comfortable to carry around and slot in a bag , yet stay just about large enough to stock out day - to - day tasks without government issue .
My biggest concern with this laptop computer is the down screen door resolution . By lose out on Full HD , pic and video do n’t face very sharp . Plus , the little screen and tall aspect proportion make it a sub - stock selection for the the like of Netflix .
Final Thoughts
It ’s a pity that Microsoft has only upgraded the processor for this sequel , but I loved the original so much that it is n’t a major issue .
The dinky size make it a dream for frequent commuters , while the build quality makes it feel like a laptop computer that costs more than a yard . I wish well Microsoft had at least improve the screen answer though to make television and photos look sharp-worded .
Despite its shortcoming , I still believe the Surface Laptop Go 2 is one of the rank practiced Windows laptops at its damage point . If you ’re look for an ultra - portable laptop for under £ 600 , then I ’d struggle to name a better note value option than the Surface Laptop Go 2 .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we retrospect goes through a serial of consistent checks design to gauge key thing including build quality , performance , screen quality and battery spirit .
These admit conventional synthetic benchmark and scripted tests , plus a series of genuine humans checks , such as how well it runs democratic apps .
FAQs
No , the Surface Laptop Go 2 is miss a backlit keyboard just like its predecessor .
The Surface Laptop Go 2 launched on sixth June 2022 .
Test Data
Full Specs
Sustainability
Trusted Reviews ’ holds the fact that global warming is not a myth as a essence value and will ceaselessly endeavour to help oneself protect our planet from damage in its line of work pattern .
As part of this mission , whenever we retrospect a product we send the fellowship a series of questions to assist us judge and make vaporous the wallop the machine has on the surroundings .
We presently have n’t pick up answers to the questions on this product , but will update this Thomas Nelson Page the moment we do . you’re able to see a elaborated crack-up of the questions we ask and why in oursustainability information page .
