Thanks for this excellent review. This is the secondary device I have been waiting for. I have used the Surface Book (1TB of storage) as my primary computer since 2016 and am very satisfied. have tried both iPads and Samsung Tab S3 as a secondary device for both content and basic productivity, but both fail because of the limitations in the operating systems. Finally in the 128GB Surface Go (with MSFT keyboard) I have a device that functions well as as the iPad and T3 a tablet for consuming content and for portability, but works very well as a basic productivity device once I switched to W10 Home (I had the staff at the Microsoft Store do this for me at the time of purchase). I use my QNAP NAS to sync up key files through QSync (instantaneous, quite amazing), and added a 256GB micro SD for my photos and music, leaving plenty of room on the native 128GB drive. Total success when taken to my first business meeting as my lone device (in addition to a Note 8 phone), as the company's tech guy was able to connect wirelessly to their video display system and I was able to deliver a large PPT presentation easily and without any lag. This unit is cheap enough so that I will replace it with the inevitable upgrades in RAM and storage in a year or so, and this unit will then replace the ancient MacBook pro in the kitchen. In the meantime, this is my go-to device to take on business trips and for personal travel because it is highly functional, weighs nothing, and is a pleasure to use.
Chris Alberti I am trialling one of these now and really like it. I have a Surface Pro 5 that I use almost exclusively at the moment, I don’t think having both the Pro and Go together is a necessary combination but I think with a desktop PC at home and a Go for mobile work would possibly be a better combo for me. I have found the small screen on the Go manageable for coding, if I was going to do a full work day with it away from the office/home though I think I’d struggle
I dont mean to be so off topic but does any of you know of a method to log back into an Instagram account?? I was stupid forgot the login password. I would love any tips you can offer me!
I have won the 64gb version at a webcontest. Got it with me, when ever where ever, ever since. Sold my surface 5, havent booted my macbook pro in months.
It's now 2020. I got the 8gb Surface Go for $400 on the Cyber Monday sale. Instead of the little keyboard cover, I got the Surface Mouse ($40) and an Anne Pro 2 Bluetooth mechanical keyboard for $65. This setup is just awesome because I can use it as a tablet when I want and a Win10 computer when I want without the extra weight/bulk of the type cover. The size and weight was the biggest factor because this replaces my iPad Air and need for a separate Win10 laptop. It feels really good to just hold in your hand use as a tablet. I found the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X too big and heavy for this. This device is insanely good. I wish the battery lasted a bit longer and it seems to drain even when not in use. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.
You should have used tablet mode, in combination with WinRT/UWP apps and Edge instead of Chrome, for a fair battery life comparison against iPads and Android tablets, to take advantage of automatic process suspension. Also use the Office Mobile apps on Windows too, since they are touch optimized, lighter and full WinRT/UWP apps that automatically suspend in the background during tablet mode. Another issue is that on iPad and Android you get served mobile websites with less bloat and ads that will also affect battery life.
"Task Manager Memory Reporting Improvements We are making a small change in how memory used by suspended UWP apps/processes appears in Task Manager. Going forward, the main memory column in Task Manager “Processes” tab will not include memory used by suspended UWP processes. This is to more accurately reflect the OS behavior in which the OS can reclaim memory used by suspended UWP processes if needed. This means that if you have several UWP processes suspended in the background, the OS can take back memory from these suspended UWP processes if needed and use it for something that requires more memory. New and old memory columns will be available in “Details” tab for you to do comparisons if you want." To benefit from this behavior (which iOS also does), you either have to minimize the app during desktop mode, or switch to another app during tablet mode. Hence why you should use tablet mode with WinRT/UWP apps for a fair performance and battery life comparison. See also np.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/79liqf/use_tablet_mode_to_save_battery_life_since_it/
John Smith I never realised tablet mode suspended apps so quickly but it makes sense, so there are potential battery savings in tablet mode just by the very nature that you can’t leave a UWP window open behind the active one by mistake. Not sure why I never realised this as it makes complete sense
poposisa that doesn’t sound right on such a new device. I know eventually my SP3 stand would wiggle if you intentionally tried to wiggle it (even though MS say he hinge should never loosen or wear out). Maybe you can return it to get one with a better kickstand?
Great vid with some extremely helpful insight on this unit. I've watched a few others and while they compare everything to an iPad, they don't seem to understand Microsoft's vision of the Surface Go, that it's not really designed to be a tablet but an extremely portable laptop. I like that fact that it has Windows 10 and the fact that it's a nice sleek design. If I needed a powerful 8 hour a day device that is works as a full on desktop, I'd get a more powerful laptop. The Surface Go seems to be the device to fill in the gap between I don't want to lug my 5lb 17" laptop with me" and the "my desktop has everything"
I think Microsoft have kind of marketed this wrong by calling it a tablet. Coz it really is much better as a laptop, and I don't think Windows on a tablet is a big sell for anyone. I got one recently and love it. I essentially wanted the smallest laptop on the market. If they improve the battery for future models, I think I'll be on this device for a very long time.
Worth mentioning that if you're buying this as a portable companion to your home or work desktop PC then Windows 10 has great connectivity through Onedrive. You choose which folders to share and they'll be available on the Go wherever you are. And when you click on Task View it shows your current open stuff and your recent activity including (if you've selected it) activity on your other Windows machines. So if you're on the train and find an interesting news article then when you get home you can click on Task View on your main PC and quickly find that website and open it with one click. Same with emails and text messages. I have an Android phone but all text messages pop up on my PC and tablet and I can read and reply without having to get my phone out of my pocket.
well, for me the surface is surely the best tablet to buy as it's not only tablet but a full pc. unlike the ipad and android table, only can used to play some videos, movies, play some games, it's totally useless for me. full windows is best for me, i dont play pc games, but i do alot of excel, word works, photoshop, printing, and updating data thru website, so i think this surface go is much a better choose.
VacancyJB The Surface is much better as a dual tablet/laptop device. The iPad is way better as a pure tablet experience. I hope Microsoft will improve on things like screen rotation responsiveness and improving that rotation animation as I’m a big surface fan
I write, draw (using Clip Studio Paint), play Minecraft, and watch Netlix regularly on my Surface. All work smoothly. I don't use my old laptop anymore, so I suppose that says a lot about its functionality.
Is 10 inch on this tablet too small for a hybrid laptop? I work mainly on Word, Powerpoint, Web and some light Entertainment. Sometime I did some drawings, too.
I charged my spectre x360 13 inch with a phone charger overnight. It's not to sustain the power but it does charge. I think the go needs around half the wattage so it could be possible that it does.
@@Odium1002 It's a bit picky when it comes to cables and chargers. A USB-C to USB-C cable works but most USB-C to USB-A cables don't. You also need a charger or Power Delivery battery pack that can do at least 18W.
Still overpriced to be honest. You can get Chinese copies with better spec and screen for half the price. I mean if it came with the pen and keyboard then yeah.. but just the tablet it's overpriced imo.
Talking about battery life.... Microsoft has promised about lte version...if they use snapdragon 850 in that.....I can easily see 15 - 20 hours of battery life with same capacity battery.....wish lte model costs around $600
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a primary device or without at least good laptop this is a gimmick tablet with the same bad touch app interface windows hasn't fixed I never liked tablet mode it frustrated me on my HP x2 10" ($190 refurbished two in one)when it was my daily driver for over a year . people need to stop trying to call this a budget device its $762 for the package. 64GB isn't enough for a windows pc ever and its EMMC it should be a difference in speed of 2-300 Mb per second with a ssd and all reviewers need to stop with the "build quality"its a surface it should be nice Microsoft is "appleing" us with the surface line its like the MacBook Air . What are reviewers going to say if apple gives you Mac on a iPad the surface line would just evaporate because hardware to hardware its not a comparison I would take a 9.7" iPad Pro with iOS and Mac OS X in a dual boot (giving me bootcamp)over anything in the surface line if I could.
This device is just stupid - it's just too small. When you hit 10", you've dropped below the threshold for ergonomics and usability - titchy screen, shrunken keyboard etc. Why bother with something as compromised as when the Surface Pro is hardly heavy to begin with. And that's before we get into the woeful hardware specs and terrible performance from that Pentium ...
The GO is a tablet so having to use a trackpad to get a reasonable experience is not a pro point, it’s a negative! On a tablet a pen or your fingers should do the talking, so no it’s a fail because you really do need a trackpad as windows mobile sucks. Recommending a tablet with a chip that will be two generations behind in 6 months is worrying, this has lousy future proofing, it should be good for 3 to 5 years but as you are already using old tech I wouldn’t bother. That leads to the price, over £950 if I wait for the LTE version, which is a must IMHO, and the 256gb version, I can get a lot better than a Pentium chip for that sort of money! Most GO fans are saying that it is the form factor that wins them over, but 10 inches is bad for productivity, having switched from a 10 inch to a 13 inch iPad, I can only say that it is a miles better, bring back 17 inch laptops please, bigger is bigger! So i am sure the intense hard core MS fans will laud over the GO despite the many RUclips reviews showing performance from pre-Atom times, but ignore them as they would buy a lump of turd if it has a MS logo on, just go into your local store, all you will need is a few minutes and it will be clear that the GO is a no-GO for anyone who values performance over logos.
Well not true. Surface pro products are laptops that can be used as tablets while Ipad and Android devices are real Tablets that you can add a keyboard to have a laptop experience. There is a reason why microsoft advertises them with the keyboard most of the time and why it comes with a full version of Windows 10. That's why you may have a better experience using a Surface pro as a laptop than you would a tablet but the tablet part works just fine to me.
I tried it in store, and it works awesome. I'm going to use this to replace my 6 year old 8" Windows tablet I've been using. Smaller is better for on the go. The only reason I haven't replaced my tablet earlier is because no one sells a Windows tablet that small anymore. I don't want to carry around something the size of a laptop. If I did I'd just bring my laptop everywhere.
@@112428 I got dell venue 8 pro, running latest Windows 10 build.. Thinking if I should upgrade it to this.. Where's the 8 inch USB C fast charge windows tablet at?.. 😐
Thanks for this excellent review. This is the secondary device I have been waiting for. I have used the Surface Book (1TB of storage) as my primary computer since 2016 and am very satisfied. have tried both iPads and Samsung Tab S3 as a secondary device for both content and basic productivity, but both fail because of the limitations in the operating systems. Finally in the 128GB Surface Go (with MSFT keyboard) I have a device that functions well as as the iPad and T3 a tablet for consuming content and for portability, but works very well as a basic productivity device once I switched to W10 Home (I had the staff at the Microsoft Store do this for me at the time of purchase). I use my QNAP NAS to sync up key files through QSync (instantaneous, quite amazing), and added a 256GB micro SD for my photos and music, leaving plenty of room on the native 128GB drive. Total success when taken to my first business meeting as my lone device (in addition to a Note 8 phone), as the company's tech guy was able to connect wirelessly to their video display system and I was able to deliver a large PPT presentation easily and without any lag. This unit is cheap enough so that I will replace it with the inevitable upgrades in RAM and storage in a year or so, and this unit will then replace the ancient MacBook pro in the kitchen. In the meantime, this is my go-to device to take on business trips and for personal travel because it is highly functional, weighs nothing, and is a pleasure to use.
Chris Alberti I am trialling one of these now and really like it. I have a Surface Pro 5 that I use almost exclusively at the moment, I don’t think having both the Pro and Go together is a necessary combination but I think with a desktop PC at home and a Go for mobile work would possibly be a better combo for me. I have found the small screen on the Go manageable for coding, if I was going to do a full work day with it away from the office/home though I think I’d struggle
I love the concept of this video. Getting 2 separate reviewers together to discuss
I dont mean to be so off topic but does any of you know of a method to log back into an Instagram account??
I was stupid forgot the login password. I would love any tips you can offer me!
@Emerson Ronald instablaster =)
I have won the 64gb version at a webcontest. Got it with me, when ever where ever, ever since. Sold my surface 5, havent booted my macbook pro in months.
How's it for drawing?
Dam its so nice to see people review it fairly what this product deserves. You talk about the cons but in the end give it value for what it has right.
It's now 2020. I got the 8gb Surface Go for $400 on the Cyber Monday sale. Instead of the little keyboard cover, I got the Surface Mouse ($40) and an Anne Pro 2 Bluetooth mechanical keyboard for $65. This setup is just awesome because I can use it as a tablet when I want and a Win10 computer when I want without the extra weight/bulk of the type cover.
The size and weight was the biggest factor because this replaces my iPad Air and need for a separate Win10 laptop. It feels really good to just hold in your hand use as a tablet. I found the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X too big and heavy for this.
This device is insanely good. I wish the battery lasted a bit longer and it seems to drain even when not in use. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.
How's it for drawing?
You should have used tablet mode, in combination with WinRT/UWP apps and Edge instead of Chrome, for a fair battery life comparison against iPads and Android tablets, to take advantage of automatic process suspension. Also use the Office Mobile apps on Windows too, since they are touch optimized, lighter and full WinRT/UWP apps that automatically suspend in the background during tablet mode.
Another issue is that on iPad and Android you get served mobile websites with less bloat and ads that will also affect battery life.
"Task Manager Memory Reporting Improvements
We are making a small change in how memory used by suspended UWP apps/processes appears in Task Manager. Going forward, the main memory column in Task Manager “Processes” tab will not include memory used by suspended UWP processes. This is to more accurately reflect the OS behavior in which the OS can reclaim memory used by suspended UWP processes if needed. This means that if you have several UWP processes suspended in the background, the OS can take back memory from these suspended UWP processes if needed and use it for something that requires more memory. New and old memory columns will be available in “Details” tab for you to do comparisons if you want."
To benefit from this behavior (which iOS also does), you either have to minimize the app during desktop mode, or switch to another app during tablet mode. Hence why you should use tablet mode with WinRT/UWP apps for a fair performance and battery life comparison.
See also np.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/79liqf/use_tablet_mode_to_save_battery_life_since_it/
S mode makes it slower dispite what everyone on youtube comments are saying
Thanks for the tip :)
John Smith I never realised tablet mode suspended apps so quickly but it makes sense, so there are potential battery savings in tablet mode just by the very nature that you can’t leave a UWP window open behind the active one by mistake. Not sure why I never realised this as it makes complete sense
Thanks. I just got surface go2. I've got lots to learn.
I bought this just for work. I don't use it that much so it is perfect. I got my master desktop at home.
poposisa is this your main laptop ? And is yours the base model ?
SY Films yes my main laptop snd base model
Kickstand is shit though, it wiggles
poposisa that doesn’t sound right on such a new device. I know eventually my SP3 stand would wiggle if you intentionally tried to wiggle it (even though MS say he hinge should never loosen or wear out). Maybe you can return it to get one with a better kickstand?
Great review. I am going to get one. I have an i7 Desktop and an ipad air1. This will cover the gap in between and I don't want or need a laptop.
Great vid with some extremely helpful insight on this unit. I've watched a few others and while they compare everything to an iPad, they don't seem to understand Microsoft's vision of the Surface Go, that it's not really designed to be a tablet but an extremely portable laptop. I like that fact that it has Windows 10 and the fact that it's a nice sleek design. If I needed a powerful 8 hour a day device that is works as a full on desktop, I'd get a more powerful laptop. The Surface Go seems to be the device to fill in the gap between I don't want to lug my 5lb 17" laptop with me" and the "my desktop has everything"
Julian Xiong I’m just waiting for the tablet to sell for under 300.
I think Microsoft have kind of marketed this wrong by calling it a tablet. Coz it really is much better as a laptop, and I don't think Windows on a tablet is a big sell for anyone. I got one recently and love it. I essentially wanted the smallest laptop on the market. If they improve the battery for future models, I think I'll be on this device for a very long time.
All I want to do is take notes for one note, and maybe read some pdfs. Would the 4G ram version work just fine for that?
Worth mentioning that if you're buying this as a portable companion to your home or work desktop PC then Windows 10 has great connectivity through Onedrive. You choose which folders to share and they'll be available on the Go wherever you are. And when you click on Task View it shows your current open stuff and your recent activity including (if you've selected it) activity on your other Windows machines. So if you're on the train and find an interesting news article then when you get home you can click on Task View on your main PC and quickly find that website and open it with one click. Same with emails and text messages. I have an Android phone but all text messages pop up on my PC and tablet and I can read and reply without having to get my phone out of my pocket.
well, for me the surface is surely the best tablet to buy as it's not only tablet but a full pc.
unlike the ipad and android table, only can used to play some videos, movies, play some games, it's totally useless for me.
full windows is best for me, i dont play pc games, but i do alot of excel, word works, photoshop, printing, and updating data thru website, so i think this surface go is much a better choose.
Obviously you don't use an iPad or even tried....it's a lot more capable than what you think
And you can run programming languages lmao that alone beats the snot out pf the competition.
Hear hear
VacancyJB The Surface is much better as a dual tablet/laptop device. The iPad is way better as a pure tablet experience. I hope Microsoft will improve on things like screen rotation responsiveness and improving that rotation animation as I’m a big surface fan
Would surface go 8gb be good for drawing, light games like wizard 101 and watching Netflix??
I write, draw (using Clip Studio Paint), play Minecraft, and watch Netlix regularly on my Surface. All work smoothly. I don't use my old laptop anymore, so I suppose that says a lot about its functionality.
I love my iPad Pro. However, I think the MS Surface Go is a sweet device.
One of the better reviews of the Surface Go. Will you do a review of the Galaxy Tab S4?
Is 10 inch on this tablet too small for a hybrid laptop? I work mainly on Word, Powerpoint, Web and some light Entertainment. Sometime I did some drawings, too.
I just ordered mine! I can't way to try it out myself :D
A video with no dislikes? What??
Renamon46 you had to say something 😂
xD
Hate fuckers who say this
tdreamgmail Ok, sorry?
This is the prefect vacation on the move device that is using Windows OS. Even better than Surface Pro in this regards imo..
Looks good
it just that is not available in my country, unlike the iPad(s).
How slow does it run uploaded w full windows 10??
Same.
i'm confused because i've never had a tablet last more than 4 hours on one charge
My iPad Pro gets 10 hours on a charge
What's your tablet ?
Why does it look like the video was made in 90s?
The USB C charging is false. Would only work with high wattage chargers. Not a phone charger.
I charged my spectre x360 13 inch with a phone charger overnight. It's not to sustain the power but it does charge.
I think the go needs around half the wattage so it could be possible that it does.
@@Odium1002 It's a bit picky when it comes to cables and chargers. A USB-C to USB-C cable works but most USB-C to USB-A cables don't. You also need a charger or Power Delivery battery pack that can do at least 18W.
It would make a great tablet if windows 10 tablet mode worked better. At the moment tablet mode is very poor.
The Surface Go and Surface Pro are very lapable. The Verge’s review demonstrated that.
John Smith lapable?
Swe Kiwi Using it on your lap, like a laptop.
Ah! Thanks! :)
Still overpriced to be honest. You can get Chinese copies with better spec and screen for half the price. I mean if it came with the pen and keyboard then yeah.. but just the tablet it's overpriced imo.
Talking about battery life.... Microsoft has promised about lte version...if they use snapdragon 850 in that.....I can easily see 15 - 20 hours of battery life with same capacity battery.....wish lte model costs around $600
Andrew looks constipated
yes, he does.....I hope he's not full of shit with his review
hmmm hmmm hmmm
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a primary device or without at least good laptop this is a gimmick tablet with the same bad touch app interface windows hasn't fixed I never liked tablet mode it frustrated me on my HP x2 10" ($190 refurbished two in one)when it was my daily driver for over a year . people need to stop trying to call this a budget device its $762 for the package. 64GB isn't enough for a windows pc ever and its EMMC it should be a difference in speed of 2-300 Mb per second with a ssd and all reviewers need to stop with the "build quality"its a surface it should be nice Microsoft is "appleing" us with the surface line its like the MacBook Air . What are reviewers going to say if apple gives you Mac on a iPad the surface line would just evaporate because hardware to hardware its not a comparison I would take a 9.7" iPad Pro with iOS and Mac OS X in a dual boot (giving me bootcamp)over anything in the surface line if I could.
If you want a laptop, get a proper laptop
if you want a tablet get an iPad
Thats it.
This device is just stupid - it's just too small. When you hit 10", you've dropped below the threshold for ergonomics and usability - titchy screen, shrunken keyboard etc. Why bother with something as compromised as when the Surface Pro is hardly heavy to begin with. And that's before we get into the woeful hardware specs and terrible performance from that Pentium ...
There's a difference between a device not fitting your particular use case and a device being "just stupid"
Thank you
I type just fine on mine
The GO is a tablet so having to use a trackpad to get a reasonable experience is not a pro point, it’s a negative! On a tablet a pen or your fingers should do the talking, so no it’s a fail because you really do need a trackpad as windows mobile sucks.
Recommending a tablet with a chip that will be two generations behind in 6 months is worrying, this has lousy future proofing, it should be good for 3 to 5 years but as you are already using old tech I wouldn’t bother.
That leads to the price, over £950 if I wait for the LTE version, which is a must IMHO, and the 256gb version, I can get a lot better than a Pentium chip for that sort of money!
Most GO fans are saying that it is the form factor that wins them over, but 10 inches is bad for productivity, having switched from a 10 inch to a 13 inch iPad, I can only say that it is a miles better, bring back 17 inch laptops please, bigger is bigger!
So i am sure the intense hard core MS fans will laud over the GO despite the many RUclips reviews showing performance from pre-Atom times, but ignore them as they would buy a lump of turd if it has a MS logo on, just go into your local store, all you will need is a few minutes and it will be clear that the GO is a no-GO for anyone who values performance over logos.
andyH_England: You don’t need to use the trackpad. It’s an option.
andyH_England i tested mine before buying it. i love it for all my needs pretty usable imo.
Well not true. Surface pro products are laptops that can be used as tablets while Ipad and Android devices are real Tablets that you can add a keyboard to have a laptop experience. There is a reason why microsoft advertises them with the keyboard most of the time and why it comes with a full version of Windows 10. That's why you may have a better experience using a Surface pro as a laptop than you would a tablet but the tablet part works just fine to me.
I tried it in store, and it works awesome. I'm going to use this to replace my 6 year old 8" Windows tablet I've been using. Smaller is better for on the go. The only reason I haven't replaced my tablet earlier is because no one sells a Windows tablet that small anymore. I don't want to carry around something the size of a laptop. If I did I'd just bring my laptop everywhere.
@@112428 I got dell venue 8 pro, running latest Windows 10 build.. Thinking if I should upgrade it to this.. Where's the 8 inch USB C fast charge windows tablet at?.. 😐
if you are interested in anything but the $399 model then stop and just buy a pixel book
Mark Buchs fucking 1000$ vs 550$??
Marshall Chandra you mean 1000$ vs 700$. Still the same.
Lunati q 1000 dollar is HOW 700 dollars?
Yep for an overpriced web browser. Give me a break
Swe Kiwi 550 for the tablet, 130 for the keyboard its gonna be 680 plus tax.