Microsoft Surface GO 2 10 Inch Tablet PC - (Silver) (Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4425Y, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB eMMC, Windows 10 Home in S Mode, Device Only)

She Who Must Be Obeyed needed a small Windows computer which essentially has three tasks to do: email, online browsing and running a projector for Powerpoint training videos which include embedded video and sound. She has to lug all the stuff around herself, so small and light are very important. Price, too - and of course Amazon can't be touched for speed of delivery and customer service.Enter the Surface Go 2 - the entry level model with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Not much bigger than a 10" iPad. I asked an online question about whether this had the grunt to do the videos, and a kind respondent said yes, but I'd need to switch from the "S" variant of the OS to Windows Home. In fact, it turned out, it wasn't necessary to switch to Home because when I logged in to SWMBO's Microsoft account I simply downloaded the Microsoft 365 suite (which she already owned) and it runs absolutely fine. Having logged into her Onedrive, bingo - all her files were available as expected.Let's face it, you are NOT going to be doing any heavy duty photo editing, or playing Call of Duty (is that still a thing?) on this machine - partly because the S variant of Win 10 won't let you download the apps, but mostly because this entry level pc is very limited powerwise. I was apprehensive about its performance when I ordered, but once I could see how it deals with Powerpoint, Outlook, Word I was chuffed to mintballs. It starts relatively quickly (not, it has to be said, anything like as fast as my Surface Pro 2018 i7 / 16GB but hey) and it runs the MS365 apps very, very competently. Sound quality is good, the screen image quality is excellent for the price point, and it appears every bit as well made as my Pro i7.Be aware that when you switch it on for the first time and go through setup it'll spend some considerable time downloading updates and installing them. Make sure the Go 2 is plugged in to power and has a mostly, or fully, charged battery. I had some few issues with setup until I left the pc to charge overnight; next morning it was excellent. During setup it proudly announces that it's working, and it's sorry for the wait, and thank you for your patience. But it just seems to go on and on........ don't assume it's got looped on something! If it bugs you that much, go make and enjoy a cup of tea and leave the damn pc alone. It'll get there in the end.......SWMBO drew the line at spending £100 on the MS Type Cover keyboard (again, I use one with my Pro i7 and it's excellent). So it was £28 on an Arteck Surface Go Type Cover from Amazon (product code B07V2DNGS2) which works well enough but irritatingly can lose Bluetooth connection with the Go 2 if the Go 2 goes to (see what I did there?) sleep. Takes a few seconds to reconnect. The keyboard flexes more than the MS ones so the touchpad isn't quite the precision device it is on MS. I found the onscreen keyboard surprisingly good and SWMBO (who's never worked a Windows PC with touch screen before) is massively impressed.Important accessory is a hub. With just one USB-C port we added a Anker USB C Hub, 5-in-1 USB C Adapter, with 4K USB C to HDMI, SD and microSD Card Reader, 2 USB 3.0 Ports, for MacBook Pro 2020/2019/2018, iPad Pro 20 (Amazon product code B07H4VQ4BZ) and it works very well indeed. Small, light, and like most Anker kit, well made. Lets SWMBO run her HDMI projector, power her outboard speakers and read files in and out to a USB stick and / or data cards (SD and micro SD). (The Go 2 has its own built in micro SD port as well, of course).In summary: this thing is worth every penny of its modest price. Choose the MS Type Cover if funds allow - it's just way better than the imitators. For light duty work in a Windows environment, it's a truly excellent device.

Really versatile little PC in a tablet form factor. Using bluetooth or a hub can be hooked up to a full size keyboard, mouse, monitor etc. I've used it to stream films on the go, or mirror link to the TV at home . Do vehicle diagnostics and use oscilloscope software at work. Stuff I can't do on a non-windows tablet.Amazon Prime now works properly on Win11 so you can store films for streaming where there is no internet such as on a flight. So less need for bluestacks.Win11 user interface still needs development work. One update has caused the numeric keypad to disappear from the pop-up keyboard options - annoying.Battery life is so so; varies on use, usually get a working day's use out of it on general internet based stuff. Built in storage could do with being alot bigger. SD card is a must, but sometimes glitches when reading after waking up from standby. Charging via USB-C can be hit and miss depending on cable quality and power supply.Obviously CPU is no speed demon but doesn't seem any slower than my 5yr old HP Spectre with a i7 CPU used for the same tasks.Advise getting really good edge and screen protection. Touch screen will break very easily if dropped on to a hard surface. Replacement screens are sketchy with genuine screen replacement costing almost as much as a new surface. UAG Scout case is useless - screen broke on first drop.

Returned before opening in favour of iPad air. Wish I hadn't now iPad is basically same limited is as phone, this would have been a better net.However, what really annoying is the price I purchased this at £349 for the M3 version with 128GB of RAM. Didn't realize at time but that was a very good price considering that version is now back up to over £500!

I had the Surface Go 1 - Pentium / 8gb / 128gb SSD until now. That used to be the high-end unit.Now I've purchased the Surface Go 2 - Core M3 model - so I can compare them side to side.DisplayThe screen is nice on the Go 2. It's surprising how much screen that extra .5 inch and pixels make.It does look nicer than the Go 1 as well, I think, if only just.Go 1 is still good however and I've never minded the larger bezels.I have noticed some backlight bleed on the go 2 whereas my go 1 is fine. It's not enough to concern me for my use.The screen protectors for a surface go 1 with a cut out do not fit a surface go 2.PerformanceThe performance on the Surface Go 1 Pentium / 8gb / 128gb was perfectly acceptable. It could stutter sometimes especially at start-up however nothing too bad.The Surface Go 2 M3 however is so much faster. It feels like more than 2x faster to use, although I understand from benchmarks it is about 2x.The Pentium 8GB / 128GB model is perfectly usable, but this M3 CPU creates the feel and responsiveness you get on an IPad. It makes a world of difference and the surface go 2 is a joy to use.Everything else is more or less the same. Build quality and kick stand are awesome, form factor is great. Battery life seems slightly better. I did find the WiFi speeds surprisingly good. Higher than on any other device I have.I would summarise below:Which model to go for:Low Version - Pentium / 4GB / 64GB - Don't bother with it. CPU slow, ram too slow, storage too low. Get a second hand Surface Go 1 Pentium / 8gb / 128gb if you're tight on budget. Most reviewers show it's just too slow and like putting a slow engine into a nice chassis.Middle version - Pentium / 8GB / 128GB - Performs fine. Can stutter at times but once loaded up it's fine and a perfectly good option if just used for word or occasionally for on the go (as the name suggests).High Version - Core M3 - Definitely worth the money for the speed if you use it as your main device, which I do. Core M3 make all the difference. Everything else is a nice to have.