MicrosoftSurface Go (Intel Pentium Gold, 4GB RAM, 64GB)

There is a lot to love about this but it falls just short of perfect.Let me be upfront - I am a dyed in the wool Apple man and have been ever since Microsoft brought out widows 8 which I hated with a passion. At that point I already had an iPhone and iPad so going the whole hog with a MacBook seemed a no brainier. I still think it is the best integrated system there is but recently, the fact that iPad iOS is so limited has begun to annoy me. I still have to use a pc for work. This meant I was carrying around a notebook and pen (my iPad didn’t support the pencil) an iPad to be able to use all my productivity apps that my workplace wouldn’t allow me install or more likely didn’t exist on pc.I was about to update my iPad with a new one that used the pencil but I still needed a mobile platform for a full version of excel, not the iOS cut down version. So I looked at the Go.What’s to like? Well windows 10 is a breath of fresh air and is what Windows 8 should have been. I love the fact that on such a tiny gadget, I get full versions of office 365 which is perfect as I move from location to location and spend a hell of a lot of time on trains.To my utter amazement, when I set up my one drive, it recognised I had a work OneDrive account and gave me access without any todo which I fully expected from my super security conscious employer.I have chosen to break the mould and keep it in S mode. I find it largely fine. There are a few things I would love to put on it but I have realised I don’t actually need them. One is my cycling fitness training app the Sufferfest. (It’s on my old iPad) I would have to come out of S mode to be able to Download that because it’s not on the windows store. Also the kindle app isn’t on the Microsoft store!! What?!! That is a real shame actually and was nearly a deal breaker. I read a lot of technical books which I like to note in OneNote. I’ve got over it by having to use my kindle device which is far from ideal as still annoying.The reason for keeping it in s mode is I still don’t trust windows. Apples ecosystm just works. Windows does too but in my experience you need to know how too change the oil and spark plugs when you lift the bonnet. Not so with Apple. Windows S provides a nice safe environment which doesnt allow apps to mess with your settings and I love that. My old home PC take about 5 minutes to boot up because of all the garbage in my start up. I haven’t worked out how to get rid of it but then I use my MacBook all the time now.As a result, the fact this comes with an old and supposedly slow processor, I dont find it noticeably sluggish at all. I am sure 8gb and 120gb of solid state memory really helps but I also don’t do anything that hammers the processor like photo of film editing.I will use my Mac for that. I also don’t play games (life’s too short and there is a whole world to play in outside). I do use spreadsheets a lot. I say that but as a senior manager, I have many minions who do the heavy lifting but I do need to review their stuff. Some of the financial models we use can be fairly large and they seem to work just fine on the surface go. Similarly PowerPoint t and word seem fine and I have yet to find any presentations that are sluggish but then I haven’t had any yet with more than about 30 slides.I mainly use it for OneNote anyway, especially in meetings. With the pen it’s brilliant. I don’t need my notebook and pen anymore. The only bummer and I don’t know if it is the processor or not (I guess it probably is) I find the hand writing recognition software is slow, probably too slow for my needs. But, the accuracy of the recognition is seriously impressive.Another thing to like is the USBc port. I bought a little Lenovo adaptor that gives me a VGA type adaptor as well as HDMI and a USB port. To the usb port I have an old usb expansion port plugged in which means I can run it on a big screen as well as use external keyboard and mouse. Mind you, I don’t bother doing that much as the track pad and keyboard are fine, as is the screen (bar the gripes below).So what’s not to like. Well a few things bug me a little.Firstly, as an (ahem!) older gentleman, I like things big so I do t need my reading glasses all the time. Annoyingly, Microsoft have shrunk the icons to match the screen size. I am sure there is a setting that would enable them to be bigger and therefore probably fewer of them but I haven’t found it yet. Apple iOS icons are a decent size. When you’ve filled the desktop, they give you another page to swipe through. Don’t think this puppy does that. Shame.The second thing that is really annoying is that there doesn’t appear to be any anti glare. This is really annoying when i’m Commuting.Finally battery life sucks. The quoted 7 hours is laughable. I dont seem to get much more than 4 maybe 5 hours which is appalling. The good thing is i’m not often that far from a power plug so it’s not been a problem yet. Also, you can carve it with a USBc cable but it takes forever and doesn’t seem to work with the IPad uk usb charger unit. The charger that comes with it isn’t too bulky and the US one is nice and small.I don’t rate the Edge browser nor Bing as a search engine. I can’t seem to set another search engine such as DuckDuckGo or god forbid google as my default browser. However saving one as a favourite works but it’s an extra step to get onto the web.I have had a few problems with accessing one of my web enabled IOS productivity apps - Toodledo which I have using for years. It seems the version of java or whatever gizmo needed to get the full benefit isn’t up to date enough and working out how to do updates in S mode was a complete pain, thankfully sorted for me by the flagship Microsoft store on Oxford Street, London. As it happens, I discovered Microsoft ToDO which does what I want really well.Finally the Microsoft store is pants really! There’s not a busting amount on it given the huge quantity of software available for download from vendor sites. Ok, you can always come out of S mode but for someone with no interest in knowing how to tinker under the bonnet, I want a device which just works. Windows has never been that OS. I think windows 10 S has the potential but I am probably the only review that likes the idea and reality of S mode (to a point).Overall, I am really happy with this and it does what I need. I’d still prefer to use an iPad at the end of the day but that is probs it because I am used to them. But until they introduce a Mac OS like windows 10 that can work on their iPads and therefore do all I need with MS office, I will stick happily to my surface go. I think Microsoft are onto a winner and maybe if they clear some of my minor niggles for the Go version 2, it really will become a fantastic go to tablet that is an iPad killer. Just no cigar yet Microsoft!

I think the Surface Go is a fantastic device if you don't set your expectations unreasonably high. For reference, I got the 64GB base model, a black type cover, and a Surface pen.After unboxing, setup takes slightly longer than "just a moment" as the device likes to say, but if you've already got a Windows 10 device, it's pretty quick and easy. Following the initial startup, the device will need to download a variety of updates, but within 2 hours or so mine was fully up to date after multiple installations, restarts, etc... standard computer update affairs.I switched it out of "S mode" almost immediately, because I didn't want to be bootstrapped to the Microsoft store, and it's nice that they give you the option. It doesn't require any restart or anything, and allows you to install apps from anywhere.Regarding performance, I have done email, lots of internet browsing and video watching, movies, drawing, and light photo editing and social networking. The device is not lightning fast and it doesn't need to be. It rarely lags more than a second or 2 to open programs but if you're used to a higher performing desktop or laptop then you will notice. The glossy screen is beautiful and photos and videos look great. There are front firing speakers that sound pretty decent but not much better than your average smartphone speakers, but this is understandable. The device makes zero noise as well, no fans or spinning disks are present here and it rarely gets hot to the touch.Really any light duty thing you would do on a normal Windows 10 PC can be done here. And that's where this thing shines, it's versatility is just head and shoulders above laptops because of how wonderfully portable it is. It feels sturdy, good in the hand or in the lap, and the fully adjustable kickstand is magnificent. In my opinion, the add on keyboard is absolutely essential. It clips on quickly and easily with nice strong magnets. The keys are small and take some getting used to, but having a full keyboard with back-lighting in this form factor is amazing. They are far better than on screen typing. The trackpad is also wonderful, it looks silly large on there but that is a good thing. It's responsive and has a nice clicky feeling.I don't think that the Surface Pen is nearly as essential, but it is fun and works excellent. I could see myself using it for casual note taking, there is virtually no noticeable lag.The charger the device comes with has a proprietary port, but you can also charge it via USB-C, which is great if you have a phone with that port, because you only need one charger while you travel.The only things worth complaining about on this device are made up for by its sturdy build and excellent functionality. It makes a fantastic bridge between the smartphone and PC, perfect for when a smartphone just isn't enough and a full size PC is too much. You don't even need to stow it during takeoff and landing on planes!!! So, set your expectations to a realistic level and the Surface Go, even the base model, will meet them.As an added bonus personally, the Surface Go has helped me use my smartphone less, to the point that I removed most social media from my phone. When you don't have Facebook and Instagram in your pocket at all times, it is pretty amazing how quickly you realize how often you used to mindlessly scroll through your feeds. So you could say it has made me more mindful of my screen time and helped me leave both it and my phone in my pocket or out of reach more often, which we could all use a break from now and then.One more thing... this one is just a tip. Don't buy office! This device has a small enough screen that it qualifies for the free version of MS Office Mobile. Search online for how to get them!UPDATE 2/4/19: I've owned this for several months now and have had zero issues. Changing out of S mode and installing Chrome and other non-Windows store programs has been no problem, no noticeable impact to memory usage or performance. Battery life is still good, just a great little device to have.