Review Microsoft Surface Go 2 - Small but Mighty?
A few months ago, I wrote a
rather rambling article outlining the supposed “Death of the Netbook” at the
hands of an idiotic Microsoft, a thoroughly self-absorbed Linux community and
the arrival of powerful tablets such as the iPad. In passing, I also briefly
mentioned Microsoft’s Surface line-up of 2-in-1 devices, including the new
Microsoft Surface Go 2. Well, a few weeks ago, I finally took the plunge and
went for that particular device, taking advantage of a Black Friday offer. Delivery
was frighteningly prompt, heads off to Microsoft and UPS for that, and I had it
in my hand less than two days after ordering.
As I was restricted with regards
to the available budget, I decided to go for the entry-level model, which
sports a rather pedestrian Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y processor with two 1.7GHz
cores. This is supplemented by a measly 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage.
These specs certainly don’t sound very impressive, similar to many netbooks
back in the days, right down to the slow eMMC storage. To be fair to Microsoft
though, this low powered CPU also means a relatively low thermal load, making
the Surface Go 2 a fanless device. There are higher spec models out there with
8GB storage, a 128GB SSDs and in the top configuration even an Intel Core m3
CPU in place of the Pentium, however these higher configurations come with a steep
premium, particularly since the Surface Go 2 ships without a keyboard, but more
on that later.
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| For some reason, Microsoft sells the Type Cover separately from the tablet itself, despite the fact that Windows 10 isn't really a touch-only operating system. |
First Impressions
Hardware
Well hot damn! The Surface Go 2
may be Microsoft’s entry level Surface device but that doesn’t mean it’s a
cheap-looking device, on the contrary. The magnesium case looks and feels sturdy
and robust without being heavy, and it looks just as good. The back is
dominated by the large kickstand that is a staple of all Surface tablets, while
the front is obviously dominated by the 10.5-inch touch screen. Dubbed a
“PixelSense” display by Microsoft, this display sports a resolution of 1920 x
1280 resolution at 220 PPI. While this is slightly lower than the 264 PPI of
the Retina Display in Apples latest generation iPad, you don’t really notice
the different. And let me tell you, the display is excellent!
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| The Surface Go comes only with a sparse selection of accessories. The build quality and materials are top notch though! |
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| The right-hand side of the device houses a proprietary Surface Connector (bottom), a single USB-C port (centre), and a 3.5mm headphone jack (top). There's also a microSD card slot at the back, under the kickstand. |
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| The Type Cover can be used either flat on the table, like in the top image, or angled as you can see here. Personally, I prefer the angled position. |
Software
While looking like a
run-of-the-mill tablet, the Surface Go is in effect a perfectly conventional
x64 PC and as such, it runs with Windows 10, or rather Windows 10 in S Mode. This
is a more locked down version of Windows 10, with fewer customisation options.
While running Windows 10 in S Mode, you can only download and install
applications from the Microsoft Store, you’re limited to using Microsoft Edge
as a browser, and a number of safety features are active to prevent “drive-by”
downloads of malware, etc... Underneath all these restrictions, Windows 10 in S
Mode is just a regular version of Windows 10 Home, and it is possible to switch
from S Mode to a “regular” Windows 10 with just a click. This is a one-way
change though, and I personally haven’t made it yet. I’ll go into details about
the reasons for that later.
Setup & Use
Setup
Setting up the Surface Go 2 is easy and straightforward, particularly if you already have a Microsoft account like yours truly. Just log into your Wi-Fi, set up your Microsoft Account and Windows Hello, and you’re ready to go, likely within five minutes or more. Microsoft Office is already installed on the device, so if you have an Office 365 subscription, you’re effectively ready to go once setup is completed and you’ve logged into OneDrive. The fun starts afterwards when it comes to updating Windows. While this is not as painful as it used to be back in the day, it can still take quite some time until you have all patches, updates and service packs installed.
Everyday Use
I’ve been using the Surface Go 2
since the beginning of December. Given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis that you
might have heard about, I’m nowhere near as mobile as I’d like. Like a great
many people, I’m currently working from home and given the on-off-on nature of
lockdowns, getting out and about isn’t always as easy as I’d like. Still, I’ve been
able to head out on a couple of weekends to test the Surface Go 2 on the road,
which is very much where it is supposed to be used. Despite what you may have
suspected given the anaemic hardware of the Surface Go 2, Windows 10 feels
pretty snappy most of the time when I use it. Logging in with Windows Hello
facial recognition is quick for the most part, though it doesn’t always
recognise my face properly. I haven’t found a clear pattern for that issue yet,
but it looks like it might be related to the angle at which the camera scans my
face. It’s not a major issue though.
Once you’re logged in, most of
the applications I use on a daily basis are pretty responsive, particularly
OneNote and Edge, which are the ones I use most often. As someone who writes a
LOT, any types of delays in the likes of OneNote or Word are a no-go for me and
so far, there haven’t been any issues whatsoever. As for Edge, ever since
Microsoft switched Edge over onto the Chromium framework, it has been my
primary driver both on my MacBook and on my work laptop, and it has yet to let
me down. It is right up there with regular Chrome with regards to speed, if not
faster. Most web pages load without noticeable delays, with only
multimedia-heavy websites such as YouTube taking a real toll on the system. And
then, there’s Lightroom. I use Lightroom a lot to quickly edit photos after
being out and about with the drone or my camera, and as such, it is one of the
apps I use regularly. It “works” on the Surface Go 2 as well, but don’t expect
to be setting any performance records. It takes forever to load, and the usage
experience is nowhere near as fluent as on my MacBook or even on an iPad. If
you’re looking for a device to do a lot of photo editing on the go with, stick
to the top-of the line Surface Go or go for an iPad. If you’re in a pinch, it
works well enough though.
That being said, I basically
bought this device as a writer’s journal and a mobile companion device that I
can take with me when I’m on the go. I wasn’t in the market for a high-powered
tablet and as such, a lot of the features in the later model iPads simply were
not relevant. Basically, what I was looking for was a netbook that could
function as a tablet when required, and the Microsoft Surface Go 2 fits that
description down to a T, even in the baseline configuration, so in a way, I've come full circle with regards to my computers. Another bonus is its compact size, with a 10.5"-inch screen, the Surface Go is small enough to fit on most café tables, even with the Type Cover attached. To be fair, there
are a few restrictions though, it isn’t all plain sailing.
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| The Surface Go 2 feels right at home even on cramped café tables, and looks good while doing so! The lights above the screen are used for Windows Hello, by the way. |
One of these restrictions is
battery life. On its website, Microsoft advertises the Surface Go 2s battery
life at ten hours. How they arrived at that figure is completely beyond me,
because in my personal experience, I can get maybe eight to nine hours out of a
battery, but then again, my current usage isn’t really the typical usage
pattern that you’d expect due to the fact that I don’t get out much. Having
said that, you should still be able to get though an average workday without
getting too panicked over battery life. In case things to get a bit too tight
for your liking and you’ve left the charger at home, you can charge the Surface
Go 2 from a power bank using the USB-C port.
The other major issue you should
be aware of is the software.
Windows 10 in S Mode
I mentioned earlier that the
Microsoft Surface Go 2 ships with Windows 10 in S Mode. In general, this is indistinguishable
from a regular version of Windows 10 in everyday use. Granted, you’re
restricted to Microsoft Edge as your web browser but ever since Microsoft moved
Edge over onto the Chromium Framework, it’s become an excellent browser, one
that I prefer over Google Chrome and that I use on both my work laptop and on
my MacBook Pro. The situation is a bit different when it comes to apps. As
mentioned before, S Mode restricts you to downloading apps from the Microsoft
App Store. Most of the major apps that you’ll need are available there and the
Surface Go 2 comes with Microsoft Office pre-loaded onto the device anyway.
However, there are no Google apps available in the Store at all and the selection
of Amazon apps is highly inconsistent. Prime Video is available, but Kindle is
not. Similarly, password managers like Dashlane seem to be wholly absent from
the platform, as is Readly, a magazine subscription app that I use on a regular
basis.
Now I know that when Microsoft
started with the app store for both its Windows machines and its now defunct
Windows Phone line, Steve Ballmer’s abrasive demeanour soured relations between
Microsoft and many other companies, including Apple and Google. However, it’s
more than ten years since that happened now, Ballmer is thankfully ancient
history at Microsoft now and you’d think that the Pichai’s Bezos’ and Cooks of
the world would find a way to resolve these issues. The fact that this is not
the case just shows to me that some tech CEOs really need to have common sense
beaten into them with a large mackerel! Anyone got some spare mackerels lying
around? Ideally around 50 centimetres long and just beginning to smell?
Anyway, manky marine fauna aside, most of these services are available as web services as well, and I’m happy to report that many, even Google Earth, run without serious issues even on the meagre hardware of the Surface Go 2. However, if you need a particular software to run on the device, say for school or university work, you may have to switch Windows 10 from S Mode into a “regular” version. As mentioned above, this is a simple one-click affair, but I’m honestly hesitant since it’s a one-way transition and for the most part, I haven’t really needed to move outside the Microsoft Store.
Conclusion
With all this being said and
done, where does that leave the Surface Go 2? Is it the iPad killer that some have
been claiming it to be? Is it yet another complete and utter failure from
Microsoft? Well as is so often the case, the answer lies between these two
extremes. The Surface Go 2 is no powerhouse, that’s for sure, and no amount of
flowery language on the Microsoft web site will turn it into one. It is also
nowhere near an iPad killer, certainly not in the baseline configuration. But
then again, it isn’t trying to be. It’s simply an entry level gateway into
Microsoft’s hardware ecosystem and, in my eyes at least, the spiritual
successor to the netbooks of old. If you’re in the market for such a device,
you should definitely check out the Surface Go 2.
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