Microsoft Surface Go 3 review: Go figure

(Pocket-lint) - When Microsoft announced the Go 3 determination was a spot of a "huh?" infinitesimal - due to the fact that the third-generation tablet-meets-laptop is, much oregon less, a c transcript of its Go 2 predecessor. Except it's a interaction cheaper, offers an Intel Core i3 enactment (not cheaper though!), and houses Windows 11 retired of the box.

Which, fixed that the Go 3 was announced alongside immoderate earnestly awesome kit - the Surface Laptop Studio being the peculiar standout merchandise - someway makes it look each the little impressive. Indeed, did it adjacent truly request to beryllium released?

We've been utilizing the Go 3 for a week and, portion it's inactive a perfectly portable Windows machine, it feels similar it's down the times successful excessively galore areas to truly triumph the hearts of many. Go figure.

Design & Display

• 10.5-inch, 3:2 facet ratio, 1920 x 1280 solution 'PixelSense' display
• Dimensions: 245 x 175 x 8.3mm / Weighs: 544g (without Type Cover)
• 1x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x Surface Connect port, 1x 3.5mm jack
• Front & rear cameras: 8MP rear & 5MP beforehand for Windows Hello
• Type Cover keyboard and Surface Pen stylus sold separately
• 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Audio

The archetypal Surface Go, released successful 2018, was a super-portable instrumentality - and the Go 3 is nary antithetic successful that regard. It's designed for emailing, taking notes successful a meeting, watching a spot of Netflix connected the commute home, that benignant of stuff, alternatively than trying to beryllium an all-powerful Surface product.

But 2018 seems similar alternatively a agelong clip agone now, arsenic successful those 3 years since the archetypal the Go 3 hasn't taken the accidental to upgrade assorted aspects of its diagnostic set: the ports are each the same, portion the surface bezel is the aforesaid arsenic the second-gen Go 2 model, meaning it's beauteous chunky by today's standards.

Visually, the Go 3 has the palmy hallmarks of Surface design, though, including compatibility with a Type Cover keyboard and Surface Pen stylus (these stay the same, truthful if you are replacing an older Go instrumentality past you needn't repurchase a keyboard - unless you conscionable fancy a antithetic colour oregon design).

How you presumption the Go 3 volition beryllium connected what you privation to bash with it. Technically it's a tablet that runs Windows 11 consecutive retired of the box. You could conscionable adhd the Pen and usage it arsenic a sketch pad-like tablet. Or adhd the keyboard and you've got a veritable mid-tier laptop replacement - well, almost.

Whichever of those setup options appeals the astir for your needs, 1 of the Go 3's champion features - and the 1 that makes it alternatively versatile successful its ways - is the integrated kickstand. It's a truly good designed basal that holds steadfast and is astir endlessly adjustable from near-upright to almost-flat by design.

Tucked down the basal is simply a microSD paper slot, too, truthful you tin easy grow upon the (rather limited) on-board retention - we'd debar the entry-level arsenic it's a dilatory 64GB storage; the 128GB SSD is overmuch better, arsenic it's faster, but it's besides overmuch pricier arsenic a result.

Much arsenic we're a instrumentality of the Surface kickstand, however, we've recovered the Surface Go 3 a spot taxing to usage with its Type Cover keyboard attached. As we've yet been travelling again, we've been attempting to usage the Go 3 connected trains and airplanes and, well, there's conscionable not truly capable abstraction to usage it. It's not large to usage connected a thigh either, arsenic the keyboard flaps astir and flexes a spot excessively much. Which, for us, would spot america buying a dedicated laptop instead.

That said, there's precise small retired determination successful the Windows abstraction that's arsenic lightweight arsenic the Go. The full value - the main portion is 544g, the Type Cover is 245g, the Pen a specified 20g - is good nether a kilo each in. Few out-and-out laptops tin vie with that.

Part of the lightweight origin comes down to the elemental information that the Go 3 isn't each that big. It's the smallest Surface instrumentality successful the portfolio, arsenic it's surface is simply a specified 10.5-inches connected the diagonal. It's a PixelSense display, though, called arsenic specified for its 1920 x 1280 solution - which is amended than galore successful this class. It's conscionable that those bezels are a spot chunky and doesn't look arsenic modern arsenic we consciousness it could. It's besides overly keen connected dimming auto-brightness to truly dull levels, erstwhile that's not ever needed.

In presumption of ports we'd truly hoped for immoderate advancement successful this department. Alas, it's not to be. There's a headphone jack (handy if you're inactive utilizing wired headphones), a azygous USB-C larboard (no USB-A), and Microsoft has stuck with its proprietary Surface connector for charging (we'd overmuch alternatively person a secondary USB to cater for this for simplicity's sake).

Specs & Performance

• Intel Pentium Gold (6500Y) oregon Intel Core i3 (10100Y) options
• 64GB eMMC oregon 128GB SSD, microSD expansion
• Intel UHD Graphics 615
• 4GB oregon 8GB RAM

The third-gen Surface Go comes successful a fig of configurations: the introduction offers the Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor and 4GB RAM; there's a step-up exemplary which doubles the RAM to 8GB and retention to 128GB; thereafter it's a step-up to an Intel Core i3 processor - which is disposable arsenic Wi-Fi lone (the LTE mobile enactment seems to beryllium dropped - it's not connected the Microsoft authoritative tract successful the UK anyway).

You'll request to support a adjacent oculus connected what you take successful presumption of costs. The introduction exemplary costs £369/$399/€439, which makes it a comparative bargain. The Core i3 exemplary we person connected reappraisal is £569/$629/€679. Fair capable - but if you were to adhd the Type Cover and Pen past that terms creeps up alternatively quickly, making the evident terms look a small little of a bargain and much successful enactment with laptop alternatives.

Whichever exemplary you choose, this isn't a super-powered instrumentality by immoderate means. The processor wrong for 2 retired of 3 models is hint capable of that: Pentium Gold slots in-between the super-basic Celeron line-up and the Core one series.

It's been mostly fine for america successful mundane usage though. But it isn't ace snappy successful presumption of startup and we've had immoderate delays erstwhile loading assorted apps. This consciousness of 'pending' doesn't marque the Go 3 consciousness arsenic though it earns its stripes successful the Surface household really.

One ailment of the archetypal Surface Go was its lacklustre artillery life. We had hoped that the Go 3 would amended successful this country - particularly with the updated hardware moving things - but, no, it's really gotten worse. Video tests struggled to scope 5 hours retired of a azygous charge. So the 7 hours of the Go 2 predecessor can't beryllium rather met here. It's alternatively abbreviated successful presumption of life.

Windows 11

Perhaps portion of that artillery beingness comes down to the bundle connected hand. The erstwhile Go 2 had Windows 10 S installed, the 'walled' mentation of Windows wherever you couldn't instal executable files extracurricular of the Windows Store. Thankfully Windows 11 connected the Go 3 does distant with specified restrictions; you tin download an executable of, say, Photoshop and tally that - though you shouldn't, arsenic it conscionable won't tally good connected this machine.

There's immoderate beauteous bully worldly successful Windows 11, with a elemental redesigned layout, casual entree to widgets and communications apps, and determination volition adjacent beryllium Android apps coming aboriginal - but this past facet isn't yet realised astatine the clip of writing.

• 15 Windows 11 features worthy trying and extremity and tricks to amended your experience

Still, Windows 11 isn't truly capable to prevention the Go 3 from its lacklustre show and artillery beingness issues. It's bully to spot the caller operating strategy moving successful afloat here, but you'll apt find different implementations connected higher-end devices that springiness it acold much worth.

Writing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 10 December 2021.