Microsoft Surface Go long-term review
The Surface Go should be considered against entry-level Surface Pro. Surface Pro 7 has proportionately more capability than the Surface Go 2 vs. cost. The benchmarks and initial reviews of the Core m3 2020 Surface Go 2 are favorable.
The Surface Go is adequate for video conferencing as long as you’re not using other programs at the same time. While headsets are better for any laptop, the built-in array microphones of the Surface Go and Surface Pro 7 are good for videoconferencing. The Surface Go generally seems to have a great array microphone. It is relatively straightforward to dictate using Windows Voice Commands to compose text with the Surface Go. This is accomplished in general by pressing ⊞+h in any application, bringing up a dictation bar. Windows voice dictation accuracy is OK, but is not nearly as good as Android’s voice typing system.
The Surface Go can be charged at least in three ways, which we find quite flexible:
- OEM 24 watt (Surface connector)
- USB-C PD to Surface connector adapter (need 15 volt USB-C PD adapter, works with other Surface devices also)
- USB-C PD 18 watt or higher charger
The Surface Go is fine to play video at the full screen resolution. The web browser is a bit slower on the 2018 Surface Go than on a mid-range laptop priced 3 times higher than the Surface Go. If one is building code and running simulations, those will feel slower on the Surface Go, like a 5 year old laptop would feel.