Surface Laptop Go 2 review: Not the best value for money, but easy to love

Anyone buying a Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 should be fully aware of the laptop’s shortcomings.

First and foremost, the base model, which gives it an attractive $600 starting price, only comes with 4GB of non-upgradable RAM and should be ignored by just about everyone. Seriously, don’t buy it and try to talk yourself into it just to save money.

Act like the actual starting price is $700, the amount needed to get the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration. It’s still closer to “budget”than “high-end”for ultrabooks, but the list of omissions, flaws, and weird decisions gets harder to ignore as you spend more money. Old generation processor. Keyboard without backlight. Tiny selection of ports. The touch screen is neither particularly high resolution nor very colorful. A 128GB SSD that many will find cramped, and a 256GB option that (1) isn’t much bigger and (2) adds another $100 to the price.

None of these issues should be hushed up or ignored. But as disappointed as some may be, the fact remains that the Laptop Go 2 is a nice, light, competent laptop that’s a pleasure to use. Microsoft gets most of the important stuff right here, and there’s no laptop in this price range that doesn’t come with a compromise.

Especially if you can find it on sale – and Microsoft, Best Buy, and others who sold it regularly discounted the old Laptop Go – The Laptop Go 2 is a no-fuss budget laptop worth considering if you can live with it. shortcomings..

Thoughtful design, minimalistic features

Externally, Surface Laptop Go 2 is indistinguishable from the original. Microsoft hasn’t changed the keyboard, trackpad, screen, or chassis at all, opting to just replace the internals. The only exterior difference is the addition of a color called “Sage,”a silver with an undefined green tint that complements the returning pink-tinted Sandstone, blue-tinted Ice Blue, and unpainted Platinum variants. It weighs less than 2.5 pounds and is very easy to pick up and carry around, whether you’re putting it in your travel bag or simply moving it between rooms in your home.

If you’re unfamiliar with the original Laptop Go, here’s a quick recap: The laptop has a lightweight aluminum lid and palm rest, paired with a plastic bottom cover. The combination is light and reasonably solid to the touch, though the thin aluminum feels a little more pliable than what you get with a MacBook, Dell XPS, or Microsoft’s own Surface devices and higher-end Surface Laptops. The trackpad is small, but accurate and responsive. And while the keyboard lacks backlighting, key spacing and key travel are pleasing, and the fingerprint sensor mounted on the power button is a welcome addition.

The main difference between the laptop and other laptops in this price range is the 12.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1536×1024 and a 3:2 aspect ratio, which makes it narrower but much taller than screens with a 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio. in most ultrabooks. A peak screen brightness of 376 nits, a contrast ratio of 1159:1, and color gamut coverage (94% sRGB gamut, just 68.5% DCI-P3 gamut) are all great for the price.

But the display isn’t as dense as a more typical 13.3-inch 1080p or 1920×1200 screen (about 149 ppi, compared to a mid and high 160), making text a bit jagged by comparison, especially when smaller size. size and lighter weight. But the screen size and aspect ratio are great for such a small and light laptop. If you happen to replace an old 11.6-inch budget 16:9 netbook laptop with a Laptop Go 2, the difference will be huge.

Port selection is more difficult on the Laptop Go 2, though it shares that disadvantage with the larger Surface laptop. You get one USB-A port, one USB-C port, a headphone jack, and a proprietary Surface Connect port, and that’s it. It’s nice to be able to charge the laptop without blocking any of the USB ports, and it’s handy to be able to charge via the USB-C port if you need it or prefer it. These are just the bare minimum and we’re willing to trade Surface Connect for another USB-C port any day.

And while it doesn’t really matter in day-to-day use of the device, there are some added benefits of owning a Surface on a less expensive laptop. There are plenty of Windows devices that can’t seamlessly receive UEFI firmware updates or other hardware/firmware level security features via Windows Update, and most budget devices are lucky enough to get many of these updates at all. To Microsoft’s credit, Microsoft regularly updates budget devices like the Surface Go or the Surface Laptop Go.