Author Topic: Microsoft Surface Go review: Bringing the fun back to Windows 2/2  (Read 124 times)

Offline javajolt

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Typing is better than expected for such a small device. While you may not want to write a whole term paper on the Surface Go, you can. Accuracy was outstanding and while it took a few hours to get used to, the Go's Type Cover is quite enjoyable once you factor in the apparent size limitations and trade-off.

t is easier to type on the Surface Go when it is placed on a table or flat surface, but you can use it in the lap — though I found that I was hunching over and squeezing my arms in more than with a typical laptop.

DUAL SPEAKERS

Microsoft Surface Go audio



Keeping with a similar approach in the Surface Pro, Microsoft utilizes dual-front facing speakers found on the top area of the Surface Go's display. The speaker grills are etched into the Go's display and remain virtually hidden from view but deliver sound right at your head.

Audio quality is above average with good audio separation, but the sound is a bit muddied compared to an iPad 9.7, which has crisper highs. Instead, the audio on Surface Go is rich, but more even across highs, mids, and lows with a flat affect. It's not bad and better than most laptops – especially at this price range, but it also doesn't reinvent anything.

Volume is just loud enough with music sounding fine at a setting of 60 (out of 100). Music can be played at 100 with no clipping or distortion. It's also never too loud, but again, this reflects more a size limitation than anything. For watching videos, a setting at 50 is fine.

PRO CAMERAS AND HELLO

Microsoft Surface Go Windows Hello and Cameras



Ripping a page from the Surface Pro playbook are the front and rear facing camera plus support for Windows Hello facial recognition to log into Windows automatically.

The rear "world-facing" camera is 8MP and auto-focus and while it can struggle in low light situations when outdoors or anywhere well lit it can deliver some stunning photos especially if the high-dynamic range (HDR) is enabled.



The front camera is 5MP and found above the display. Microsoft says it is "tuned for Skype" usage (whatever that means) and it works just as well as the Surface Pro, which has similar hardware.

Windows Hello with infrared (IR) lenses lets you log into Windows 10 just by looking at the login screen. It worked mostly without issue. Being a smaller device the range and position that you hold the Surface Go has much more variability than a larger Surface Pro resulting in some misreads. However, this is solvable by using the "improve recognition" feature found under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options. If you do this for the extreme positions of the Surface Go, then it works without any problems.

For those curious, the Surface Go's Windows Hello system does work if holding the Go vertically too. Using the "improve recognition" feature helps keep it consistent.

FASTER THAN EXPECTED

Microsoft Surface Go benchmarks, performance, and heat



The original Surface 3 used an Intel Atom x7 processor that was not very fast. This time, Microsoft opted to use the 7th generation Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y CPU to power the Surface Go (there's not yet an 8th generation Pentium).

The Pentium runs max at 1.6GHz and lacks the Turbo Boost feature found in more expensive Core processors. It's dual-core, though, and has Intel's processor stepping technology for a variable task-based clock speed.



The Pentium draws just 4.5W versus the typical 15W of a Core processor, which significantly helps with battery life and heat management as the processor can't get that hot.

Running at 100 percent CPU usage for 20 minutes straight in a 70-degree F (21C) room the Surface Go has no thermal or power-limit throttling at all. It ran consistently at 1.6GHz with no drops in speed the entire time.



Under such circumstances, the external chassis temperature never exceeded 104-degrees F (40C), which is just slightly warm, but far from hot or uncomfortable. That's excellent performance for a completely fanless – and silent – system.

Regarding actual performance, the Surface Go's single-core score (2,078) was essentially double that of the Surface 3's Atom processor (1,078) on Geekbench, with multi-core falling at a respectable 3,934.

For graphics, the Surface Go's Intel HD 615 (16,490) also doubled the Surface 3's Intel HD graphics (8,055) on Geekbench.

Those are very good results.



Adding icing to the cake is the 128GB Toshiba SSD, which is one of the fastest SSDs we have seen in any Surface with 1,185MB/s read and 546MB/s for write. That's a ten-fold increase over the Surface 3 (149MB/s) and beats the current Surface Pro (847MB/s) – at least for read speed.

As expected, the more affordable entry-level Surface Go with 64GB of storage performed worse (260MB/s) due to the use of eMMC instead of an NVMe SSD.

Update: A recent firmware update seems to have shifted things. We're now getting 1,200+ MB/s for read (a slight increase), but write speeds have dipped to 133MB/s.

When you combine the Intel Pentium processor, Intel HD 615 graphics and that zippy SSD you get a quality "budget" Surface. To say it destroy the Surface 3 in this area would be an understatement.

Keep in mind the Surface Go is still pales compared to a modern Core i7 laptop, but the experience in using it for Windows 10, launching apps, and yes, even some mid-range games are without a doubt enjoyable. There are no lags, skips, or long wait times for Microsoft Office, Skype, or the Edge browser.

Bottom line: In real-world comparisons, the Surface Go performs similarly to the Surface Pro 4 with an Intel HD 520 for graphics and just below the Surface Pro 4 with Core m3 for raw processor.

GOOD BATTERY TOO

Microsoft Surface Go battery life



Microsoft cites nine hours of battery for the Surface Go on a closed-loop video test. Usually, such pronouncements are overly optimistic compared to real-world power drain. That is not the case here.

Because the Intel Pentium processor does not have turbo boost and can never go beyond 1.6GHz, it is more consistent for battery life than a Core processor.

With display brightness around 40 percent users should expect around seven hours of usage, but closer to eight or more.

The battery result was much better than I had anticipated, and I was surprised at how efficient the processor was at sipping power. On one evening I spent two solid hours using the Surface Go browsing the web, installing apps, using those apps, and watching videos on YouTube and Netflix. After those two hours, I still had a 76 percent battery left, which is respectable.



The most significant variable with the Surface Go and battery life is not so much what you do with it but screen brightness. If you ramp up the intensity to above 60 percent (or even maxed out), you will get a few hours less than what I experienced making it the most significant power draw.

For those reasons, you can consider the Surface Go as having all-day battery life (understood as at or near eight hours). Using the Surface Connect charger or Type-C charger, the PC also recharges very quickly too.

It's worth noting too that there is now a time-estimate of remaining battery life, something we have not seen on a Surface for years.

NEAR WORLDWIDE

Microsoft Surface Go where and when to buy

Microsoft is doing a rather quick global release for the Surface Go starting on August 2nd for the U.S. and Canada. Another 23 markets should get it around August 23.



Surface Go will be available in Japan, Singapore, Korea and in China as well. On September 12th, Surface Go will be available for pre-order in additional markets in the Middle East:



FEW COMPROMISES BESIDES THE OBVIOUS

The Bottom Line: Microsoft Surface Go



Going into this review, I was skeptical of the Surface Go, especially after my experience with the Surface 3. Luckily, Microsoft exceeded all my expectations with the Surface Go.

The combination of the Pentium processor, HD 615 graphics, and fast SSD resoundingly make the Surface Go an enjoyable experience even for those accustomed to Core i5 or Core i7 laptops. While you will not want to edit a 4K video on this and high-level gaming is out of the question, using the Surface Go for everyday tasks like email, inking, web browsing, watching movies and more was excellent.

Battery life is also surprising. If you can pull seven or more hours out of the Surface Go and combine it with its multiple ways to recharge, then it's a good experience.



Now toss in things like a highly precise Surface Pen inking experience, the ability to use this as an e-reader (Microsoft Edge), Windows Hello, a 165-degree kickstand, microSD expansion, and an enjoyable (if cramped) typing experience and the Surface Go is a radically different value compared to the Surface 3 just three years ago (it's now $100 cheaper).

Nothing about Surface Go makes you think Microsoft cut corners – quite the opposite, in fact. Putting that SSD and a slightly more color accurate display than Surface Pro are surprising. It reinforced the observation that with each release the Surface team gets more and more right.

It should also be noted that Microsoft has — at least for this Surface — ditched the problematic Marvel AVASTAR chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and opted instead for a Qualcomm Atheros (QCA61x4A).



That leads to what's wrong with Surface Go? Not much. There is the obvious question if you need a 10-inch Windows PC, or if you are OK with the cramped nature of typing or a small display. But these are low-hanging complaints. Any full-keyboard on a 10-inch PC is going to be small, but considering the restrictions this is still an excellent keyboard. Thunderbolt 3 would have been icing on the cake but for this price point, its absence is only slightly disappointing.

Pricing is also an easy target, but Surfaces have always been more expensive than similar options. Ironically, there are not too many alternatives to Surface Go, at least ones that are drastically cheaper.

The Surface Go ships with Windows 10 Home in S-mode. That limits you to installing apps only from the Microsoft Store instead of potentially dangerous .exe files off the internet that can break or slow down your PC. But that's an easy fix. Head to the Store and type in "switch out of S mode" and five seconds later you have full Windows 10 Home (you don't even need to reboot).

As far as reliability in the few days I spent with the Surface Go there was nary a crash, hiccup, or problem – everything just worked.



The Surface Go is arguably the most fun Surface created yet. It's adorably small, the performance is excellent, battery life respectable and it's a great inking experience. It's just enjoyable to use. While the tablet experience in Windows 10 is not as good as Windows 8, as a mini-PC this is about as good as you can get and that's pretty darn good.

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« Last Edit: August 03, 2018, 05:59:31 PM by javajolt »