Yesterday, Microsoft’s Surface Twitter account posted an image of the Surface lineup—the Surface Pro, Surface Book, Surface Studio and Surface Laptop—with the caption “Where will Surface go next?” On the display of each device was a timestamp: 6am Tuesday July 10. We’ve hit that time and now we know the answer to the question. The all-new Surface Go was just announced. Look for it soon at Best Buy.
Surface Go: The Smallest, Most Affordable Surface Tablet
The Surface Pro is an incredibly popular prosumer tablet, and with good reason. It has a big, high resolution, touchscreen PixelSense display. Its magnesium alloy case is sleek and lightweight. It runs standard Windows software and applications. It supports Surface Pen stylus input. And add an optional Type Cover and you have a great portable productivity solution that’s lighter than a laptop.
While it’s a great product for professionals and demanding users, the Surface Pro has two drawbacks for more casual users. First, with a 12.3-inch display it’s a bit large for casual use. And second, the high-powered tablet isn’t exactly a budget purchase. The Surface 3 used to be an option, but since it was discontinued, there has been a bit of a gap in the Surface lineup.
No more, with the announcement of the Surface Go.
Key Specs:
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Take the Surface Pro, shrink it down, and that’s the Surface Go. Same high quality magnesium alloy case with integrated kickstand, same familiar shape, same Surface Connect port, and the same PixelSense display. But smaller.
The Surface Go has a 10-inch display, it’s just 8.3 mm thick and it weighs just 1.15 pounds (522 g). Microsoft says that makes it the thinnest, lightest Surface tablet ever. It’s also the most affordable.
The Surface Go is still powered by an Intel CPU (the 7th generation Generation Pentium Gold 4415Y), an ultra-efficient mobile design that features fanless operation and up to nine hours of battery life on a charge. It should offer up to twice the power of the Surface 3.
Microsoft has also updated the the Surface Go for today’s users with the inclusion of a USB-C port for accessories. Wi-Fi is offered initially, with optional LTE connectivity coming later in the year. And to accompany the Surface Go, the company has new optional accessories including a Signature Type Cover.
When Can I Get One?
The big question. Demand is already high for this tablet, after a year and a half without the Surface 3 in the lineup.
Expect to see the compact, affordable Microsoft Surface Go available for pre-order soon at Best Buy. In the meantime, you can check out the complete Surface lineup for a good idea of what to expect in terms of design, capabilities and accessories.
