14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Surface models are once again recommended products in Consumer Reports’ ratings, with just one exception: the recently-released Surface Go.
CR announced this week that Microsoft Surface devices, which have been evaluated as laptops, boast reliability that’s on par with most other laptop brands.
Previously, Consumer Reports pulled the recommended status for Surface models, pointing to poor predicted reliability when comparing these devices with laptops manufactured by other companies.
“The Surface Go is the only Surface that isn’t getting a recommendation; the company’s other models, including the Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, and Surface Book 2, do score well enough to be recommended,” CR says in its press release.
The Surface Go saga
Microsoft’s Surface Go, which is the cheapest and smallest Surface ever released, hasn’t received the CR recommended rating, and the organization says that it’s all because of the performance it offers.
“We weigh processing power heavily when we’re evaluating laptops,” says Maria Rerecich, who oversees all electronics testing for Consumer Reports. “A computer that doesn’t do well in performance testing isn’t likely to get recommended.”
Microsoft Surface Go comes with lower-cost hardware, and instead of Windows 10 Pro, it runs Windows 10 in S Mode, which is limited to apps in the Microsoft Store. However, consumers can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
“Microsoft offers two versions of the Surface Go, and Consumer Reports bought and tested them both; neither is recommended,” CR says.
Microsoft will host a new Surface event on October 2, but for the time being, it’s not yet known if the company wants to unveil major new generations or just upgrades to its existing devices. The Surface Studio 2 could show up at the event, alongside Surface Pro 6.
The October press conference, however, is unlikely to be live-streamed, and Microsoft will roll out all of the announcements at the end of the show.