14 DAY TRIAL // Just as expected, Microsoft announced the brand-new Surface Laptop today, a new device that is supposed to bring the signature Surface features at a lower price range.
The Surface Laptop Go, which will be available in Ice Blue, Sandstone, and Platinum, starts from $549.99, and it is supposed to provide people with a more premium device that doesn’t cost a small fortune.
“Our goal is to design a Surface for every person, work style and location. To give every person in your household or organization a laptop that’s not just something you need to use, but something you want to use. A virtual office you want to be in, a virtual classroom that engages you to learn, a place you can play your favorite game or watch a movie – with a bright vibrant screen, a fluid and comfortable keyboard, high quality cameras and mics, and the versatility of touch screens,” Pete Kyriacou, VP, Microsoft Devices, explains.
The Surface Laptop Go looks exactly like a Microsoft Surface device, only that it comes with a 12.4-inch PixelSense display with a resolution of 1536x1024 and 32 aspect ratio.
Just as rumored, power comes from the 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor that is paired with either 4GB or 8GB RAM. Interestingly, Microsoft says a 16GB version would also be offered, though no specifics are available at this point, so there’s a chance this would be available through the company’s business channels.
For storage, the Surface Laptop Go comes with 64GB eMMC on the base model, but the upgraded versions can be equipped with 128GB or 256GB SSD storage. The graphics card is an Intel UHD Graphics board.
Surface Laptop Go doesn’t come with a facial recognition camera to power Windows Hello, but instead it features a fingerprint sensor for a new feature called One Touch sign in. On the other hand, worth knowing is that the 4GB RAM version with 64GB storage doesn’t come with this fingerprint sensor.
“For a quick and secure sign-in, select models of Surface Laptop Go have a Fingerprint Power Button with One Touch sign-in through Windows Hello. One Touch sign-in also provides fast, secured access to OneDrive Personal Vault files and more so you can jump in quickly and be productive,” Microsoft explains.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go comes with Windows 10 Home in S mode enabled by default, but users can also upgrade to Windows 10 Pro if needed. Furthermore, the Surface Laptop Go for businesses comes with Windows 10 Pro pre-loaded.
“Surface Laptop Go for consumers comes with Windows 10 Home in S mode to bring you the powerful Windows features you use most at exceptional value. If you need additional enterprise management and security tools for the workplace, you can switch to Windows 10 Pro or purchase Surface Laptop Go for Business. Windows 10 Home in S mode works exclusively with apps and programs from the Microsoft Store within Windows and accessories that are compatible with Windows 10 Home in S mode. A one-way switch out of S mode is available,” Microsoft says.
In terms of battery life, the Surface Laptop Go offers up to 13 hours of typical device usage, which is pretty good given the specs of the device. However, it’d be interesting to find if the same autonomy is offered with Windows 10 Pro too.
And last but not least, in terms of connectivity you get one USB-C port, one USB-A, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and one Surface Connect port.
The new Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is available for pre-order today in the United States, with shipping to kick off on October 13.
