The Microsoft Surface Go 2 (2020) is a 10.5 inch Windows tablet with a detachable keyboard. It feels solid and well built, with an incredibly stable kickstand. The screen is bright and sharp and has full sRGB coverage, and its 3:2 aspect ratio gives you more vertical space than a typical 16:9 display. It has an excellent 1080p webcam and a crisp, clear microphone, decent-sounding speakers, and it stays completely silent. Unfortunately, its performance in games is terrible, and since there's only a single USB-C port, you need to use a dongle for multiple wired peripherals. The battery life is mediocre, especially for a device meant for use on the go, so you need to bring a charger if you intend to perform even moderately demanding tasks. None of the available models are suited for running processor- or graphic-intensive programs.
There are two main configurations of this laptop. The lower-end models use the Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y dual-core processor, with either 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage or 8GB of RAM and a faster 128GB SSD. The two higher-end models use the dual-core Intel Core m3-8100Y with a significantly higher boost clock speed, which will run programs and older games faster and smoother. You can choose between a Wi-Fi-only option and one with LTE connectivity that lets you easily stay connected. The Type Cover keyboard and Surface Pen come in a variety of colors and are sold separately.
Our Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is a decent laptop for school use, with a very portable, lightweight build and a battery that lasts more than 8 hours for light productivity tasks. The tall, 3:2 aspect ratio screen gets bright enough to use in very well-lit environments, and the webcam and microphone are excellent. The keyboard feels good to type on, and although the touchpad is a bit small, it tracks alright. You can also use the Microsoft Surface Pen to take notes directly on the screen. Unfortunately, the laptop might slow down if you have many tabs open since it only has a dual-core CPU with no boost clocking.
- Very well built, lightweight, and portable.
- Type Cover keyboard is thin but feels good to type on.
- Excellent webcam and microphone.
- Only one USB-C port.
- Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y might hang in some programs.
- Touchpad is a bit small.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is bad for gaming. Our Pentium Gold 4425Y model can't achieve playable framerates in most newer titles, even on the lowest settings, while other games simply refuse to run. The Intel Core m3-8100Y models use the same integrated Intel UHD 615 Graphics as the Pentium, meaning performance won't be any better. The GPU also throttles very quickly. On the bright side, it stays completely silent since it's fanless, and the keyboard stays comfortable to the touch since all the heat-producing components are behind the screen.
- Fanless design, and keyboard doesn't get hot.
- Only one USB-C port.
- Awful game performance.
- No VRR support.
- Extremely difficult to service.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is very good for enjoying multimedia content. The 1080p display is sharp, gets bright, and has full sRGB coverage with great color accuracy. You can also detach the keyboard and use the laptop as a touchscreen tablet. The speakers sound surprisingly decent for a laptop this size. Unfortunately, the contrast is typical of an IPS panel, so blacks look grayish in the dark. Also, the battery won't even last through two full-length feature films.
- Very well built, lightweight, and portable.
- Bright screen with full sRGB coverage and great color accuracy.
- Surprisingly decent speakers for laptop's small size.
- Battery can't last through two feature-length films.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 performs poorly as a workstation. Our Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y model isn't suited for demanding tasks like physics simulations or encryption, and it quickly throttles under load. The higher-end m3-8100Y models have a significantly higher boost clock, but since the m3 is still a mobile processor designed to give better battery life compared to more powerful Intel processors, it won't perform much better. On the bright side, if you still need to perform moderately demanding tasks, it stays completely silent, and the keyboard doesn't get hot since the heat-producing components are housed behind the screen.
- Fanless design, and keyboard doesn't get hot.
- Fast SSD.
- Only one USB-C port.
- Not suited for compute workloads.
- GPU quickly throttles.
- Extremely difficult to service.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is passable for business use. It slows down if you have too many browser tabs or programs open because it only has a dual-core CPU with no boost clocking, and since there's only a single USB-C port, you need to use a dongle for wired peripherals. On the bright side, it's remarkably portable and feels very well built, and it lasts a full workday of light productivity use. The webcam and microphone are excellent for video calls, and although the keyboard is a bit bendy, it still feels very good to type on. The tall 3:2 ratio display gives you more vertical space when multitasking.
- Very well built, lightweight, and portable.
- Type Cover keyboard is thin but feels good to type on.
- Excellent webcam and microphone.
- Only one USB-C port.
- Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y might hang in some programs.
- Extremely difficult to service.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 08, 2022: Changed the name of the proprietary port to 'Surface Connect'. Also, uploaded a new photo because the previous picture was in a 16:9 aspect ratio instead of 3:2.
- Updated Feb 14, 2022: We've uploaded a new hinge photo because the previous one wasn't showing the hinge's full range.
- Updated Nov 01, 2021: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (2020) with the Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y CPU, integrated Intel UHD Graphics 615, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. There are four different hardware configurations, and although the laptop itself only comes in a silver magnesium rear finish, you can get the optional Type Cover and Surface Pen in Black, Platinum, Ice Blue, and Poppy Red. You can see the four available laptop models in the table below.
| Model | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Pentium Gold 4425Y |
|
| Pentium Gold 4425Y |
|
| Core m3-8100Y |
|
| Core m3-8100Y with LTE |
|
Our display and performance results are only valid for the configuration that we tested. If you come across a different configuration option not listed above, or you have a similar Surface Go 2 that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update it. Some tests, like black uniformity and color accuracy, may vary between individual units.
You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The HP ENVY x360 13 (2020) is a convertible 2-in-1 that comes in a wide variety of CPU, memory, and storage configurations, while the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (2020) is an ultraportable 2-in-1 with a kickstand and detachable keyboard. The HP is a better laptop for productivity use, with a significantly longer battery life, a variety of faster CPUs, and much faster storage drive. Also, there's a far better selection of ports, and the keyboard and touchpad feel much better to use. On the other hand, the Surface is better for multimedia viewing, with a sharper screen that displays significantly more accurate colors, much better-sounding speakers, and its webcam and microphone provide far superior quality for video calls.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet (2020) and the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (2020) are both 2-in-1 ultraportable laptops with kickstands and detachable keyboards, but the Surface runs Windows, whereas the Lenovo uses Chrome OS. The Surface is better for most uses, with a better-feeling build, a display with more accurate colors, and a few more ports. Also, it has a better keyboard and touchpad, its speakers sound nicer, and its webcam and microphone are far superior. The Lenovo's battery lasts much longer, and although its MediaTek Heli P60T CPU performs better than the Pentium Gold on the Surface, you can get the Surface with a better-performing Intel m3 processor.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 (2020) and the Thomson NEO 10 (2020) are both ultraportable Windows laptops, but the Surface is a 2-in-1 touchscreen convertible model with a kickstand. The Surface is a superior laptop overall, with a more portable, better build, a far better-looking display, a faster CPU and SSD, and longer battery life. Also, its keyboard, touchpad, speakers, webcam, and microphone are much better, and you can use it in tablet mode without the keyboard. You can open the Thomson up to access the internals, but nothing's replaceable, and while it has a slightly better selection of ports, that's about it.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 (2020) is an ultraportable 2-in-1 Windows device with a detachable keyboard, whereas the HP Chromebook 14 (2021) is a Chrome OS laptop with a larger screen. The Surface is better for multimedia viewing, as its display has a better resolution, gets brighter, and has a larger gamut with far more accurate colors. Also, it's more portable, feels better built, and has a backlit keyboard and a better-quality webcam and microphone. On the other hand, the HP has a far better battery life, a more varied port selection, and a much better touchpad.
Test Results
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