While working on a pending project... I got a little sidetracked eyeing the Surface Laptop Go 2. The first version turned my head, but what features do the Surface Laptop Go 2 have that make it worth the purchase?
Let's jump in.
Before I speak on anything else, I have to point out the fact that the laptop has a 12.4" PixelSense touchscreen... which isn't the biggest. So if you were looking for a bigger laptop... keep looking, but... if you were looking for a laptop on the smaller side... this will likely be the smallest quality option you will find. By the way, even if I own other laptops, a well-equipped smaller laptop wouldn't turn me off if it has specific factors I'm looking for. I'm not always in the mood to handle a larger laptop... and I know a number of people in that boat... and one of the perks of this laptop is that it only weighs in at 2.48 pounds... making it the lightest surface laptop thus far.
The Surface Laptop Go 2 comes in Platinum, Sage, Ice Blue, and Sandstone. Platinum has more of a professional touch in my opinion, but the Sage + Sandstone models look nice also. The Ice Blue is... cool (and blue is my favorite color), but... I would love to see this one in a different shade of blue.
This laptop features a full-size keyboard and rocks a 10-point multi-touch screen.
Before I forget: The 12.4" PixelSense display has the same resolution of 1536 x 1024 (148ppi) screen... as the original Laptop Go.
One thing I'm not crazy about with the entry model... is the RAM and the memory (yikes). 4GB? That's a no-no, I think they all should be 8GB to give the actual laptop justice and bump the storage up on the others. 128GB SSD comes with the entry and mid-range models. 256GB SSD could be for the mid with more for the higher end. I know that some of you don't use as much storage as some of us so aim towards your needs (I can use up 128GB within a few hours). Looking at the price, I'd say if you plan to get your hands on this at all... grab the mid-range at least but it's only $50 less than the best model sooo... consider the best option.
By the way, Microsoft showcases Xbox Game Pass on this laptop, but... that would only make sense with the games playable with lower specs or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which gives you the ability to play from the cloud. I mention this for the parents who may see the games and assume this is a gaming laptop.
For Artists:
I would say that the Surface Laptop Go 2 is also a missed opportunity for artists who want a 2-in-1 for drawing... but that's a segue into getting a Surface Go 3 (if you don't mind the keyboard attachment cover). I was just thinking of the Surface Laptop Go 2's best model at least having the ability to be folded back so that it can be drawn on. It's light, you can use it as a laptop, and it could've been an awesome drawing tablet alternative that you could fold back and use a Microsoft Surface Pen on. It's easy to shrug that off though... because you can get the Surface Go 3 with 8GB RAM + 128GB SSD for less than the entry Surface Laptop Go 2. The entry for the SG3 is $399.99, adding a keyboard attachment/cover would still land you at about $70 less (though you're looking at 4GB RAM + 64GB eMMC storage).
You can always connect an external drawing tablet, but... I'd suggest the Surface Go 3 for artists, while those looking for a small(er than average) laptop to consider the Surface Laptop Go 2.
Additional specs are as follows:
One Touch sign-in w/ Finger Print Power Button (excluding the base model)
Quad Core 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor 2.42 - 4.2GHz
Firmware TPM 2.0 (for security purposes... like with Bitlocker)
Windows 11 Home
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1-month trial (cloud gaming, but don't forget your controller)
Ambient light sensor
1 USB-C port
1 USB-A port
3.5mm headphone jack
1 Surface Connect port (for your charger and Surface Dock connection)
720p HD f2.0 camera (front-facing)... though the best version should've been 1080p
Dual far-field Studio Mics
Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Audio Premium: I haven't had the opportunity to sit down and experience the Omnisonic speaker like that... so I can't really tell you where they land on the cool point meter, but they're utilizing Dolby Audio Premium. Dolby Audio Premium delivers a virtual surround sound experience... so if these speakers deliver in quality... the software will do the rest.
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1
Battery life (up to) 13.5 hours
I personally wouldn't drop the coin on the Surface Laptop Go 2... but if I did, I'd go for the best version. That said, realistically, it doesn't have what I'm looking for... and I wouldn't want it to collect dust because of that. If I had a specific project that required me to travel frequently, I'd add this to a comparison list... but I think the specs would lose out to the competition (even under the same brand).
