Surface Laptop Go 3 review: Microsoft’s basic PC grows up

When the Floor Laptop computer Go debuted three years in the past, it appeared like Microsoft pushed itself to make the most affordable attainable pocket book with out sacrificing that Floor aptitude. The consequence was a $549 pc with specs so anemic I might by no means suggest it to anybody. However, when you spent a bit extra, you would improve it to a compelling (and compact) PC for college kids and fewer demanding customers. Now, with the Floor Laptop computer Go 3, Microsoft has given up on making an attempt to ship a brilliant low-cost PC. However the result’s a pc that is way more interesting.

Beginning at $799, the Floor Laptop computer Go 3 has been upgraded with Intel’s Twelfth-gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Bump it as much as $999, although, and also you get 16GB of RAM — a primary for the Laptop computer Go line. Whereas the final two fashions might make for first rate secondary machines, maybe paired along with a strong desktop, the Laptop computer Go 3 might conceivably be your main PC due to that extra reminiscence.

Certain, I am unhappy to see Microsoft quit on the dream of a near-$500 Floor. However the unique mannequin was geared up with simply 4GB of RAM and 128GB of sluggish eMMC storage – and no one deserves to be subjected to such a torturously sluggish expertise. The Floor Laptop computer Go 3 is extra akin to Apple’s long-lost 12-inch MacBook, a splendidly small machine that was simply highly effective sufficient to get some work carried out.

The Laptop computer Go 3 would not look or really feel as costly as that all-metal Apple machine, however it’s nearly there. It options an aluminum prime lid and keyboard deck, together with a easy plastic backside. The Laptop computer Go 3 additionally weighs a mere 2.5 kilos — a half-pound heavier than the 12-inch MacBook. However that’s a bit lighter than Apple’s slimmest pocket book as we speak, the two.7-pound M2 MacBook Air. The Laptop computer Go line has at all times felt extra akin to an over-sized pill than a typical ultraportable, and that is still true this 12 months. Few different notebooks slip as nimbly into my messenger bag.

So how did Microsoft make such a compact PC? Principally, by constructing round a small 12.4-inch display, which stays each a blessing and curse for the Laptop computer Go 3. On the brilliant aspect, Microsoft managed to scale down its Pixelsense know-how to ship a show that is each wealthy with colour and brilliant sufficient for out of doors use. However sadly, the corporate continues to be counting on a wierd sub-1080p decision (1,536 x 1,024) to maintain prices down.

Meaning when you lean in shut, you’ll be able to simply see pixelated textual content and pictures. Although, you might not discover that loss in sharpness in regular use. It simply annoys me that even the Floor Go 4, Microsoft’s slower and cheaper pill, has a 1080p display. The Laptop computer Go 3 additionally retains the three:2 facet ratio of its predecessors, which makes it taller than a typical widescreen monitor and better-suited for internet browsers and productiveness apps.

Regardless of my points with its display, the Floor Laptop computer Go 3 continues to be a powerful PC for the value. We reviewed the $999 mannequin with 16GB of RAM, and it felt noticeably snappier when it got here to launching purposes, switching home windows and doing primary work than the earlier two fashions. I am sometimes juggling dozens of browser tabs, Evernote (sure, I do know I want to maneuver on), Slack, Spotify and picture modifying apps, and the Laptop computer Go 3 had no bother maintaining with me.

I might additionally attribute its pace bump to Intel’s Twelfth-gen Core i5 CPU, which options 10 cores (2 efficiency, 8 environment friendly), a wholesome step up from final gen’s quad-core Eleventh-gen chip. Whereas the Laptop computer Go 3 solely scored barely larger within the PCMark 10 benchmark, it faired significantly better within the Geekbench 5 multicore check. And based mostly alone testing, I am unable to deny that the real-world efficiency felt extra energetic. Whereas it is not a machine I might suggest to anybody doing tons of intensive picture modifying, the Laptop computer Go 3 nonetheless dealt with a couple of batch modifying duties (like resizing and watermarking) with out exhibiting any indicators of slowdown. 

That chip improve would not make the Floor Laptop computer Go 3 a lot of a gaming machine — I hit round 40 fps whereas enjoying Halo Infinite in 720p with low settings — however I used to be nonetheless impressed by the way it dealt with Xbox cloud streaming. Throughout its crowded launch occasion, I used to be capable of wirelessly stream Want for Pace Unbound easily, with none bizarre connectivity hiccups. And I had a fair higher expertise enjoying a couple of hours of Lies of P at house over my Wi-Fi 6 router – think about {that a} stable stress check of the Laptop computer Go 3’s networking {hardware}.

Fortunately, Microsoft did not contact the most effective a part of the Laptop computer Go line: Its wonderful keyboard. Its keys are nonetheless splendidly responsive and deep, making them well-suited to my livid typing classes. And whereas its trackpad is not as giant as different notebooks, it is completely high-quality for internet looking and productiveness work. Battery life stays stable as nicely: It lasted 9 hours and 10 minutes in PCMark 1. That’s nicely under Microsoft’s estimate of 15 hours, however it’s just like different latest ultraportables, just like the ASUS ZenBook S 13.

Microsoft might make the Laptop computer Go 3 extra helpful by including extra connectivity: It nonetheless solely has one USB Sort A connection, a USB-C port, a headphone jack and a Floor cost port. A couple of extra USB connections would make it way more versatile (however at the least it has greater than the 12-inch MacBook, which solely had one USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack). On the very least, it might be good to have a microSD card slot for storing media.

Photograph by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

With a $799 beginning value, the Floor Laptop computer Go 3 is firmly int mid-range laptop computer territory. The $999 mannequin with 16GB of RAM might even be thought-about a premium product, particularly since you’ll be able to nonetheless snag the M1 MacBook Air for a similar value. By way of uncooked energy, Apple’s machine is clearly the winner, however it’s additionally a bit heavier at 2.8 kilos. In relation to compact Home windows competitors, the Floor Professional 9 additionally begins at $999 with 8GB of RAM. That machine provides a bigger 13-inch PixelSense display and weighs simply 1.9 kilos.

On condition that there aren’t many 12-inch Home windows PCs round, the Floor Laptop computer Go 3 definitely stands out. And now, due to a quicker processor and the choice of 16GB of RAM, it is greater than only a primary pocket book. Nearly by chance, Microsoft has crafted one of the vital compelling and compact mid-range laptops round. Anybody searching for a brand new ultraportable will not be dissatisfied — simply do not squint too exhausting at that display.