Today, Microsoft announces the Surface Laptop Go 2, the company’s latest version of the budget laptop. It starts at $ 599 and unlike Surface Go – the company’s budget tablet – Laptop Go actually comes with a suitable Core i5. The new laptop is not much different from its predecessor, but there are some notable changes.
Core i5 from the 11th generation
The original Surface Laptop Go comes with the Core i5-1035G1, while this one comes with the Core i5-1135G7. In fact, Microsoft is a generation behind with its lower-end laptop, and you only get one choice of processor. However, this is a big change.
The processor itself is not that different; this is the graphic. With Intel’s 10th generation Ice Lake processors, there were actually three Core i5 SKUs ending in G1, G4 or G7. The G4 and G7 had fantastic new Iris Plus graphics, while the Core i5-1035G1 still had the old UHD graphics. With the 11th-generation Tiger Lake, there is only one U-Series Core i5, the Core i5-1135G7, and it comes with 80 Iris Xe graphics units.
This means that the Surface Laptop Go 2 not only has the right graphics, but is a bigger generation-by-generation upgrade than we’ve seen on other laptops.
New color and better maintainability
Microsoft actually debuted a new color for Surface Laptop Go 2: Sage. Like the rest of the range, everything is aluminum. Unlike the higher-end Surface Laptop series, there is no option for an Alcantara palm rest. This color is likely to make its way to the rest of the Surface range – including the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro and Go keyboard covers – and then you’ll see some Alcantara.
However, this is not all new in design, because you can now replace the keyboard and trackpad, display and battery and Surflink cable. This is in addition to the existing SSD replacement capability. They are not so much about upgrading DIY as about sustainability, but you can always go in and replace some parts.
The display, ports and other things have not changed
Weighing in at 2.48 pounds as the lightest Surface laptop, it still comes with a 12.4-inch PixelSense display. It has a resolution of 1,536 × 1,024, which gives it the 3: 2 aspect ratio that Surface is known for. The pixel density is only 148ppi, the lowest of any Surface device.
The ports include a USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port, a 3.5mm audio jack and a Surface Connect charging port. Although Microsoft has introduced Thunderbolt to higher-end computers, don’t expect to see it here.
RAM and storage options are a little different. You can get 4GB or 8GB of RAM (16GB in the commercial model) and 128GB or 256GB SSD. This means there is no more model with 64GB of eMMC storage, which is nice. The bad news is that while there is still a fingerprint sensor, you still won’t get one on the base model.
Prices and availability
You can pre-order Surface Laptop Go 2 from today from Best Buy or Microsoft Store. It starts at $ 599 and will begin shipping on June 7. Available in the following SKUs:
SKU Price Colors Consumer i5 / 4 / 128GB $ 599.99 Platinum i5 / 8 / 128GB $ 699.99 Platinum, Sandstone, Sage, Ice Blue i5 / 8 / 256GB $ 799.99 Platinum, Sandstone, Sage, Ice Blue Commercial i5 / 4 / 998 GB Platinum $ 9/4/998 GB / 128GB $ 799.99 Platinum, Sandstone, Sage, Ice Blue i5 / 8 / 256GB $ 899.99 Platinum, Sandstone, Sage, Ice Blue i5 / 16 / 256GB $ 1,099.99 Platinum
The Surface Laptop Go 2 weighs less than two and a half pounds, so you can get it on the go, and now has an 11th generation Core i5 with powerful Iris Xe graphics.
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