The version with the faster Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD costs £569/$629. The Surface Go 2 starts at £369 ( $399/ A$629) with an Intel Pentium 6500Y processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage or £499 ($529/$849) with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of faster SSD storage. The changes to the Microsoft store are welcome, too, with apps from more developers now available, such as Disney+, making it the central place to get programs from and keep them updated automatically. You can’t, however, access the more varied sizes of the snap layout via touch, only with a pointer, and I found myself completely ignoring the new slide-out widgets pane as it did not really add enough to the experience to remind me it was there. The modern quick settings panel that pops up from the task bar is useful as are the new snap layouts, which quickly tile two apps in various sizes side by side on the screen. The touch-screen keyboard is significantly improved and the new three-finger gestures for switching between apps or getting to the desktop are very welcome. The Start menu is centrally placed and much more condensed. Much of the interface is more touch-friendly.

There are some rough edges that need smoothing out, such as the inconsistent dark mode with bright-white dialogue boxes, but overall it fits better on the Go 3’s small screen than Windows 10. Windows 11 is brand new, and it feels it. The redesigned Start menu squeezes more icons into a smaller space, so it is a better fit for the 10.5in screen of the Go 3.

Processor: dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y or 10th-gen Core i3Ĭamera: 8MP rear, 5MP front-facing, Windows HelloĬonnectivity: Wifi 6, Bluetooth 5, USB-C, Surface Connector, microSD, headphone socket Switching out Chrome for Microsoft’s Edge browser extended the battery by about an hour but that is still shorter than its predecessor. That’s with only a few tabs open in Chrome, using the Typora text editor and Evernote. Used for light work with recommended power settings and 70% screen brightness, it lasts only four hours. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardianīattery life is poor. Fully charging the tablet with the included 24W Surface Connect charger took more than three hours, reaching 50% in about an hour, which is slower than its predecessor.

Surface book go 3