#1
|
||||
|
||||
Surface Laptop Go 2 review: A delightful entry-level laptop
Surface Laptop Go 2 review: A delightful entry-level laptop
.bestawarddiv { float: right; width: 20%; margin: 1em; margin-top: 0;}If you’re looking for a super-light Surface PC that won’t break the bank and still feels premium, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is the way to go. Unlike the Surface Go, its tablet sibling, the Laptop Go 2 contains a proper Core i5, and that Core i5 has been upgraded to Intel’s 11th-generation SKU, which includes powerful new Iris Xe graphics. Indeed, the key word that I’d use to describe the Surface Laptop Go 2 is “delightful”. However, it’s still far from perfect, only fixing some of the shortcomings of the first-gen model. The pixel density is still just 148ppi, with the screen resolution falling short of 1080p. It’s also still got the same HD webcam, with some improvements to the ISP and such. But if you’re looking for something that has a 12.4-inch display, is easy to take on the go, doesn’t break the bank, and looks pretty while doing it, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is a great choice.
Navigate this review:
It comes in four colors: Platinum, Sandstone, Ice Blue, and Sage. Sage is the new color in the lineup, and it’s the new color you’ll see in other Surface devices through 2022. It starts at $599.99, which is $50 more than its predecessor’s starting point. There’s a reason for that price bump though. The base model no longer comes with 64GB eMMC storage; instead, it has a 128GB SSD, which is a welcome change. Surface Laptop Go 2: Specs ProcessorQuad Core 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 ProcessorGraphicsIntel Iris XeBody10.95? x 8.12? x 0.62? (278.2mm x 206.2mm x 15.7mm), 2.48 lbsDisplay
Design: It comes in a new Sage color
I like Sage a lot. To be honest, while I like Ice Blue, I was disappointed when it debuted because I miss the bold colors of previous years. The original Surface Laptop came in colors like Burgundy and Cobalt Blue (and Graphite Gold, but we don’t talk about that), and those are now long gone in favor of more subtle colors like Ice Blue and Sandstone. Sage is still subtle, but it’s just a bit more bold than Ice Blue. The Surface Laptop Go 2 is the perfect size and weight for taking on the go./* Pull quote size and added line-height.wp-block-pullquote p { font-size: 1.75rem; line-height: 1.5; }*/figure.quoteright { margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important;}.quoteright { width: 50%; float: right; margin: 0em 1em; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important;}.wp-block-pullquote p { font-size: 1.75rem; line-height: 1.5; color: #de7300;}figure.wp-block-pullquote.pullrightstyle { border-top: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;} blockquote.rightquotestyle { color: #006e95 !important;} @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {.quoteright { float: none; width: 90%; margin: auto; }.wp-block-pullquote { padding: 0rem; }}The product comes in at 2.48 pounds, making it the lightest Surface Laptop (obviously, Surface tablets are lighter). It’s also the smallest Surface Laptop. Personally, I think it’s the perfect size and weight for taking on the go, hence the name. It’s really comfortable to carry in a back, or to just kick back with on the couch. It also feels premium, which is nice given the $599 starting price point. The lid and palm rest is made out of aluminum, while the base is made out of polycarbonate, something that I personally think we don’t see enough of. It gives it a two-tone look, which is cool. Unfortunately, we really only see the aluminum lid / polycarbonate base combo in mid-tier devices like this, but I’d love to see it more. As for ports, you get Surface Connect on the right, and on the left, there’s a USB Type-A port, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. I never used Surface Connect for charging; obviously, I just used the USB Type-C port. I know Microsoft loves to keep its proprietary charging and docking solution, but at some point, it’s going to have to come to the realization that it’s the only company that uses one. While this is Microsoft’s entry-level Surface Laptop, it doesn’t feel entry-level. This feels like a premium laptop that’s been designed to be small and light. Display: The pixel density is still the lowest of any Surface
The 1,536×1,024 resolution means that the screen is less than 1080p, and it also leaves this PC with a 148ppi pixel density, by far its largest shortfall. For comparison, the Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Laptop Studio have 201ppi screens, and the Surface Pro 8 has a 267ppi pixel density. 148ppi is the smallest pixel density of any Surface in history, tied with the Surface RT from a decade ago. In short, you can definitely see pixelation with the display. For color gamut, it supports 99% sRGB, 70% NTSC, 76% Adobe RGB, and 76% P3, according to my testing. Here’s how it compares to the rest of the lineup. Surface PCsRGBNTSCAdobe RGBP3Surface Laptop Go 299%70%76%76%Surface Pro 8100%77%82%83%Surface Go 3100%71%77%78%Surface Laptop Studio100%80%83%87% Brightness maxed out at 368.3 nits with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. For comparison, the Surface Go 3 maxed out at 421.3 nits, the Surface Pro 8 maxed out at 445.3 nits, and the Surface Laptop Studio maxed out at 500.2 nits. It has the worst display of the current Surface lineup./* Pull quote size and added line-height.wp-block-pullquote p { font-size: 1.75rem; line-height: 1.5; }*/figure.quoteleft { margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important;}.quoteleft { width: 50%; float: left; margin: 0em 1em; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important;}.wp-block-pullquote p { font-size: 1.75rem; line-height: 1.5; color: #de7300;}figure.wp-block-pullquote.pullleftstyle { border-top: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;} blockquote.leftquotestyle { color: #006e95 !important;} @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {.quoteleft { float: none; width: 90%; margin: auto; }.wp-block-pullquote { padding: 0rem; }}While Microsoft is known for using color-accurate displays on its Surface PCs, I think it’s fair to say that the screen on the Surface Laptop Go 2 is the worst out of the current Surface lineup. Also, Microsoft doesn’t say the viewing angle in its specs, but it’s certainly not a full 178 degrees like you’d get from more premium Surfaces, and not that you should expect it, but it doesn’t have the 120Hz refresh rate found in the Laptop Studio or the Pro 8 either. The Surface Laptop Go 2 has one of the smallest top bezels of any Surface, and it’s also the only one that doesn’t have an IR camera up there. The webcam that is there is 720p still, using the same sensor as before. Microsoft says it’s improved thanks to a new ISP and some other tweaks, but it’s still not the FHD resolution that you’d want. Keyboard: One of the best you’ll get at this price point
The touchpad is pretty sizable too, making use of most of the available real estate. Again, the only real drawback here is that there’s no backlight on the keyboard. In the top-right, there’s a fingerprint sensor, so you’re not lacking biometric authentication. When you press the button to power on the PC, it scans your fingerprint, so it automatically logs you in when the PC boots up. You don’t have to touch the sensor again. Unfortunately, the fingerprint sensor is still not included on the base model. Performance: The Surface Laptop Go 2 is upgraded to Intel 11th-gen
It’s also a notable upgrade from the Core i5-1035G1 that was in the original Surface Laptop Go. With Intel’s 10th-gen ‘Ice Lake’ processors, it had three U-series Core i5 SKUs. They had different levels of graphics power. The ‘G7’ model had Iris Plus Graphics, while the ‘G1’ option had the old UHD Graphics. With 11th-gen ‘Tiger Lake’, there’s only one SKU, and it includes Iris Xe graphics, so if you’re coming from a Core i5-1035G1, you’re going from UHD Graphics to Iris Xe, a big difference. The Surface Laptop Go 2 offers a massive performance boost over its predecessor./* Pull quote size and added line-height.wp-block-pullquote p { font-size: 1.75rem; line-height: 1.5; }*/figure.quoteright { margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important;}.quoteright { width: 50%; float: right; margin: 0em 1em; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important;}.wp-block-pullquote p { font-size: 1.75rem; line-height: 1.5; color: #de7300;}figure.wp-block-pullquote.pullrightstyle { border-top: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;} blockquote.rightquotestyle { color: #006e95 !important;} @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {.quoteright { float: none; width: 90%; margin: auto; }.wp-block-pullquote { padding: 0rem; }}That means that there’s actual power under the hood here for some light gaming and photo editing. RAM maxes out at 8GB, so there are still limits, but you do get much better graphics power. Another big change is that the base model comes with a 128GB SSD. Previously, the base model had 64GB eMMC storage, which is much slower. For benchmarks, I used PCMark 10, 3DMark, Geekbench, and Cinebench. Surface Laptop Go 2 Core i5-1135G7Surface Laptop Go Core i5-1035G1Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 2 Ryzen 5 4500UPCMark 104,3623,1394,1773DMark: Time Spy1,193409Geekbench1,307 / 4,0751,180 / 3,430969 / 3,142Cinebench1,240 / 3,5821,060 / 2,5811,121 / 5,782 If nothing else, you should be able to see that there are some really significant performance gains gen-over-gen. For battery life, it’s about what I’d expect for something of this size. I got around four hours, with a minimum of three hours and 10 minutes, and a maximum of four hours and 30 minutes. It’ll get closer to three hours if you set it to best performance, and close to five hours at recommended power settings. Microsoft promises 13.5 hours, an increase of the 13 hours promised with the original Surface Laptop Go. This isn’t any less accurate than any other OEM claims; however, it’s the reason that I do my battery testing by doing actual work while not connected to power. There is simply no real-world use case where you’d get 13.5 hours of use out of this. Should you buy the Surface Laptop Go 2? While the Surface Laptop Go 2 is delightful, it’s not for everyone. You should buy a Surface Laptop Go 2 if:
The post Surface Laptop Go 2 review: A delightful entry-level laptop appeared first on XDA. More... |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro vs Surface Laptop 5: Which premium laptop fits yo | phillynewsnow | AVN News Feed | 0 | 02-03-2023 11:10 AM |
Surface Laptop 5 vs Laptop Studio: Which should you buy? | phillynewsnow | AVN News Feed | 0 | 10-29-2022 12:03 PM |
How to download drivers for the Surface Laptop 5 | phillynewsnow | AVN News Feed | 0 | 10-27-2022 12:14 PM |
Surface Laptop 5 review: More power, but that's about it | phillynewsnow | AVN News Feed | 0 | 10-27-2022 12:14 PM |
[NEWS] Huawei Matebook E review: Surface-level | phillynewsnow | Random Community Topics | 0 | 03-28-2022 12:27 PM |
Layout Options | Width:
Fixed
Contact Us -
SPJ Bulletin -
Archive -
Privacy Statement -
Terms of Service -
Top
| |