Editorials
5 Reasons to Buy the Surface Go, 4 Reasons Not To
Buy the Surface Go as a Second Device | ||||||||||
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The Surface Go may be enough computer for some users, just as the iPad is enough for many users, but the best use case for a Surface Go is as a second device that is more portable. The Surface Go doesn't pack a ton of power and it runs Windows 10 S out of the box, the latter of which means it can only run Windows Edge for browsing and Microsoft Store apps. You can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for $49, and there is a commercial version coming with full Windows, but we don't know when. If you use Windows and you want a Microsoft device that you can take with you, buy the Surface Go instead of an iPad or an Android tablet. This allows you to stay in the ecosystem and use it for secondary device tasks, while still doing work on a desktop or a more powerful laptop when you are in the office. | ||||||||||
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FlyingShawn
07/11/2018 at 2:45 pm
Why is Microsoft so obsessed with low-RAM device offerings?? Yeah, the Go is meant to be a secondary device, I get that, but I run out of 8GB RAM all the time just using Chrome with multiple tabs and memory-hungry sites like Facebook! Even on their bigger/better Surface devices (Pro/Book/Laptop) you have to pony up big money for the i7/big SSD combo (most people don’t need the extra speed/lowered battery life of the i7 or that much storage) just to get 16GB of RAM! 8GB should be the starting point for most devices in 2018 and there’s no rational reason to force users to the ultra-high configuration tier just to get above that!
I *was* really, really excited for a smaller companion to my Surface Book for when I want to travel light, but the last thing I need is a device that’ll get outdated as quickly as my 2013 ThinkPad Tablet 2 did (absolutely phenomenal form factor and the Atom chip wasn’t even *that* terrible, but a measly 2GB RAM and spinner-slow eMMC storage made it feel about as snappy as a bargain-store Android tablet and I’m expecting the same from the 4GB/eMMC Surface Go). The 8GB/SSD Go will definitely perform better, but a 16GB with the same Pentium and storage would be a world better in usability and perceived speed!