The smallest Surface notebook gets a new processor generation, a Windows 11 pre-installation and a new housing color. And repairability increases.
Around a year and a half after the first Surface Laptop Go – Microsoft’s smallest and cheapest notebook – the successor enters the market: The Surface Laptop Go 2 will go on sale from June 7th. The rough key data have not changed: the 12.4-inch touchscreen still has a high 3:2 format (1504 × 1024 pixels) with rounded corners; prices start at 670 euros.
Inside, a Core i5 quad-core from the eleventh Core i generation replaces one from the tenth Core i generation. In practice, the difference should hardly be noticeable – the big leap in performance that the twelfth Core i generation unveiled in January is denied to the entry-level device. A pre-installation of Windows 11 and (in more expensive versions) a new case color are further finishing touches: sage joins platinum, ice blue and sandstone.
Sustainability
It is much more remarkable that Microsoft is now dedicating itself intensively to the topic of repairability. So far, this has not been a prime discipline for Surface devices: At best, you can only get hold of the SSDs – Microsoft is happy to hide all other repairs behind repair flat rates that cost several hundred euros.
It’s different with the new Surface Laptop Go 2: Microsoft lists the lid and display, the wrist rest with keyboard and touchpad, the proprietary Surface connector socket and the battery as separate replacement parts. Customers can even change most parts themselves; Microsoft would only like to have qualified specialists for battery replacement for security reasons.
How exactly this will work later in everyday life is still unclear. It can be assumed that the spare parts are sold through the existing cooperation with iFixit – and by the way, iFixit also has a battery in the web shop for the Surface Book 2.
Expensive memory
Unfortunately, nothing has changed about the fact that the Surface Laptop Go 2 is only equipped with little memory and higher capacities are disproportionately expensive. The 670 euro model with a 128 GB SSD, which Microsoft sells exclusively itself and only in platinum, only comes with an untimely meager 4 GB of RAM. On top of that, the memory chips are soldered on and therefore cannot be expanded.
With 8 GB of RAM, which is still not that great, the price tag is 100 euros more with otherwise unchanged specifications. After all: Models from this 770 euro level will also be available in specialist shops (and there in all four colors), which gives hope for lower street prices. From here, a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello is also on board. With 256 instead of 128 GB of SSD storage space, a further 100 euros are due.
Microsoft is planning even more RAM and Windows 11 Pro instead of Home exclusively for commercial variants for business customers; Prices are not yet available. Experience has shown that private customers who are interested in such models can also contact specialist dealers or system houses.
No further surface upgrades in sight
With the presentation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 (and only of these!) it is clear that more expensive Surface series will probably have to wait even longer for hardware upgrades. In the Surface Pro 8, Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Laptop 4, Core i processors of the eleventh Core i generation launched at the end of 2020 will continue to work for the foreseeable future. AMD versions of the Laptop 4 use even older Ryzen 4000 processors. And since Microsoft traditionally gives the go-ahead for new hardware about every six months, the situation will probably not change until autumn.
