Microsoft’s new budget Windows 11 PC, the Surface Laptop Go 2, is a powerful and affordable option for those who want a laptop that can handle most tasks. It has a 12.3-inch touchscreen display, an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 8GB of memory, and a 128GB SSD. The device also has a backlit keyboard and trackpad, as well as an HD webcam. The Surface Laptop Go 2 is available now for $1,299.
The Surface Laptop Go 2 isn’t radically different than the original model, with the same 12.4-inch touchscreen and hardware design. It’s not a convertible laptop (you can’t flip the screen around and use it like a tablet), but the design received plenty of praise the first time around. Microsoft says the top is made of aluminum, with the base using a “polycarbonate composite resin system with glass fiber.”
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The main upgrade is that the CPU is now an 11th-generation Intel Core i5-1135G7, which should provide slight boost to performance and battery life, along with an improved webcam. Microsoft has also upgraded the cheapest configuration with 128GB of storage (up from 64GB), and increased the price from $550 to $599. Some of the more expensive configurations will also have fingerprint scanners on the keyboard.
It’s not all good news, though. The base model still only has 4GB RAM, which is not nearly enough for most tasks in 2022, and the screen has the same relatively-low resolution of 1536 x 1024 (148 PPI). Microsoft also hasn’t added a backlit keyboard.
Thankfully, Microsoft is keeping the fun colors around. You’ll be able to buy a Surface Laptop Go in the same Ice Blue, Sandstone, and Platinum colors as before, along with a new Sage (muted green) option.
Even though the internal hardware still isn’t incredible, the base model is still a decent option for students or anyone else who can’t spend a few hundred more dollars on a MacBook Air or regular Surface Laptop. There aren’t many other laptops in this price range with a Core i5 processor (the Dell Inspiron 3511 is one), and the Surface Laptop Go 2 still has a more premium design than most of its competitors.
The new laptops are available to pre-order at Best Buy and Microsoft’s online store, and they’ll start shipping on June 7.
Source: Microsoft, TechCrunch
