Surface Go - A new low cost Surface Pro - Starts at only 399$

[Bcat00]

Would've snatched one right away back in college.

too late for me

[GoodBytes]

8 hours ago, david cassar said:

do you think the surface go would be good for a university student using it for note taking and general browsing or would something like this (which is about 100 euro cheaper) be a better option? : https://www.amazon.de/HP-Pavilion-15-cs0202ng-Notebook-i3-8130U/dp/B07D5NGW95/ref=sr_1_80?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1533384450&sr=1-80&keywords=Laptop&refinements=p_36%3A40000-60000
I'm more inclined towards the surface as it is much more portable and wouldn't be that much of a drag to haul it around university.
 

It really depends. You can't compare the Surface Go with a 15inch laptop or even Chromebook.

The Surface Go (like the Pro, and basically every Surface beside the Surface laptop), is a device on it's own, it's really unique. You can compare it with similar devices if you want, but not a laptop or a tablet.

 

But beside that, it really comes down to:

• You
• Your degree
• Your school

If you are doing some degree that your note taking can all be done with a keyboard (no math, little to no graph/diagrams), and you are not the type of person that imports PDF before class starts in OneNote or open it in a viewer that allows you to do the following: write notes o the side, or highlight things, then perhaps a traditional laptop might be better. You'll enjoy more performance and lower or same price tag, and heck, a Chromebook might do fine as well, and save money.

 

If you are doing classed that involves a lot of math or diagrams/graphs, or even a theory class that contains math stuff or symbols (that would normally need Charmap and 10 min looking through it to find it), then the Surface device is much needed, if you don't want pen & paper and a separate laptop (and maybe a separate tablet as well).

But if you need performance, say you do software development, or have the budget to enjoy the luxury of having a always fast system, then perhaps the Go is not for you, but instead the Surface Pro with the Core i5 or maybe even i7 if you plan to push the system a lot for extended time, and need that cooling fan to reduce throttling or enjoy more Turbo Boost.

 

The Surface Go is a small quality device, the laptop you pointed to is, if I am not mistaken, a plastic system silver painted, and more importantly 15inch and heavier (I don't know about battery life).

 

But, the Surface Go/Pro has the kickstand, the tradition laptop, does not. This means that if you have small desks at school, the foot print that the Surface Pro/Go needs is larger than a laptop. And the sturdy base of the laptop, allows even very small desk surface as it would remain solid, while the Surface (beside fall on the back as the desk is not wide enough for the kickstand, the keyboard is a cover at the end of the day, and not solidly connected to eh screen like a laptop, so it won't be very stable. You might be forced to write notes via pen on your Surface Go, instead of typing them like you can on your laptop. A traditional school table is fine for the Surface Go and Pro, but if you have these small side table in some auditorium/lecture hall that barely fits a sheet of paper, then... hmm... maybe an issue (would need to get the pen).

 

But, that said, the Surface Go is a tiny device, and if you seek portability with, say 5-7h of battery life (I am estimating the reality of battery life) more than anything, well, maybe the Surface Go is right for you even if you don't care about the pen, and decide to not get it.

 

If you wonder what I used at college/university (I was part time/working at the same time)

I have acquired a degree in Computer Science, I started with a laptop (because I had no choice, back in 2008, there was no Surface Pro, and the system bellow that can BARELY run Windows XP, in the days were we had Vista (not exaggeration), cost 3000$

 

So I got a laptop instead. Dell Latitude E6400 with shitty Nvidia GPU (to get the larger heatsink for more CPU performance, solve the hot chipset issues of the time causing system throttling on multiple OEMs system using this chipset/CPU, and make it, what I called: Vista ready, meaning it actually could run Vista properly), 4GB of RAM (there was no 8GB), 160GB 5400RPM HDD (eventually replaced to an SSD to keep my sanity), backlit keyboard, LED backlight display (new back in the day... "thin" display lid was the thing.. which is normal thickness today :)), and the device was consider "thin" form factor with the slim optical drive (thick monstrosity compared to today), last gen Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz CPU,... anyway. Was great when I was coding, but note taking... near impossible. I had to use pen and paper, as most classes always had constant symbols, match, graphs, important diagrams to use.... yea.. not fun.

 

Then I got a Surface Pro 2, which turned to be a Surface Pro 3 later after graduating. It was god sent. I could actually do full math classes on it, no more math examples slip in 2 or even 3 pages where you need to constantly flip back and forth, and use different color pens, easily polish notes after classes by inserting images or diagram anymore, shifting notes to add more notes or make things look nicer. And, at least with me, OneNote ink search recognition was working ~97% of the time during all my studies with the device, allowing me to search by typing in OneNote for my hand written notes, and I could easily switch between typing and inking on the fly by flipping the system over if I know I need a moment to draw a graph on the board or something on it, and then switch back to typing for rest of the class, or just use the pen while the system is in laptop mode. It was great! Also OneNote has all your notes on the MS servers (cloud), so it was in sync with my desktop as well, and accessible on the web, if I needed to access my notes and don't have my system with me, for some reason.

 

The switch from the Surface Pro 2 and Pro 3 was because I had Microsoft Complete extended warranty which included accidental damage protection for 2 years. I had an accident on my Surface Pro 2, so I sent it for service, and Microsoft sent me back, to my surprised, their latest model at the time, of similar specs: The Surface Pro 3, with a new keyboard cover (as the form factor changed), a new power adapter (as that changed in the Pro 3 from the Pro 3), and a new pen (as that changed from MS using Wacom in the Pro 2 to N-Trig in the Pro 3). Was awesome.

 

So FOR ME, the Surface Pro was MUCH needed, and much welcomed, and I stand by the fact that it has helped in my studies (but if you are the type to easily get distracted in class, like many, by opening Facebook or whatnot... perhaps stick to pen and paper.. else you'll fail that class, like many do... Perhaps the Surface Go with its weak ass CPU, might force you to stay within OneNote).

 

[Drak3]

2 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

but not a laptop or a tablet.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news (not realy), but the Go and the Pro are, by definition, tablets. In every sense, they're tablets.

[GoodBytes]

17 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Hate to be the bearer of bad news (not realy), but the Go and the Pro are, by definition, tablets. In every sense, they're tablets.

Heumm ok sure... if it makes you sleep at night. Going with that, it is the best, most productive tablet system that doesn't limit you to mobile apps, and performance can reach ultrabook levels, crushing the best offerings from Android based tablets and Apple. But that is a stupid statement, as one might actually want mobile apps for simplicity and easy and therefore best touch experience, great for reading ebook, PDFs, viewing videos, and playing your favorite mobile game on the bigger screen. The iPad Pro has a great pen for drawing (better than the Surface), while the Surface has a better pen for writing notes (hence it's focus).

[Dabombinable]

33 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

It really depends. You can't compare the Surface Go with a 15inch laptop or even Chromebook.

The Surface Go (like the Pro, and basically every Surface beside the Surface laptop), is a device on it's own, it's really unique. You can compare it with similar devices if you want, but not a laptop or a tablet.

 

But beside that, it really comes down to:

• You
• Your degree
• Your school

If you are doing some degree that your note taking can all be done with a keyboard (no math, little to no graph/diagrams), and you are not the type of person that imports PDF before class starts in OneNote or open it in a viewer that allows you to do the following: write notes o the side, or highlight things, then perhaps a traditional laptop might be better. You'll enjoy more performance and lower or same price tag, and heck, a Chromebook might do fine as well, and save money.

 

If you are doing classed that involves a lot of math or diagrams/graphs, or even a theory class that contains math stuff or symbols (that would normally need Charmap and 10 min looking through it to find it), then the Surface device is much needed, if you don't want pen & paper and a separate laptop (and maybe a separate tablet as well).

But if you need performance, say you do software development, or have the budget to enjoy the luxury of having a always fast system, then perhaps the Go is not for you, but instead the Surface Pro with the Core i5 or maybe even i7 if you plan to push the system a lot for extended time, and need that cooling fan to reduce throttling or enjoy more Turbo Boost.

 

The Surface Go is a small quality device, the laptop you pointed to is, if I am not mistaken, a plastic system silver painted, and more importantly 15inch and heavier (I don't know about battery life).

 

But, the Surface Go/Pro has the kickstand, the tradition laptop, does not. This means that if you have small desks at school, the foot print that the Surface Pro/Go needs is larger than a laptop. And the sturdy base of the laptop, allows even very small desk surface as it would remain solid, while the Surface (beside fall on the back as the desk is not wide enough for the kickstand, the keyboard is a cover at the end of the day, and not solidly connected to eh screen like a laptop, so it won't be very stable. You might be forced to write notes via pen on your Surface Go, instead of typing them like you can on your laptop. A traditional school table is fine for the Surface Go and Pro, but if you have these small side table in some auditorium/lecture hall that barely fits a sheet of paper, then... hmm... maybe an issue (would need to get the pen).

 

But, that said, the Surface Go is a tiny device, and if you seek portability with, say 5-7h of battery life (I am estimating the reality of battery life) more than anything, well, maybe the Surface Go is right for you even if you don't care about the pen, and decide to not get it.

 

If you wonder what I used at college/university (I was part time/working at the same time)

I have acquired a degree in Computer Science, I started with a laptop (because I had no choice, back in 2008, there was no Surface Pro, and the system bellow that can BARELY run Windows XP, in the days were we had Vista (not exaggeration), cost 3000$

 

So I got a laptop instead. Dell Latitude E6400 with shitty Nvidia GPU (to get the larger heatsink for more CPU performance, solve the hot chipset issues of the time causing system throttling on multiple OEMs system using this chipset/CPU, and make it, what I called: Vista ready, meaning it actually could run Vista properly), 4GB of RAM (there was no 8GB), 160GB 5400RPM HDD (eventually replaced to an SSD to keep my sanity), backlit keyboard, LED backlight display (new back in the day... "thin" display lid was the thing.. which is normal thickness today :)), and the device was consider "thin" form factor with the slim optical drive (thick monstrosity compared to today), last gen Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz CPU,... anyway. Was great when I was coding, but note taking... near impossible. I had to use pen and paper, as most classes always had constant symbols, match, graphs, important diagrams to use.... yea.. not fun.

 

Then I got a Surface Pro 2, which turned to be a Surface Pro 3 later after graduating. It was god sent. I could actually do full math classes on it, no more math examples slip in 2 or even 3 pages where you need to constantly flip back and forth, and use different color pens, easily polish notes after classes by inserting images or diagram anymore, shifting notes to add more notes or make things look nicer. And, at least with me, OneNote ink search recognition was working ~97% of the time during all my studies with the device, allowing me to search by typing in OneNote for my hand written notes, and I could easily switch between typing and inking on the fly by flipping the system over if I know I need a moment to draw a graph on the board or something on it, and then switch back to typing for rest of the class, or just use the pen while the system is in laptop mode. It was great! Also OneNote has all your notes on the MS servers (cloud), so it was in sync with my desktop as well, and accessible on the web, if I needed to access my notes and don't have my system with me, for some reason.

 

The switch from the Surface Pro 2 and Pro 3 was because I had Microsoft Complete extended warranty which included accidental damage protection for 2 years. I had an accident on my Surface Pro 2, so I sent it for service, and Microsoft sent me back, to my surprised, their latest model at the time, of similar specs: The Surface Pro 3, with a new keyboard cover (as the form factor changed), a new power adapter (as that changed in the Pro 3 from the Pro 3), and a new pen (as that changed from MS using Wacom in the Pro 2 to N-Trig in the Pro 3). Was awesome.

 

So FOR ME, the Surface Pro was MUCH needed, and much welcomed, and I stand by the fact that it has helped in my studies (but if you are the type to easily get distracted in class, like many, by opening Facebook or whatnot... perhaps stick to pen and paper.. else you'll fail that class, like many do... Perhaps the Surface Go with its weak ass CPU, might force you to stay within OneNote).

 

How long ago was that? Back in 2010 you could get far better laptops with a similar design, that used wacomm digitisers and pressure sensitive pens:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-HP-Touchsmart-tm2-Laptop-Tablet-PC.27375.0.html

 

Up to 8GB RAM, any SATA drive that suited your needs, a decent (for the time) 512MB MR HD5450, i5 U470 (TM2T-2100 version)

 

[captain_to_fire]

44 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

-snip-

I won't lie. I kinda want one especially the 128GB SSD/8GB RAM model. Seems a good tablet for medical school (gross anatomy and histology) because I don't have to carry a laptop for typing paper works and my iPad for reviewing notes, not to mention the kickstand for reading. But then iOS still has more iPad optimized apps for med students, Windows Store has some like 3D medical but that's pretty much it. 

 

I guess it really boils down to needs. 

[GoodBytes]

38 minutes ago, Dabombinable said:

How long ago was that? Back in 2010 you could get far better laptops with a similar design, that used wacomm digitisers and pressure sensitive pens:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-HP-Touchsmart-tm2-Laptop-Tablet-PC.27375.0.html

 

Up to 8GB RAM, any SATA drive that suited your needs, a decent (for the time) 512MB MR HD5450, i5 U470 (TM2T-2100 version)

 

2008, and that HP system original had  a wonderful AMD Turion that was overheating, a near always on fan that was so whiny that you were asked to leave the class, low screen resolution, difficult to view due to the bad digitizer, and fight with the pen, as it was a terrible Wacom technology. They updated the CPU, and cooling solution, but reset remain garbage, especially Due switch from a VA panel, down to a TN panel. Good luck viewing the screen as you write on it. And that thing is massive.

[david cassar]

11 hours ago, captain_to_fire said:

I won't lie. I kinda want one especially the 128GB SSD/8GB RAM model. Seems a good tablet for medical school (gross anatomy and histology) because I don't have to carry a laptop for typing paper works and my iPad for reviewing notes, not to mention the kickstand for reading. But then iOS still has more iPad optimized apps for med students, Windows Store has some like 3D medical but that's pretty much it. 

 

I guess it really boils down to needs. 

I'm going to be in med school which is why im interested in the surface go. Also my sister does have an ipad which she can lend me so i guess i would still be able to use those medical student apps on ios. 

[bleedblue]

Wonder what the experience using Photoshop on this thing is. I want to get one because I do a bit of art on the side but I don't wanna shell out for the more expensive Surface devices.

[GoodBytes]

36 minutes ago, bleedblue said:

Wonder what the experience using Photoshop on this thing is. I want to get one because I do a bit of art on the side but I don't wanna shell out for the more expensive Surface devices.

Won't be pretty. It will run fine, although if you use the default Display Scaling level Photoshop will complain that some tools might not be visible. If you drop the Display Scaling by a notch, it should be fine on that regard, if you are fine with a bit smaller text. As for performance, it will run fine, but if you use big or complex brushes, or working is many layers or apply big filters, it will struggle. If you do Sketches in ArtRage, Autodesk progras, and things like that, it will be fine.

 

The device really was designed for note takers, students, or those who seek a low cost small device, but has and feels high quality, with a nice screen and don't want plastic system.

 

If you really want to do drawing, you are better off with iPad Pro, or the Surface Pro series

[DildorTheDecent]

It's like a modern day netbook, but probably not as bad.

[LAwLz]

19 minutes ago, DildorTheDecent said:

It's like a modern day netbook, but probably not as bad.

And far more expensive. 

The lowest end model is pretty much useless because the specs are so bad. 

 

The SSD model is 550 dollars, plus the 130 dollars for the keyboard (windows is  pretty much unusable as a tablet OS, you want the keyboard and trackpad). 

If you want the pen, which is arguably the only appealing thing about this device, it's another 100 dollars. 

 

So this "cheap, low end device" is 780 dollars once you add the things highlighted as selling points. 

[captain_to_fire]

2 hours ago, david cassar said:

I'm going to be in med school which is why im interested in the surface go. Also my sister does have an ipad which she can lend me so i guess i would still be able to use those medical student apps on ios. 

If you want a quick reference app about diseases and drugs on iOS, I highly recommend Medscape which is unfortunately unavailable on Windows 10. Buying 3D4 Medical bundle of apps on iOS is worth it though especially with gross anatomy. 

 

The Surface Go is rather interesting for me because I can jot down notes and type reports. Office for iOS is just “okay” for basic stuff but lacks other features of the full PC/Mac app. 

[Drak3]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

windows is  pretty much unusable as a tablet OS,

Far from it. It's as usable as iOS or Android.

 

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

you want the keyboard and trackpad)

That's a per person thing. If it weren't for the fact that Costco sold the i5/4GB SP4 with the typecover for the cost of just the SP4, I would have returned the type cover after about a week because I don't use it much. 

[LAwLz]

10 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Far from it. It's as usable as iOS or Android.

You got to be kidding me.

Very few classic x86 programs are not at all designed for use with a touch screen, and UWP is garbage when it comes to not only functionality but also availability. 

 

10 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

That's a per person thing. If it weren't for the fact that Costco sold the i5/4GB SP4 with the typecover for the cost of just the SP4, I would have returned the type cover after about a week because I don't use it much. 

Really? What do you use your surface for then? 

I think a lot of people are looking at the surface line as laptop replacements, and you won't replace a laptop with something which doesn't have a keyboard. 

[Drak3]

Just now, LAwLz said:

You got to be kidding me.

Classic X86 programs are not at all designed for use with a touch screen, and UWP is garbage when it comes to not only functionality but also availability.

That's not an issue of the OS. It's also not much of an issue for most software one would realistically run on a Surface, provided one doesn't have fingers as fat as a Johnsonville Brat.

 

3 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

What do you use your surface for then?

At first, art. Now, mostly internet browsing, blueprint markup for work, and as a note pad.

 

4 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I think a lot of people are looking at the surface line as laptop replacements, and you won't replace a laptop with something which doesn't have a keyboard. 

Unless I'm typing a novel, my Surface Pro 4 does a damn good job of replacing my older Acer 17". And with the screen size, I'm not typing a novel.

[Trixanity]

Am I the only questioning why Microsoft insists on their business model of paying at least $100 to make it useable with a keyboard? Why isn't it included or 50% off if purchased with the device or make it a bundle. Or something. Anything. 

 

It looks like an insane money grab of Apple-like proportions.

[Drak3]

1 hour ago, Trixanity said:

Am I the only questioning why Microsoft insists on their business model of paying at least $100 to make it useable with a keyboard? Why isn't it included or 50% off if purchased with the device or make it a bundle. Or something. Anything. 

 

It looks like an insane money grab of Apple-like proportions.

If you buy online, Microsoft does alot of bundles throughout the year.

They also run alot of sales for school where they offer $300 off.

 

And again, it doesn't actually need the type cover or pen to be usable. It's as usable as any Android tablet on the market. 

[Trixanity]

12 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

If you buy online, Microsoft does alot of bundles throughout the year.

They also run alot of sales for school where they offer $300 off.

 

And again, it doesn't actually need the type cover or pen to be usable. It's as usable as any Android tablet on the market. 

Thing is if I just wanted a touch screen, I'd buy an Android tablet. You buy the Surface to get Windows, to get the productivity and therefore the keyboard or the pen (or both).

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, Trixanity said:

You buy the Surface to get Windows, to get the productivity and therefore the keyboard or the pen (or both).

You buy the Surface Pro/Go to get a Windows tablet.

 

Might as well complain that the Ford Focus you just bought can't tow a small trailer, when a similarly priced F150 can.

[Trixanity]

23 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

You buy the Surface Pro/Go to get a Windows tablet.

 

Might as well complain that the Ford Focus you just bought can't tow a small trailer, when a similarly priced F150 can.

Why would you want a Windows tablet?

[Drak3]

2 minutes ago, Trixanity said:

Why would you want a Windows tablet?

Because I don't value having dedicated youtube apps, crappy freemium games, and oversized GUIs on 10"+ devices over the functionality Windows gives me. I'll take my Pro 4 over an iPad Pro or Android tablet.

[jonrosalia]

i think this is extremely overpriced just like the rest of the surface lineup and i would put the HP x2 10" 4GB  with the atom X5 against it at the better deal for the price.

[TopWargamer]

I would just like to say that I bought the base model of the Surface Go the day it came, and I'm loving it so far.

[LAwLz]

12 hours ago, Drak3 said:

That's not an issue of the OS.

Doesn't matter whose fault it is. At the end of the day, it is an issue for the customer.

Also, I 100% put the blame for UWPs shortcomings and failures on Microsoft, but that's a topic for another thread. At the end of the day, my grandma won't care whose fault it is there isn't any Youtube app on the device. All she cares about is, if tabletA has a youtube app and tabletB doesn't have a youtube app then she will lean towards tabletA. She won't take pity on the maker of tabletB and go with that instead, and neither should you.

 

12 hours ago, Drak3 said:

It's also not much of an issue for most software one would realistically run on a Surface, provided one doesn't have fingers as fat as a Johnsonville Brat.

I strongly disagree, but I guess that depends on what you define as "one would realistically run on a Surface".

I would assume that people buy these as laptop replacements, so I expect it to be used for what most people use laptops for. Since it is being touted as being good for students, that means at the very least writing essays.

If it can't do that, then people should stop saying it is good for students.

 

6 hours ago, Drak3 said:

Because I don't value having dedicated youtube apps, crappy freemium games, and oversized GUIs on 10"+ devices over the functionality Windows gives me. I'll take my Pro 4 over an iPad Pro or Android tablet.

I like how, when asked why you would pick the Surface over an Android tablet, you replied by listing benefits of the Android tablet and then went "that doesn't matter to me". You still haven't given a single reason why this device is a better tablet than an Android device or an iPad.

You need to highlight what is good about the Surface specifically, not just say that you don't care about the advantages the competitors has.

 

 

Again, I think this device is shit.

You really don't want the lowest end model, because it is extremely weak. The step up is slightly better, but still rather underpowered. However, it's 550 dollars. Now it's a pretty expensive tablet, and since it lacks a keyboard ad trackpad it can't replace a laptop.

 

In order for it to be somewhat functional as a laptop replacement you need the 130 dollar keyboard. Please note that even with the type cover, it is still not as good as a laptop for writing with the device in your lap, rather than on a table. It becomes very wobbly and hard to use when trying to balance it on your lap. 

 

At best, I would describe the Surface Go as a 680 dollar hybrid, which is a bad tablet and a bad laptop.

The only time I'd recommend it is if someone wanted the pen support and Windows software. But even then Microsoft fucked up and gave it Windows 10 S, which can be disabled for free (at least for now, who knows in the future) and I don't want to support that dictatorship they are trying to push. It can be very harmful to consumers in the long run.