Surface Go as a tablet review: Is it any good without a keyboard?

The Surface Go is pretty good, but most reviews take focused on having both the tablet and a blazon cover for the best experience. The Surface Go is a tablet, however, significant you can buy ane without the Blazon Cover, but should you? In this short review, I've been using the Surface Get without a Type Cover for a few weeks. Here are my thoughts.

Tablet

Surface Go

Starts at $399

Bottom line: Great hardware let downwards past a mediocre software feel for tablets.

Pros:

Modern blueprint.
Premium device.
Good size.

Cons:

Windows 10 is not very proficient on tablets.
Windows Hullo tin be tiresome.

What you'll honey nigh the Surface Go as a tablet

Allow's start with what's great about the Surface Become when being used every bit a tablet. Firstly, the hardware is exceptional. For $399, you're getting a very well built tablet, featuring a magnesium chassis with a loftier-quality 10-inch IPS display on the front. If you've always used Surface before, y'all'll know that Surface devices are the all-time of the best when it comes to premium pattern, and the same goes for the Surface Go even at its low starting cost point.

Category	Spec
Dimensions	9.65" x 6.9" x 0.33" (245 mm x 175 mm ten viii.3 mm)
Display Size	ten" PixelSense™ Display 3:2 Aspect Ratio
Resolution	1800 x 1200 (217 PPI) resolution
Processor	Intel® Pentium® Golden Processor 4415Y
Graphics	Intel® HD Graphics 615
RAM	4GB or 8GB RAM
Storage	64GB eMMC or 128GB SSD
Weight	522 one thousand

The built-in kickstand sits flush with the chassis when closed, meaning you won't notice it when holding the device in your hand. The kickstand itself can exist adjusted to whatever angle, unlike the Surface Become's predecessor, which was limited to just three positions. This means you tin can set the Surface Get at any angle, for watching movies or typing on the on-screen keyboard.

You've besides got the improver of Windows Hello, which allows you to login to the Surface Get with your face up. It's great to see facial recognition on even the cheapest available option, as Windows Hello has go a feature merely present in loftier-cease, expensive devices.

I'm likewise a huge fan of the inclusion of USB-C port on the Surface Become. This means I tin utilize any USB-C charger (that's powerful plenty) to charge my Surface Go, instead of relying entirely on the Surface Connect charger that comes in the box. Yeah, the Surface Connect port is also even so present, which I also really appreciate. I much prefer the magnetic port on the Surface Connect over the USB-C port.

Finally, the Intel Pentium Aureate processor inside the Surface Go, while not the most powerful chip in the earth, is withal a competent performer for tablet experiences. It'southward excellent for running Microsoft Shop apps, browsing the Web, checking e-mail, and watching Netflix. Everything you'd want to do on a tablet for casual use, the Surface Get can pretty much practise it with no real problems.

I as well retrieve information technology's worth getting the Surface Pen if you're planning to use the Surface Go equally a tablet. The pen feel is fantastic, particularly in apps like OneNote. Overall, the Surface Go is a not bad tablet when information technology comes to the hardware. For $399, you're getting a very high-quality Windows tablet. But, there's more to a tablet experience than just the hardware; how is the software?

What you lot'll hate virtually the Surface Go as a tablet

It'south no secret that I'm not a huge fan of the tablet experience on Windows 10. Microsoft has a defended "tablet mode" built into Windows 10 which users can enable, and makes Windows behave like a tablet OS. Apps run in full screen (more than or less,) the Beginning menu goes full screen, live tiles get bigger which make them better for impact, but that's pretty much information technology.

The tablet mode experience is the bare minimum Microsoft could exist doing for a tablet feel on Windows 10. It changes the beliefs of a couple of things, but other than that information technology's still Windows x. Apps like Edge don't have whatever dedicated tablet UI, significant the chrome is ever present at the summit of the screen. On any other tablet platform, browsers commonly hide the accost bar and buttons when yous're scrolling down a webpage to give you more content on the screen.

I'm really on the fence well-nigh whether or not the Surface Go makes a good tablet. The hardware is exceptional, but it's let downward past a mediocre tablet Os experience.

And so there's the animations and gestures; the Os is bare of whatsoever. One of the reasons why the iPad is and then successful is considering the OS experience is a pleasure to apply. Animations lead yous in and out of apps and experiences, but on Windows 10, there's very little of that actually happening. There are also not many first-party apps on Windows 10, which ways if y'all want to watch videos on YouTube or browse Reddit, yous'll have to utilize a Web browser or download a third-party customer.

I will admit, Windows 10 has some of the all-time 3rd-party apps for YouTube and Reddit on whatsoever platform. myTube and Readit are fantastic apps which I'd argue are fifty-fifty better than the official apps on other platforms. Of course, you lot may not want to use third-party apps, but I definitely recommend you requite them a attempt first.

I've as well noticed that Windows Hello on the Surface Go is somewhat slower than Windows Hullo on other devices. Perhaps that's because of the processor within, or the sensor itself, but it's definitely slower to wake-up and recognize you. I besides

Should you buy the Surface Go without a Type Comprehend?

I'yard really on the fence about whether or not the Surface Go is a good tablet. The hardware is infrequent, but it'due south let down by a mediocre tablet OS experience that isn't a pleasure to use. Even if it had the apps, the OS itself just isn't equally fluid or well designed for touch-first experiences, and there's no sign of Microsoft improving this any time soon.

I think you lot should attempt out tablet way first. If you lot're okay with it, and so get a Surface Go. I utilize the Surface Go as a tablet around the house, and I've forced myself to exist okay with the Os experience. I love the third-party apps for things like Reddit, and there are as well enough of first-political party apps as well for services like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

I think the Surface Go is a better device if you've got the Type Cover with it, but non everyone wants to employ their tablet as a laptop. So, information technology's important to brand sure you lot're happy with the experience without the Type Cover.

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Acquire more.

History catches upwardly

The problem for a consumer HoloLens was always the lack of Windows Phone

What is the future for Microsoft (and Windows) mixed reality? The latest report from Business organisation Insider sheds some light, but this all comes back to one major problem for Microsoft: No mobile Windows Os. Only what about a future headset that is cloud-based? Some thoughts on what could happen for Microsoft mixed reality.