We think Microsoft can chalk this up as another successful downsizing: although the Surface Laptop Go’s cutbacks are more frequently felt than on the Surface Go 2, it’s still clearly a laptop that’s been crafted with care.

High build quality Great inputs Extremely portable

Lowered screen resolution Slow write speeds Not actually that cheap

A well-built ultraportable that does the basics very well, but sublime design can't make up for hardware shortcomings when rivals offer more power for less cash

Light and well-built; Vibrant 3:2 aspect touchscreen; Full-size keyboard and expansive touchpad

Internals merely average for the money; No backlit keyboard; Battery life only average

The Surface Laptop Go is a premium laptop at a lower price than you’d expect but it isn’t the best budget laptop you can buy

Beautiful design; Excellent display; Fingerprint reader and Windows Hello webcam

Cheapest model only has 64GB storage and 4GB of RAM

The Surface Laptop Go is an imbalanced machine. On one hand, it's one of the best $550 USD laptops you can find because its 10th gen Core i5 CPU, 3:2 touchscreen, and metal design are better than anything else at this price range.

faster display response times than Surface Laptop 3; USB-C charging and DisplayPort support; quiet fan during low-medium loads; >95 percent sRGB coverage; affordable starting price; well-calibrated display; crisp 3:2 touchscreen; small and lightweight; metal chassis

low-end SKUs are stuck with 4 GB of RAM; below average Turbo Boost sustainability; serviceability could be more user-friendly; no Thunderbolt 3; HDMI; or SD reader; higher-end SKUs are overpriced; slow NVMe SSD write rates; slow graphics performance; hinges could be more rigid; Wi-Fi 6 connectivity...

Although it's missing some nifty features from the pricier Surface Laptop 3, the Surface Laptop Go is what many people are looking for right now: a well-designed, lightweight laptop with adequate performance that won't break the bank.

Inexpensive; Light weight; Comfortable keyboard and touch pad; Multiple color options; Attractive styling and excellent build quality; USB Type-A port

Less-than-1080p display; No face recognition camera or keyboard backlighting; Internal storage tops out at 256GB; Middling audio quality

The Surface Laptop Go is Microsoft's most accessible Surface yet, a very good budget laptop that can compete against other midrange models.

Competitive price; New fingerprint reader works as well as a camera

Average performance; USB-C hub may be needed for I/O expansion

“Surface Laptop Go is an affordable way to stay productive and enjoy premium Surface design without breaking the bank”

Thin and light; Comfortable keyboard and trackpad; Good port selection; Good performance

No backlit keyboard; Display's pixel density is low; No Surface Pen support

Every mid-priced laptop comes with tradeoffs. The Surface Laptop Go’s concessions are largely straightforward: you get an excellent design in exchange for a couple of useful features and some performance overhead. For many people, that’s fine.

Light; attractive; and high-quality design; Comfortable keyboard and trackpad; Minimal bloatware; Good value for money

The keyboard isn’t backlit; Mediocre battery life; Only 256GB of storage at maximum; Slightly less-than-1080p display; The cheapest configuration probably shouldn’t exist

The Surface Laptop Go joined me in the woods last week. It lived in my backpack for a few days and came along for a 20-mile hike through footpaths and across bridges of questionable integrity. It is, without a doubt, light.

The ultra-portable Surface PC