Check out an engineer's tour of the new budget Surface Go

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
last updated

Take a closer look at the design process that went into the Surface Go.

Surface Go
Surface Go (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

Microsoft this week unveiled the Surface Go, a smaller Surface targeted at the education, enterprise, and budget markets starting at $400 (opens in new tab). But while all of the details are now out in the wild, those looking for a little more info can watch Microsoft dive into of some of the design work that went into the device.

Most of the information in the video covers what has been already announced, from the Pentium processor to RAM and storage configurations. However, Microsoft has included a look at the internal layout of the components, along with some other interesting tidbits. That includes a near-field sensor, which can be used in enterprise cases for reading RFID tags to track inventory and even launching specific apps.

The smaller Surface Go Type Cover even gets a shout-out, including a look at its mechanical keys with 1mm of verticle travel, along with the sizeable trackpad.

See at Microsoft Store (opens in new tab)

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. 

18 Comments
  • Cool vid, watched it before the article. #YouTubeSuggestion
  • Nice
  • This was their design process: They looked at the Acer Switch 3 and said, "That's cool, let's make one too, but make it smaller, take away the USB3 port, add alt. mode to the USBC port, and don't include the pen and keyboard in the base price."
  • Whose fault is it that Acer didn't market their device to education and front-line workers? Surface is designed to highlight the possibilities of the ecosystem. That Acer failed in that one niche isn't Microsoft's fault.
  • I don't think Acer failed me anyway. I've been looking for a lower tier Surface form factor PC for a long time and Acer fit the bill a year before MS figured out that Atoms were too weak, 32GB mem and 2GB storage weren't enough for windows 10, and Windows RT was too limiting. Oh, and that the Surface Pro line was WAAAY too expensive. Now that MS has pulled it's head out of it's you-know what, it's too late because I'm using the Acer Switch 3 already. If MS can market and sell to schools more power to them, but their 'idea' of the Surface Go is late to the party for me.
  • Oh, and: Surface 3.
  • Considering the release date of the Acer Switch 3 your comment is nothing but an attempt at being funny I guess.
  • What does a 'release date' have to do with anything? If you want to talk release date, where was this device 2 years ago when the Surface 3 was discontinued? I already spent my $ on a very similar product.
  • Now, we need a 10 inch $500 Surface GoPro with faster CPU and NVMe PCIe storage...
  • I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick at least one of these up as backups for our SPs.
  • I can finally retire my aging Surface RT with one of these
  • We have a Surface Pro 3 and Pro 4. Our Surface 3 died in a miserable teen accident. I love the Pro 3, but it is starting to show its age. Plus, due to my working now exclusively from home, I need mobility + power even less with a full on desktops to do my work. The Pro 3 is still great, but compared to Pro 4 a beast in weight. I'm looking for a lighter replacement and had been considering another Surface 3 comparable device for travel and light weight use (i.e. NOT GAMING). The Surface Go makes it an even easier choice. I also think I know what my nephews are getting for Christmas now that they've moved beyond the iPad phase and need a computer for highschool.
  • Great video.
  • The NFC chip is a HUGE addition, that makes it significantly more versatile in a retail environment.
  • Agreed. I'm hoping when OEMs start getting into this space, they will also include NFC as well.
  • I think Microsoft has a winner here. it is way better than the Surface 3 they used
    to sell. the base Model is too weak for my needs. I would opt for the model with
    256 gigs of main memory storage and 8 gigs of Ram. sadly though you have to
    pay 200 Dollars for the Pen and Type cover. hmm maybe they will make an
    ARM's Version with a built in cell phone sold with a blue tooth headset
    Now this would be a radical device
    and some people would buy it
  • That inking lag seems higher that the last Surface Pro
  • If I had the cash, I'd be pre-ordering 4 of these. For my self and my little siblings. But sadly I don't Z.z. This is a winner, hopefully the wait is not to long for the LTE version.