For a glorious short period, Best Buy had a clearance sale on the Surface Laptop Go 2 that brought the PC to a ludicrously low price. Sadly, that deal has since ended. While I haven't been able to find a deal as good as the clearance sale, you can save big on a Surface Laptop 2 if you're willing to buy a certified refurbished one from Microsoft. Deals start at $441.35 for the model with an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.

Microsoft released a Surface Laptop Go 3 in 2023 but the Surface Laptop Go 2 is still a solid laptop for light computing. When considering the value created by the Surface Laptop Go 2 sale and the fact that the Surface Laptop 2 received better review scores than the Surface Laptop Go 3, the older PC is a better bargain.

Portable and affordable

Even at full price, Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 2 was always a bargain. The Surface Laptop Go 2 is a smaller and lighter PC than the more premium Surface Laptop. It keeps the traditional clamshell design of its more expensive sibling but drops some of the pricier features. The end result is a laptop that isn't as premium but that still delivers a solid experience, especially when considering the price.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 is now almost two years old. The discounted PC runs on an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, has 8GB of RAM, and has 256GB of storage. Those are modest specs, but notably this is not the entry-level Surface Laptop Go 2. That means you get a fingerprint reader integrated in the power button (the entry-level 4GB of RAM model does not have a fingerprint reader).

Surface Laptop Go 2 review highlights

While the Surface Laptop Go 2 is not as premium or powerful as some of Microsoft's other PCs, it fills a niche as a laptop at an excellent value. In our Surface Laptop Go 2 review, our Senior Editor Zac Bowden explained who the PC is aimed at. "Who is this laptop for? Students, kids, as a family computer, or any adult who wants a small notebook for casual usage focusing on email, web, Office, light gaming, photo editing, or video meetings," said Bowden.

"While you could opt for a Google Chromebook instead with Surface Laptop Go 2, you still get the entire library of PC apps from the last 25 years. You could even use it on the go, then bring it home and plug in an external display (or three) to use it as your desktop PC."

The Surface Laptop Go 2 was the best budget laptop already, even at full price. You can get the 8GB RAM model, which includes a fingerprint censor in the power button, for $441.35. That's a ludicrous value for a PC as good as the Surface Laptop Go 2, though the PC is refurbished.

While the recommendation comes from a review in 2022, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is still a nice PC, especially when considering its clearance price. Bowden concluded his review by saying:

"Microsoft has done just enough for Surface Laptop Go 2 to make it easy to recommend, which is a common theme with the Surface brand. Something about the overall quality makes Surface Laptop Go 2 enjoyable to use and a desirable laptop for those who like its design and features."

What is Microsoft Certified Refurbished?

Buying a certified refurbished PC from Microsoft means you're purchasing a device that was bought by someone else, unboxed, and then returned. Microsoft inspects the device to ensure that it is in "like new" condition and that there are not any faults or hardware defects.

Since Microsoft is the one certifying the refurbishment, you get the full 12-month warranty and 60-day return period that you'd normally get with a new device.

Microsoft has a full section of its store reserved for certified refurbished devices. There, you'll see deals on the Surface Laptop Studio 2, Surface Laptop Go 3, Surface Pro 9, and many other devices.

It's the last day of Amazon Prime Day sales, and we've just spotted this excellent deal on Microsoft's current Surface Laptop Go 2, with an Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, and 128GB storage for just $499, a $200 saving! You better hurry though, as the best Prime Day laptop sales are ending tonight, so you don't have long to capitalize on these savings.

We love the 12.5-inch Surface Laptop Go 2 here at Windows Central, so when I saw it on sale for $200 off, how could I pass up the opportunity to grab one myself? This $499 price tag is the lowest I've seen it for the model with 8GB RAM. Usually, that sort of pricing is reserved for the 4GB RAM model, which we recommend you avoid.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 is Microsoft's budget-friendly laptop line, featuring a 12.5-inch touchscreen display with thin bezels, an excellent keyboard and trackpad, a premium aluminum and polycarbonate chassis, and a Windows Hello fingerprint reader for quick secure login.

The model on sale here is the middle-spec config for the Surface Laptop Go 2, maxing out the RAM with 128GB storage. That means it also includes the Windows Hello fingerprint reader in the power button, an omission on the low-end configs. This deal looks to apply to all colorways, including Ice Blue and Sandstone options which we love.

Why we like this deal

The Surface Laptop Go 2 is excellent because it uses premium materials in all the places you're most likely to be touching. That includes the keyboard deck and laptop lid. Polycarbonate is only used on the underside of the laptop to reduce costs, but because it's on the side you don't usually see or touch, it ultimately feels much more premium.

We also like this laptop because it's a great option for couch surfing, doing some light work at the coffee shop, and especially for students who want something that easily fits in their bag, is durable, and won't take up a ton of space on your desk.

Also, if you're looking for a compact Windows laptop, there really are no other options in this space. Lenovo makes the awesome Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano, which we also highly recommend, but it's primarily a business laptop and is significantly more expensive (2.5x as much at $1,310).

Regarding the price, we've technically since this a hair cheaper at $566, but that's usually for refurbished or the rare price drop, likely due to the need to clear out stock. Regardless, $499 is still an outstanding price, especially for this configuration with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (you can always update storage later on).

Here at Windows Central, we're doing our best to round up the actual good deals to be had between now and the end of Prime Day next week. We know it can be hard to sift through all the rubbish deals, so we've compiled a collection of the best Prime Day deals we've spotted for you. Our collection will be constantly updated, so keep checking back!

Microsoft impressed in our Surface Laptop Go 2 review, proving the ultra-compact portable machine to be a capable budget machine with a premium feel. Usually available as an affordable 128GB model and a 256GB upgrade, the latter has been temporarily discounted by a whopping $200 at Best Buy for its platinum-colored offering. It's the same spec as the sample we tested at launch, praising its fantastic keyboard and capable 11th Gen Intel Core processor.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 is what I use for work here at Windows Central, handling my day-to-day duties at my desk or on the move. I typed up this article with its comfortable keyboard, lacking only a backlight. If you're regularly working in a dim environment, it's likely the only downside to this otherwise sleek and capable machine. Weighing a touch over a kilogram means it's easy enough to slip into a bag and take out of the house with me whenever I need to write up huge deals like this, plus onboard Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 keep me wirelessly connected.

At $600, this lightweight beauty is an absolute steal and the best Microsoft Surface for any students or remote workers looking for casual use on the go. Naturally, you get a touch screen built into its 12.5-inch panel with a 3:2 aspect ratio capable of a 1536x1024p resolution, another bargain for a laptop in this price bracket. It's not intended to be a gaming machine or designed for intense video editing, but some lighter, casual flings in creative tasks are still possible; I edit photos daily on this thing for articles.

Don't skip this opportunity to grab the improved version of this budget laptop from Microsoft, especially since it launched with an $800 MSRP. A 256GB PCIe solid-state drive for the same price as its entry and mid-range models offering only 128GB is not to be missed!

What you need to know

• Microsoft just released the first firmware update for the Surface Laptop Go 2.
• The budget-friendly laptop launched on June 7, 2022.
• The firmware update improves performance and stability, fixes bugs, and improves display accuracy when auto-brightness is enabled.

Microsoft launched the Surface Laptop Go 2 on June 7, 2022. Now, just after it started shipping, the affordable laptop has received its first firmware update. Surface updates come out in stages, so you may not see the new firmware just yet. The update started rolling out on June 7, 2022.

As is normally the case, the firmware update doesn't include any new features. It does, however, improve device stability, address bugs, and improve display accuracy when auto-brightness is enabled. You can get it by searching for View Optional updates through the Windows 11 Settings app. Microsoft has a support document for updating firmware if you need assistance.

Note that firmware updates can't be uninstalled or reverted to an earlier version. Here are the changes in the update, as outlined by Microsoft:

• Improves system performance and stability.
• Improves device stability during reboot scenarios.
• Resolves system bugcheck.
• Improves display accuracy when auto-brightness is enabled.

In our Surface Laptop Go 2 review, the device earned a 4.5/5 for its compact design, improved CPU, and new pricing structure. It has a nice feature set and display for its price, according to our executive editor Daniel Rubino. "When you start pushing down to the $600 range, there aren’t many great options for Windows PCs, but a few are a better overall value," he said.

There's a new sage green version of the Surface Laptop Go 2 available to along with the Platinum, Ice Blue, and Sandstone models.

If you're interested in Microsoft's newest Surface but aren't sure which version to get, we have a guide on which Surface Laptop Go 2 model you should buy.

In October 2020, Microsoft announced the original Surface Laptop Go – a nod to the “Go” theme that started with 2018’s Surface Go tablet PC. By “Go,” Microsoft means smaller, lighter, and more affordable than the bigger Pro models. It’s an excellent play on words, and it matches expectations.

The company is back with the Surface Laptop Go 2, and Microsoft thankfully doesn’t mess with a winning formula. While it can be considered a minor update, all the small changes, including differences in pricing, make it a much better value today.

What does that new 11th Gen Core i5 processor deliver compared to 2020’s 10th Gen? Is battery life any better? And what do I mean by a better value? Let’s find out.

Price, availability, specs, and what’s new

Surface Laptop Go 2 is now available from Microsoft.com, Best Buy, and Amazon.com.

There is only one processor type for Surface Laptop Go 2: Intel Core i5-1135G7 with Intel Iris Xe graphics for the GPU.

Pricing begins at $599.99 for the model with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage with no fingerprint reader. That is a higher price than $549.99 for the original Laptop Go, but there is a big difference: You now get twice as much storage (128GB vs. just 64GB), and it is a PCIe SSD, which is much faster than the original 64GB eMMC. For an extra $50, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is a much better deal and experience.

The mid-tier model is the same price as before: $699 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

The top tier, the same as our review unit, features 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s now just $799, which is $100 cheaper than the $899 for the 2020 Surface Laptop Go with the same configuration.

There are four color options for Surface Laptop Go 2: Platinum, Ice Blue, Sandstone, and new for 2022, Sage (reviewed here).

While everyone will focus on the newer processor, quite a few cascading effects and new features summarize the differences between Surface Laptop Go and Surace Laptop Go 2. Here are all the changes:

• Bluetooth 5.1 (instead of 5.0)
• No 64GB eMMC version, just 128/256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD
• Intel Core i5-1135G7 (up from i5-1035G1)
• Intel Iris Xe graphics (instead of UHD)
• Improved 720P HD f/2.0 webcam
• Better repairability for display and keyboard
• New Sage colorway
• Secured-Core (Kernel direct access memory protection)
• Windows 11 Home (instead of Windows 10 in S mode)

While those are not earth-shattering, they are all welcomed changes, as we’ll see when comparing benchmarks between the older and newer Surface Laptop Go models.

Design and features

Surface Laptop Go 2 is relatively easy to describe: It’s a smaller, lighter version of the premium Surface Laptop series, and it’s a traditional clamshell laptop but with a touch display. While the look is very similar to Surface Laptop, the Surface Laptop Go 2 drops many top-tier features like a high-resolution display, better audio, and webcam but does so without sacrificing the overall experience especially at this price point.

Surface Laptop Go 2 ships with full Windows 11 Home out of the box. That’s a difference from 2020 when it shipped with Windows 10 in S mode – a slightly locked-down version of the older OS.

About 50 percent of the Surface Laptop Go chassis is aluminum (lid and keyboard deck), but the bottom half is a soft-touch polycarbonate. That choice works well as the material offsets costs, make it more durable, and reduces the weight to just 2.48lbs (1.12kg), which is up a hair from the original’s 2.45 pounds (1.1kg) weight.

The use of sage green for 2022 is a welcomed option. Like the other colors, including ice blue, it’s a subtle color that is not overwhelming and won’t draw much attention, but just enough for those who want a little flair. In specific lighting, it looks darker; other times, it seems almost like platinum, and it has a lovely shimmer.

The new processor is the star of the show here. While both the 10th Gen and 11th Gen Intel processors feature four cores with eight threads, the speed improvement is significant with the newer model. For the older Core i5-1035G1, the base frequency is 1GHz and can turbo to 3.60GHz with up to 25W TDP. The newer Core i5-1135G7 has a higher base frequency of 2.4GHz but can now turbo to 4.20GHz with up to 28W TDP.

Connectivity is basic but modern. Microsoft updated the Bluetooth stack to 5.1 instead of 5.0, which should help with battery life and the quality of the connection. Wi-Fi 6 AX is on board, too, and while not the most recent (and minor) Wi-Fi 6E revision, it is more than adequate for this laptop class.

A similar story is told for the onboard Intel graphics. The older model used Intel UHD with 32 execution units, while the 11th Gen Iris Xe almost triples that to 80. Though Surface Laptop Go 2 is far from a gaming PC, the new Xe GPU means you can output to 7680x4320@60Hz instead of just 5120x3200@60Hz and power up to four displays instead of just three. You also now get DirectX 12.1 support (instead of 12.0) for light gaming.

Ports are few but standard, with just three on the left side: Type-A (10MB/s), Type-C, and one headphone/mic jack. Type-C supports display out, data, and charging. The expected Surface Connect charge port is on the right side, which also supports fast charging. There is no Thunderbolt 4. 

For power, Microsoft includes a 39-watt Surface Connect charger. You can also use any Type-C charger, as Laptop Go can handle up to 60-watts and supports Fast Charge by either method.

There’s no way else to say that the fit and finish of the Surface Laptop Go 2 are fantastic. There’s no flex in the keyboard deck, the materials feel premium (especially the aluminum), and it looks clean with no labels or stickers. You can even open the lid with one hand.

Display, audio, and camera

The 12.5-inch 1536x1024 touch display with 148 pixels-per-inch (PPI) pales compared to the premium Surface Laptop 4, but when keeping in mind that $599 starting price, it’s pretty good.

Microsoft rates the display for a modest 330 nits of brightness, but we garnered a better 363 nits. While that number is just below higher-end premium laptops, it’s not by much and is good enough to use outdoors in some shade. It’s worth noting that this screen can drop to two nits at zero percent, making it perfect for use in bed at night (which you’ll want to do because of its size) as it won’t blind you.

Color accuracy is the same as the first model: 98% sRGB, 74% AdobeRGB, and 78% DCI-P3. The display does look slightly punchier once calibrated, where 99% sRGB can be attained. This display is more than fine for web browsing, email, non-professional photo editing, watching movies, and more, but it is still miles behind third-gen OLED displays shipping in many high-end 2022 laptops.

The bezels are also very thin and aesthetically pleasing, especially when compared to other laptops in this price range. There is a bit of a chin, but that helps make the keyboard deck longer and more comfortable for typing.

The audio is very good, thanks to Microsoft’s “Omnisonic” speakers. The speakers are cleverly located below the keyboard deck, allowing no visible speaker grills to tarnish Laptop Go 2’s clean design. No other company does this, and it’s an impressive feat. The speakers are clear and can reach more than sufficient volume. There is no Dolby Atmos to optimize the sound with more spatial presence due to the price point, but it has Dolby Premium Audio.

Microsoft puts a lot of effort into webcam usage. There are two microphones, each flanking the 720P webcam, and that camera is slightly improved, according to Microsoft. As to what exactly is new, here is what Microsoft tells us this:

"Laptop Go 2 uses a new camera computing unit. Combined with additional tuning we improved the overall camera experiences, including Improved skin tone, brightness, contrast, color, Auto-Exposure, Auto White Balance, texture, and noise reduction."

In our use, the 720P camera does look a bit sharper with more detail. However, it is still below the now industry-standard full HD (1080P) cameras for more expensive laptops. But, again, comparatively, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is untouched at this price level for camera and audio quality, and it’s not even close.

Keyboard, touchpad, fingerprint

The keyboard on Surface Laptop Go 2 is outstanding, and 1.3mm of key travel is close to the ideal 1.4mm found in many Lenovo laptops. Compared to Surface Go 3, the keys are slightly larger, and typing feels less cramped as the Surface Laptop Go 2’s deck is a significant 1.25-inches (31.75mm) wider.  

And like the 2020 model, there is one keyboard sore spot: There is no backlighting. Indeed, this was the one major issue we had with the original Surface Laptop Go, and Microsoft did not address it with this newer model. No backlight helps keep that cost down (and battery life up), and while it’s far from a dealbreaker, it would have been great to see it here.

The Precision touchpad is large, glass, smooth, has an excellent click, and feels very premium. It works well, is accurate, and we had no issues with it. 

Like its predecessor, the Surface Laptop Go 2 does not have an infrared sensor for Windows Hello to log you into Windows 11 without a password. Instead, it relies on a fingerprint reader built into the power button. That button has an LED that lights up when the laptop is turned on, cleverly calling your attention. It works better than most laptop fingerprint readers and has never failed during our testing.

The entry-level $599 Surface Laptop Go 2 model omits the fingerprint reader. That's a shame as not using a password is very convenient. 

Performance and battery

Unlike the Surface Go series, which are fanless and are powered by lower-end 10th Gen Pentium Gold or a Core i3 processor, the Surface Laptop Go 2 has a single fan to cool it and a much more powerful 11th Gen Core i5. That processor is also a significant bump over the 10th Gen Core i5 from the first model, although it still falls short of other premium laptops that use the same CPU.

On Cinebench 23, which taxes only the CPU in single-core and multi-core benchmarks, the Core i5-1135G7 earned 3,982 compared to the 3,237 on multi-core from the Core i5-1035G1, a 23% improvement. Likewise, single-core saw a 21% jump with the newer chip. On Geekbench 5, a CPU-focused task, the Surface Laptop Go 2 earns 4,214 compared to the original 3,237 — a 30% improvement.

Turning to PCMark 10, which utilizes both the improved CPU and greatly enhanced Iris Xe GPU plus the SSD, Surface Laptop Go 2 peaks at 4,537 compared to Surface Laptop Go’s 3,163 — an impressive 43% bump in overall system performance.

All CPU/GPU benchmarking tests were performed on “Best performance” and not the default “Recommended,” which works to scale and conserve battery more smartly.

Even SSD performance has improved. Sequential read performance, what you’ll “feel” most of the time, jumped 20% to a respectable 2,414 MB/s. Sequential write speeds also increased by 103% to 1,613 MB/s compared to just 791 MB/s on the original Surface Laptop Go (SSD).

With that new CPU and GPU, you can certainly indulge in some 2D action platformers, rogue-like dungeon crawlers, or any other casual arcade-type game. But things like Minecraft Dungeons or AAA shooters are still off-limits for this hardware. Luckily, Microsoft will be happy to let you use its Xbox cloud gaming service to offset such hardware limitations.

When testing the battery with PCMark Battery Modern Office, we disabled auto-screen brightness and auto-contrast, both employed to conserve battery, negatively affecting our results but being consistent. We ran both Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 2 at a fixed 60% brightness just above 150 nits of brightness on the “Recommended” power setting. Surface Laptop Go 2, despite the significantly better performance, gained 1 hour and 15 minutes in longevity compared to the original model — a substantial improvement.

The real-world battery on the original Surface Laptop Go was between 7 and 8.5 hours, which means the Surface Laptop Go 2 should be an easy 8 to 9-hour machine depending on how hard you push it and how bright you keep the display. That’s not great battery life, but it should be “all day” for most people using this as a casual PC.

Interestingly, the fan on Surface Laptop Go 2 is quieter than the original’s when the CPU is maxed at 100% performance for 20 minutes. While the fan is audible at ~47dBa, it averaged up to 7 decibels lower than the original model at ~52dBA, making Surface Laptop Go 2 around 10% quieter, which is noticeable. 

When we asked Microsoft about what was different this time about the thermals compared to the original Surface Laptop Go, this was the response:

"Surface Laptop Go 2 utilizes a Microsoft custom framework solution (SMF) that handles thermal and power management needs more efficiently. Combined with improved thermal components (fan module, thermal graphite sheet, other power components) we were able to increase the thermal capacity but also reduce fan noise by roughly 2dB."

In another nod to Microsoft’s superior engineering, there are no visible intake grills on Surface Laptop Go 2. The air comes in and out at the rear of the keyboard, hidden by the display. This design looks clean (like no speaker grills), but it also means no hot air is blowing on your hands like side-vented systems. Nor will you block the air intake when using Surface Laptop Go 2 in your lap.

Conversely, Surface Laptop Go 2 runs warmer, peaking at around 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46.6 degrees Celsius) versus 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) with Surface Laptop Go. That tells me that Microsoft may have tuned down the fan curve just enough to make the Surface Laptop Go 2 quieter at the expense of a little more heat. The degrees change is so minimal that you can’t feel the difference, and neither laptop can be classified as ever too hot or uncomfortable to use.

Competition

When you start pushing down to the $600 range, there aren’t many great options for Windows PCs, but a few are a better overall value.

HP has plenty of laptops in the $700 range, many of which will blow away the Surface Laptop Go 2 performance and features. The one caveat is the screen sizes available are either 15- or 17-inches, e.g., HP Laptop 15-dy2096nr, which is far bigger and heavier than Surface Laptop Go 2.

Lenovo has the impressive 13-inch Yoga 6 (AMD), which is a 2-in-1 design, with Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Ryzen 5 5500U CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, full HD webcam, Bluetooth 5.2, has more ports, and a 1920x1200 glossy touchscreen for just $599 (on sale; regularly $859). It’s better than Surface Laptop Go 2 in just about everything you can imagine.

Dell also doesn’t have too much in this price range except older models, which also have 11th Gen Intel processors, so it’s relevant. The cheapest available is the excellent XPS 13 (9310) with a 1920x1200 touch display, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and a Core i3 processor for $853 on sale — about $53 more than the top-tier Surface Laptop Go 2.

You can see more affordable laptops in our laptops with 8GB of RAM guide. 

Should you buy?

Who it isn't for ...

• Anyone who wants a tiny, but capable Windows 11 laptop
• Casual users who work in Office, web, email, video meetings, watching movies
• Students who want something light for class
• Families who want to share an extra laptop

Who it isn't for ...

• If you like to type in the dark
• If you need pen support or a 2-in-1 PC
• If you want to do a lot of video editing or gaming

Surface Laptop Go 2 is a modest upgrade over the previous model on paper, but using that new Core i5 makes it feel much more premium than you would expect. The lower top-tier $799 price makes the Surface Laptop Go 2 a worthy option for those who value a small, light laptop for mobility.

Who is this laptop for? Students, kids, as a family computer, or any adult who wants a small notebook for casual usage focusing on email, web, Office, light gaming, photo editing, or video meetings. While you could opt for a Google Chromebook instead with Surface Laptop Go 2, you still get the entire library of PC apps from the last 25 years. You could even use it on the go, then bring it home and plug in an external display (or three) to use it as your desktop PC.

Although some will be repelled at the 4GB of RAM for the entry-level model, in casual usage Windows 11 is more than adequate at allocating memory appropriately, meaning there should not be any significant performance problems. That said, erring on the side of caution and getting the $699 model with 8GB of RAM is the safe bet (plus, you get the helpful fingerprint reader).

But what about those other options? There is no doubt there is still a “Surface tax” on this laptop, meaning you will pay more for it than the competition. For some, it’s worth it; for others, it’s not.

While Intel 12th Gen mobile would have been welcomed, those chips are more expensive and currently in very short supply even for premium laptops, making them a poor choice. We’ll likely see a 12th Gen Core i5 for Surface Laptop Go 3 in 18 months, give or take.

For those on the fence, when bought through Microsoft, customers get a 60-day return policy with their purchase (undamaged, original packaging) via the Microsoft Store Promise for Surface. Eligible students, parents, teachers, and the military may also qualify for a 10 percent discount through Microsoft. Such a discount could bring the top-tier price down to $720 or the mid-level to a more palatable $630.

Microsoft has done just enough for Surface Laptop Go 2 to make it easy to recommend, which is a common theme with the Surface brand. Something about the overall quality makes Surface Laptop Go 2 enjoyable to use and a desirable laptop for those who like its design and features.  

What you need to know

• Surface Laptop Go 2 is official and it's available for pre-order today.
• It features an 11th-gen Intel Core i5, and a new Sage colorway.
• It's expected to start shipping next week for $599.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 is official! Microsoft has announced that the product is available for pre-order right now, with shipments expected to take place starting June 7. The product is a relatively minor refresh over its predecessor, featuring an 11th-generation Intel Core i5, up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and the debut of a new Sage colorway.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 is identical to the original on the outside. It features the same 12.4-inch "PixelSense" touch display, a fingerprint reader on the models with 8GB RAM, and is built out of a mixture of aluminum and polycarbonate materials. Like the original, it doesn't have a backlit keyboard or Windows Hello facial recognition, though Microsoft is touting an improved webcam for video calls.

You can read our Surface Laptop Go vs. Surface Laptop Go 2 guide for a deeper comparison. 

The bigger changes are on the inside and will help to reduce Microsoft's carbon footprint via easier-to-repair products. Laptop Go 2 joins the Surface Laptop Studio in being one of Microsoft's "repair friendly" devices, with more components that can be removed and replaced by authorized technicians. These components include the keyboard and trackpad, display, battery, Surflink cable, and the SSD.

The Intel Core i5 on the inside is a last-generation chip but still plenty powerful for this laptop's target demographic. It's a nice upgrade over the 10th-gen chip in the first Laptop Go, with better graphics performance and battery efficiency.

Microsoft has cut the original entry-level model with 64GB of eMMC storage, and the base model of Laptop Go 2 has 128GB of SSD storage right out of the gate. Because of this, its starting price has crept up to $599, but you are getting more storage, better graphics, and better performance.

Finally, Microsoft notes that the Surface Laptop Go 2 is the company's first "Secured-Core PC" to hit the market. This means it features better security at a firmware level, which is great for businesses looking to keep their data as secure as possible. 

Curiously, the Surface Laptop Go 2 appears to be Microsoft's only new Surface product launching in the first half of 2022. Microsoft usually ships a handful of Surface product refreshes in the spring, but we're just getting an update to the Laptop Go line this time.

Surface Laptop Go 2 is available for pre-order today in select markets, with shipping expected to start next week from June 7.

Tech specifications

The Surface Laptop Go 2 has mostly seen changes on the inside. Here's a look at the specifications that make up the new PC and the original Laptop Go.

Comparing the Surface Laptop Go 2 with the Laptop Go

The Surface Laptop Go, as we've come to expect from Surface devices, has a nearly flawless design. The Laptop Go 2 continues exactly where its predecessor left off. It has an aluminum lid and a mix of aluminum and polycarbonate composite resin for the base, weighing in altogether at just 2.48 pounds (1.13kg) and measuring just 0.62 inches (15.7mm) thin. In his Surface Laptop Go review, Executive Editor Daniel Rubino said "it looks good and feels even better, especially for this price point."

New for the Laptop Go 2 is a Sage color. It joins the existing Platinum, Sandstone, and Ice Blue colors that the Laptop Go comes with. Ports are exactly the same, with USB-C, USB-A, 3.5mm audio, and a Surface Connect port. Thankfully, Microsoft didn't mess with the comfortable keyboard and sizable Precision touchpad. According to Microsoft, you still get 30% more key travel than a MacBook Air.

The 12.4-inch touch display still has a 1536x1024 resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio, and no inking capabilities. The front-facing camera has a 720p resolution, there's a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello, and you still get quality speakers with Dolby Atmos. Note that the Laptop Go model with 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD does not include a fingerprint reader.

The Laptop Go 2 has mostly seen improvements on the inside. It's now equipped with a newer 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU, putting up better performance. It still has four cores and eight threads, but it has a larger 8MB cache, higher 4.20GHz Turbo frequency, and a higher 28W TDP. You also get improved Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics with the newer CPU.

Both laptops are available with 4GB or 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM. Whereas the original Laptop Go had the option for slow eMMC storage, the Laptop Go 2 is sticking exclusively with M.2 SSDs. You can get 128GB or 256GB of storage, and the SSD is still user upgradeable (though the keyboard still has to be removed). Microsoft has made further strides toward serviceability, offering replaceable display, feet, battery, Surflink cable, and keyboard/touchpad to help keep its PCs running.

Microsoft quotes about 30 minutes of extra battery runtime with the Laptop Go 2, though we'll have to test that ourselves. In our testing, the original Laptop Go managed more than eight hours from a charge.

Bluetooth in the Laptop Go 2 got a bump up to 5.1, and both laptops still come with Wi-Fi 6. On the security front, the Laptop Go 2 is now classified as a Secured-core PC, helping protect your data at hardware, firmware, and software levels.

The Surface Laptop is still available to buy at some third-party retailers; Microsoft has stopped stocking it. The Surface Laptop Go 2 is now available to preorder, with models expected to start shipping on June 7, 2022. Check out more of the best Windows laptops to see how these PCs compare.

What you need to know

• An alleged retail listing for the Surface Laptop Go 2 has appeared online.
• The Surface Laptop Go 2 runs on an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, according to the listing.
• It appears to have a similar physical design to the original Surface Laptop Go, including a 12.4-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio.

Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 2 has appeared online in the form of an alleged retail listing. Korean outlet Cafe Naver has a page for the Surface Laptop Go 2 that includes specs, images, and other details (via The Verge).

Assuming the details of the listing are accurate, the Surface Laptop Go 2 will run on an 11th Gen Intel CPU and feature an improved HD camera. The PC will likely be available in several versions, but the specific listing that leaked online shows a model with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

A preorder date of June 2, 2022 appears on the page, so we may not be far off from an official announcement from Microsoft.

These aren't the first leaks or rumors we've seen about Microsoft's next affordable laptop. Our senior editor Zac Bowden has a piece that rounds up all of the suspected specs and details about the Surface Laptop Go 2. The information from Cafe Naver's listing lines up well with our previous reports.

Other than an internal spec bump, the Surface Laptop Go 2 appears to be a relatively minor refresh, which is what we expected. The listing shows a 12.4-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a body that's overall similar to the original Surface Laptop Go.

The PC's ports also appear to be the same as its predecessor, including USB-C, USB-A, a headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port.

The leaked order page shows a model with 8GB of RAM, but the laptop will likely have models available with 4GB or 8GB of memory. We've also heard that the Surface Laptop Go 2 will be available in a new Sage color.

Microsoft has announced its first ARM desktop PC in the form of a developer kit it calls "Project Volterra." It's a small, Mac mini style desktop that's designed to help developers build apps that leverage the power of AI using a built-in neural processing unit (NPU) built by Qualcomm.

According to my sources, the device was codenamed Black Rock, and has been in development internally at Microsoft since last summer. The product was built by the Surface team in partnership with Qualcomm, and will be the first Windows on ARM developer kit to ship with a flagship Snapdragon SoC.

Microsoft will share more about Project Volterra over the coming months. In the meantime, here's everything we know so far! We'll continue to update this post as new information becomes available.

Project Volterra: Price & Availability

Microsoft is yet to announce exact pricing or availability details for Project Volterra. However, we do know that the company did originally intend to start shipping the product at Build, but was unable to do so for undisclosed reasons.

A likely explanation for the delay can be pinned on the ongoing component shortage, which appears to have affected the launch of other Snapdragon 8cx Gen3 products such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s, which is supposed to start shipping soon. With that in mind, we suspect that Project Volterra will begin shipping later this summer.

Microsoft hasn't provided any info on pricing either, but we can assume it'll come in under $1000. Unlike other flagship Windows on ARM devices on the market, Project Volterra is a barebones mini PC, meaning it comes without a display, keyboard, or trackpad. It's also made using plastic instead of a more premium material. This should hopefully bring down its price, but we'll have to wait and see. 

Market availability is also a mystery, but given that this is Microsoft, it's likely that the device will only be sold in the United States at launch. Most of Microsoft's previous new form factor products launch as US only at first, with availability in more markets arriving at a later date. 

Project Volterra: Ports & Specifications

Microsoft has not provided any official information regarding what specifications you'll find on the inside of Project Volterra. However, Windows Central understands that the device ships with a flagship processor from Qualcomm, likely a customized Snapdragon 8cx Gen3 of some kind, as Qualcomm's next-generation NUVIA chips aren't ready to be manufactured until next year.

It's unclear if Microsoft intends to advertise the chip as a Snapdragon 8cx Gen3, or if Microsoft has made customizations to the SoC that would warrant them branding it as "Microsoft SQ3" instead. Perhaps the company wants to save its "SQ" chip branding for its main Surface Pro X line.

Microsoft also revealed that the product has a fan on the inside, which will help with keeping the SoC cool and reduce throttling. The inclusion of a fan may allow Microsoft to squeeze more power out of the processor, as you're no longer thermally limited by a fanless design as seen on most other Windows on ARM devices.

Regarding ports, we know the device features three USB-A ports, a mini DisplayPort, and an ethernet jack on the back of the device, and two USB-C ports on the left side. Of course, the device comes with Windows 11 preloaded, though we don't yet know if that will be of the "Home" or "Pro" variety. Given this is a developer kit, we assume it'll ship with Windows 11 Pro.  

Project Volterra: Design and Features

According to sources familiar with the product, Project Volterra was built by Microsoft's Surface team in partnership with Qualcomm. It's a PC housed in a mini desktop form factor, similar to that of a Mac mini. It features ports on both the back and left sides of the device, and an LED status indicator on the front.

The device itself is housed in a black recycled ocean plastic, a similar material to that on the Microsoft Ocean Plastic mouse. On the bottom are four rubber feet, and on the top is a engraved Microsoft logo. On the inside, Microsoft says the product features a built-in neural processing unit designed to help developers leverage the power of AI in their applications.

The NPU will enable developers to take advantage of features such as eye correction, background blur, voice clarity, and much more in their apps. Offloading these features to a dedicated NPU will allow the main processor to focus on powering other app functionalities, which will help keep things running fast.

Microsoft says the design of Project Volterra allows for multiple devices to be stacked on top of each other, useful for developers who might need several running tests at one time, or for deploying in a server rack environment.

The company isn't advertising Project Volterra as an all-purpose desktop PC for consumers. It's a product that was designed and built specifically for developers building applications that utilize AI and Windows on ARM. That said, there's nothing stopping you as a consumer from buying one and using it as a normal PC if that's something you want to do.

Microsoft has also announced that the tool-chain that developers can use will be Arm-native on Project Volterra. That includes everything from Visual Studio 2022 right down to .NET 6 and Java. Here's the list of Arm-native tools for developers on Project Vortella:

• Visual Studio 2022
• Visual Studio Code
• Visual C++
• Modern .NET 6 and Java
• Classic .NET Framework
• Windows Terminal
• Windows Subsystem for Linux
• Windows Subsystem for Android

Microsoft has officially announced the next version of the Surface Laptop Go, fittingly titled "Surface Laptop Go 2" which features a better processor, faster graphics, and kills off the 64GB eMMC base model in favor of one with 128GB SSD storage.

It's also available in a new Sage color, which mixes hints of green, silver, and blue together for a unique looking design.

The Surface Laptop Go line is Microsoft's budget-friendly Surface Laptop, and we think it's one of the best Surface PCs for students thanks to its premium design and small overall form factor.

Surface Laptop Go 2: Availability

Surface Laptop Go 2 is available to order now, with shipments expected to begin starting June 7. 

Surface Laptop Go 2: Price and specs

Surface Laptop Go 2 features a starting price of $599, up from $549 on the first Surface Laptop Go. This is because the Laptop Go 2 has more storage, and a better processor on the inside in the base model. 

Surface Laptop Go 2: Design and features

Surface Laptop Go 2 is a relatively minor refresh, meaning there are no significant design changes to the product. This means it features the same 12.4-inch screen size, same ports, thickness, chassis, and materials as the first generation device.

There is a new Sage color option, but that's the only external difference you'll notice. The bigger changes are on the inside, with improved thermal cooling, and more replacable parts including the keyboard, trackpad, display, battery, and Surflink cable.

Unfortunately, the Laptop Go 2 still misses out on a backlit keyboard, and its display resolution is still quite low compared to other Surface devices on the market.