iFixit dives deep inside Surface Go with full teardown

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
last updated

Take a peek at what lies inside the new Surface Go.

The Surface Go just hit shelves this week, which means its time for the usual rite of passage for all big tech releases: the teardown. The device deconstruction wizards at iFixit have given Microsoft's latest Surface the teardown treatment, giving us a peek at what's inside and, importantly, just how difficult it may be to perform repairs on your own.

So what's the verdict? You probably won't want to crack into this thing for any repairs on your own. While iFixit found that the Surface Go's smaller display was sturdier and easier to remove, everything underneath is held stubbornly in place.

The battery is glued firmly in place by two pads of adhesive, making it difficult to remove. Underneath, the Surface Go holds "seemingly endless layers of shields, tape, and hidden screws." And while all of the major hardware specs of the Surface Go are no secret, the teardown did reveal that the device is free of any heat pipes for cooling, relying instead on thermal paste and a thin copper shield. While that may raise concerns over heat dissipation, we found in our review that the Surface Go doesn't seem to get more than slightly warm under stress.

Surface Go is available now in retail stores and from Microsoft in the U.S. and Canada starting at $399 (opens in new tab). The device is set to roll out to 23 other markets around the world starting on August 23, with more to follow in September.

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. 

8 Comments
  • I love my Surface Pro, but I HATE the trend of making electronics difficult / impossible to fix by the end user. I get that things have to be pretty tight in the case of the Surface line, we do have to pay a price for all this power under the hood. But still, I feel that at least making the back user removable (to replace battery, SSD) should be doable.
  • +1
    Except on waterproof devices, where I understand why it needs to be sealed
  • I joke with people that they have to ensure that their Surface Pro doesn't get dropped because it could disrupt the pressure seal, letting out the tower CPU and 19" CRT that's squeezed inside.
  • I agree. I have a normal laptop, but having to get a prying tool plus a Torx screwdriver and stuff just to upgrade the HDD and RAM, which are things that had dedicated slots on my old laptop, is annoying. Then again, it's the price you pay for that sexy, slim form factor, I guess.
  • Even the RAM and eMMC or SSD disk is soldered down so there will be no upgrading period.
  • The score of one on reparability basically breaks iFixit records!
  • Nope, it was Surface Laptop which scored ZERO in their test. They had to cut the aluminium casing because there were no screws. But, I guess they got screwed because of no screws.
  • You're right...How could I forget?!