Microsoft's Surface Go is official!

Microsoft today took the wraps off of its latest productivity-oriented slate - the Microsoft Surface Go. Needless to say, this one will directly clash with Apple's iPad Pro 9.7-inch. As you probably might imagine, Microsoft is aiming this device at people on the go, while also citing its size as perfect to reading school textbooks in portrait mode. It also happens that it will hit the shelves just in time for the back to school season.

Design

You'd be forgiven from questioning if the new Surface Go device sports any significant differences in comparison with, say, the Surface Pro. The devil's in the details - the new Surface Go sports a slightly larger bezel in comparison with the higher-end slate as well as slightly rounder edges. Still, the overall design has not evolved a lot and still uses the same old magnesium design. Fine by us, as the external design of the Surface Pro was definitely among its stronger aspects and the Surface Go doesn't look like it would be anything different than that.

The tablet is lightweight and highly portable weighing only 1.15 pounds and being 8.3mm thick thanks to the sleek magnesium design. It comes with a 10-inch PixelSense display which is compatible with the optional Surface Pen, allowing 4096 levels of pressure.

Under the hood, the tablet is being run by a 7th-Generation Intel Pentium Gold processor which is designed to provide reliable performance for everyday tasks, like using Microsoft Office and consuming media, while still being able to boast excellent battery life and a fan-less design. Aided by 4 or 8GB of RAM, the slate will be a perfect productivity sidekick  that will be able to last you for up to 9 hours of battery life. Once the battery gets depleted, you can charge it up through the USB Type-C 3.1 port.

Software

Out of the box, the tablet will run Windows 10 in S mode, meaning that you can only run Microsoft Edge and apps found on the Microsoft store. Should you desire an improved experience, however, you can opt to get the full Windows 10 experience for free. However, we are not sure how well the Pentium Gold chipset inside the slate will be able to run the full-fledge Windows OS and any heavier apps or programs - you will probably run into some performance issues should you choose to use the tablet as your main daily driver.

Surface Go is Microsoft's least expensive Surface device to date, costing just $399. This puts it in direct competition with productivity minded tablets such as Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Book. The first slates to hit the shelves will be Wi-Fi-ones only, with an LTE model being planned for later in 2018.

The Surface Pen will add another $99, while the optional Go Signature Type Cover keyboard will set you back $99 - $129 depending on the colors.

Surface Go will be available for preorder on July 10th in: US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. It will reach more markets in the coming weeks. 

source: Microsoft