Microsoft unveils Surface Laptop Go 2 for a more affordable Windows 11 experience

The Surface Laptop Go 2 upgrades to an 11th-gen Intel Core i5

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TheMicrosoft SurfaceLaptop Go 2 was unveiled this week, bringing with it new upgrades and a slightly higher price point.

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2, which is set to release on June 7, is built with an 11th-genIntelCore i5-1135G7 processor, which is a sizable update from the 10th-gen processor in the original Surface Laptop Go.

Though the upcoming laptop will have similar specs to the previous iteration, such as the 12.4-inch display and 3:2 aspect ratio, there are some key differences. For starters, the price tag has gone up by $50 (about ) thanks to the elimination of the 64GB storage configuration. There’s also a new “sage” color to choose from andWindows 11will be installed on each machine.

Most interestingly, the keyboard, trackpad, display, and battery will all be replaceable – in theory – by users themselves, though it seems like you’ll need some technical know-how to do so, which not everyone will have.

According toMicrosoft, the Surface Laptop Go 2 has “quieter, improved thermals that make it easier to focus” as well as claiming to have improved the webcam, though judging from the same 720p resolution it seems that improvement falls to image processing instead, rather than a straightforward hardware upgrade.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 starts at $599/£529 with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage, $699/£629/AU$1,199 for 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage, or $799/£729/AU$1,299 for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The 4GB option is not available for preorder in Australia. You canpreorder one now, with shipping starting on June 6 in Australia and June 7 in the US and UK.

Analysis: How affordable is it, really?

Though there have been some upgrades to the Surface Laptop Go 2 from the original version, plenty of specs have stayed the same, like the screen size (12.4-inch) and the 720p webcam.

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Then there’s the biggest issue with the new machine, which is the fact that it has 4GB starting RAM, with at most 8GB RAM included with the more expensive configurations. Worse off is that the price point for said 8GB version starts at $799, which is approaching the price of other competitors who offer overall better specs for the same or just a bit more.

That said, many users will mainly be using the Surface Laptop Go 2 for very simple RAM-light tasks such as streaming shows or browsing social media. Which means that those same users aren’t likely to notice these issues and are only looking for a sleek and easy to use laptop, something that the Surface Laptop Go 2 offers in spades.

All in all, whether the Surface Laptop Go 2 is worth it depends on what you need from from your laptop. In our originalSurface Laptop Go review, we found it to be one of thebest laptopsfor those looking for an affordable, full-experience Windows experience, so those who use it for lightweight tasks shouldn’t have any issues with the Surface Laptop Go 2. Those who need more performance might be better off checking out the competition instead, but they should also expect to pay more as a result.

Named by the CTA as a CES 2023 Media Trailblazer, Allisa is a Computing Staff Writer who covers breaking news and rumors in the computing industry, as well as reviews, hands-on previews, featured articles, and the latest deals and trends. In her spare time you can find her chatting it up on her two podcasts, Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, as well as playing any JRPGs she can get her hands on.

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