Enlarge / Surface Laptop Go 2 from Microsoft.
Microsoft
Microsoft has officially announced the Surface Laptop Go 2, which replaces the original model that was launched in October 2020. The new model is currently available for pre-order. It starts at $ 600 and comes in four different colors, including a new green Sage option. As of this writing, reserved laptops will arrive as soon as June 7th.
The Surface Laptop Go 2 broke the cover for the first time in a retail list yesterday, and that list had the right facts: the biggest update to the Go 2 is a Core i5-1135G7 processor. The chip is an obsolete generation at the moment, but it is still a capable performance and a significant upgrade over the Core i5-1035G1 of the old model. The 12.4-inch, 1536 × 1024 touch screen remains the same, as does the size, weight, and port selection of the laptop.
Enlarge / The Laptop Go 2 retains the Microsoft Surface Connect port on the right side. On the left side is a USB-A port, a headphone jack, and a USB-C port. You can use the USB-C port to charge your laptop.
Microsoft
Microsoft also says that the Laptop Go 2 is a little easier to repair than the previous model. In addition to the SSD, the keyboard and trackpad, the display and battery are designed to be replaceable (though technically only by Microsoft-certified personnel and not necessarily by end users).
Announcements
The base price of $ 600 is $ 50 more than the previous model, but that extra money at least gives you a proper 128GB NVMe SSD instead of 64GB of slow eMMC storage; this unit can also be upgraded with something bigger later, which is a great way to save money on storage if you feel comfortable doing the upgrade yourself. Unfortunately, this base model still includes only 4GB of RAM, a limitation you’ll feel every time you try to play or open more than a handful of apps or browser tabs at once.
Upgrading to an even more modest but more usable 8GB of RAM adds an extra $ 100 to the price of the laptop, while upgrading to a 256GB SSD costs $ 100 more. Once you spend $ 800 on a laptop, possible alternatives include a refurbished Dell XPS 13 or any of the various mid-range Asus ZenBooks. These laptops include slightly larger, higher-resolution screens, backlit keyboards, and other features that Microsoft doesn’t offer with the Laptop Go 2.
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