Alongside the Copilot and Surface Laptop Studio 2 announcements, Microsoft unveiled its updated Surface Laptop Go 3 during the company’s September 21st event.
Like the Studio 2, the Laptop Go 3 refresh is largely internal. But that’s just fine with me since the Laptop Go holds a special place in my heart.
The Laptop Go series makes up the lower end of Microsoft’s laptop lineup, offering small power in a small form factor. However, the Go 3 maintains Microsoft’s excellent build quality with Surface and looks great too.
Notable changes this year include a bump up to Intel’s 12th Gen Core i5-1235U CPU, the same option across all Laptop Go 3 configurations. Customers can also get more RAM and storage this year, with options of up to 16GB RAM and up to 256GB storage.
The Laptop Go 3 also sports a 12.4-inch PixelSense touchscreen with the classic 3:2 aspect ratio the Surface line is known for, and it clocks in at under 2.5lbs (roughly 1.1kg). The Go 3 is available in ‘Platinum,’ ‘Sage,’ ‘Sandstone,’ and ‘Ice Blue.’
On paper, these are welcome upgrades. In my time with previous Surface Laptop Go models, the internals always left something to be desired, which was always a disappointment given how much I like the hardware. Better internals are great, though I’m still disappointed to see the Laptop Go 3 using an older chip (even if it is better than before). That said, the extra RAM will go a long way in improving the Go 3 experience.
Naturally, it’s tough to evaluate how much of a difference these internal improvements make on the event show floor. What I can say is the build quality remains excellent and the Laptop Go 3 feels incredibly light. The colours look excellent and the screen is bright and colourful.
In brief hands-on tests, the performance seemed snappy as well, though I wasn’t able to do much more than zip around Microsoft’s pre-installed apps and demos. Speaking of demos, several of the Copilot demos available at the event were running on the Laptop Go 3.
For the Surface Laptop Go efficiandos out there, the Laptop Go 3 is more of what you love about the Laptop Go line. As usual with Microsoft, the company hasn’t rocked the boat on the exterior and focused on modest but welcome interior improvements.
I’m excited to do more in-depth testing of the Laptop Go 3 and see if it has the chops to be my tiny laptop of choice.
The Laptop Go 3 is available starting October 3rd and starts at $1,099.99 in Canada.
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