Weighing just 1.2 pounds and measuring 0.33 by 9.7 by 6.9 inches (HWD), it’s equally at home in your hands or propped up on a table. It’s a rectangular touch-screen tablet with an integrated kickstand. The Surface Go 3 follows a familiar design formula. Plus, our Core i3-based tester comes in at $629.99, and that's without Microsoft's compatible keyboard accessory, which adds at least another Benjamin. But with few improvements over its predecessor and computing performance that remains lackluster, the Surface Go 3 is also a slightly disappointing third-generation revision to Microsoft’s most affordable tablet, given the advances we're seeing on other platforms. A compelling starting price of $399.99, coupled with the refined styling and high-quality construction we’ve come to expect from the Surface product family, make this the best inexpensive Windows-powered 2-in-1 tablet you can buy. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security SoftwareĪlthough it runs Windows 11 and can be used with an optional keyboard, the Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a tablet designed to compete with Chromebooks and the Apple iPad, not traditional laptops.

And when holding the device in tablet mode, I noticed that it became pretty hot on more than one occasion. Overall responsiveness can become fairly sluggish, with clicks taking a second or two to register. Even the maxed-out Core i3 model felt slow, and noticeably stuttered when apps like Photoshop entered the equation.

This seems to be the main trade-off for the brilliant portability of the device – if you're heading out with the Surface Go 3 for more than a few hours, you'll probably be looking for a power socket.Īlso underwhelming is speed and performance. I managed to eke just over four hours out of the Surface Go during light use, and with the screen brightness set to 80%. If you're looking for a machine for video editing or even graphic design, you might be better off checking out our Surface Laptop Studio review.īattery life isn't great. In terms of performance, it's difficult to recommend the Surface Go 3 to creatives with a remotely intensive or power-hungry workflow.

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