
A Year with the Surface Go - soapdog
https://andregarzia.com/2020/01/a-year-with-the-surface-go.html
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pottertheotter
I've had a Surface Go since August 2018. Aside from the small size, I hate it.
I can't think of a time when I bought a new computer (including phones and
tablets) and was immediately underwhelmed by its performance. It is so slow.

The other issue is the keyboard. Unless you have it on a solid surface, you
have to be very careful about putting any weight on it. The keyboard will
flex, which causes it to think the trackpad has been pressed. You can imagine
the issues that come from that.

A Microsoft Store exchanged my keyboard for a new one, thinking it must have
been a defect. After using it for a while and having the same experience,
Microsoft support told me that's how the keyboard is designed and I need to be
more careful when using it. OK...

~~~
flatiron
If you don’t travel much I always recommend used thinkpads coming off lease on
eBay. Higher end models used by business people who probably used them as
PowerPoint display devices. They aren’t usually light or fancy, but they are
cheap and powerful. Every 3-5 I spend ~$400 on one as my personal device and
never disappointed. I like them more than my work macbook pros but they are
not as portable.

~~~
paultopia
The problem I have with thinkpads is the same as I have with almost all OEM
windows machines---the branding is impenetrable. Like, which one is the good
one? Is it the T series? The E series? The X series? The QZT series? Which is
the Thinkpad X̡̨͟T͏̧͢Y̶̨͏7̷̀5̶̷Q̵̶͡͠͝Q͠͡ mark XZY? Is that the best one or the
worst one? And you can't look at the prices to tell, and just assume the most
expensive one is the best one, because the prices are for the current
generation, and you're looking on eBay on the last generation. Screw that.

~~~
fwipsy
Actually, the convention is really simple, when they follow it. It goes [model
line] [Screen size] [Intel CPU generation] [0 for intel, 5 for AMD CPU of same
vintage] + Yoga if flippy

Model lines: X is premium business, T is mainstream business, E is economy, L
is legacy/economy (extra ports). So by looking at "L380 yoga" you know it's a
13" convertible with lots of ports and an 8th gen Intel CPU.

~~~
paultopia
That is actually really cool! Except for the "if they follow it" part, which
rather threatens to scupper the whole thing. :-)

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angleofrepose
If we're making this a little bit of a surface line conversation: I'm
absolutely amazed at how bad the latest Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is. I bought
it for OneNote and as a second computer to my main laptop.

The pen regularly is not recognized, the entire computer freezes for 2 seconds
when rotating including stuttering video and audio. The entire computer
freezes for 1s when opening the keyboard which happens for me two or three
times every five minutes of active work in OneNote. I've done about 20 hours
of work in OneNote now and couldn't recommend it to anyone for any workflow,
not formal design work, not annotating PDFs, not drawing, not storyboarding or
wireframing or writing by hand. I only keep using it hoping I'll stop hitting
it's fail cases by learning it all and that has yet to happen. I plan to try
out the iPad next week. Any other recommendations for a thinking workspace
with digital pen?

I have a list of 10-15 OneNote peculiarities that seem insane to have made it
into production, and that OneNote is almost unusably laggy on Microsoft's
latest device is wild to me. They center around the virtual keyboard and non-
ink object selection and manipulation, of which there are zero official
Microsoft tutorials or manuals. There is no way in OneNote on the surface to
"exit" an action, selection or keyboard. Any tap will open the keyboard,
cycling the 2x 1s freeze for opening and closing the keyboard. It's maddening.

~~~
DenisM
OneNote on the iPad Pro is great, just go for it.

Make sure to get the matte screen protector for the tablet for additional pen-
to-surface friction.

~~~
ss3000
I have both a Surface Go and an iPad Pro, and while using the pen on the iPad
Pro on its own offers a satisfactory experience, I find that it's not nearly
as good as the Surface Go when it comes to accurately recognizing the correct
input method when quickly switching between pen and touch inputs.

My iPad Pro very often would treat my finger as a stylus and start drawing
when I meant to use my fingers to scroll around, while on my Surface Go I
honestly can't even recall that happening even once, and it's a night and day
difference in terms of ergonomics for me. I think Microsoft's much longer
experience in handling hybrid pen & touch input in OneNote for Windows still
gives it an edge at the moment.

~~~
DenisM
That literally never happened to me, not even once. I vaguely recall there’s a
setting in one note to never accept touch as pen input, so all touches are
navigation and all pencil input is drawing. Give it a try?

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skocznymroczny
I have the 4GB Surface Go. I have mixed feelings about the device. I misjudged
it. I expected a lightweight laptop that can work as a tablet, but Surface Go
is primarily a tablet that can do some desktop work.

The performance is OK for my needs. The screen bezels are too thick for my
taste, but I guess that's the tablet part coming into play.

The device is a bit too thick for my taste, it's matching a Macbook Pro in
thickness. The weight isn't special either, sure, the tablet alone is light,
but add the keyboard and it's not that light anymore.

The keyboard is the best and worst part. I enjoy using it, but the way it's
designed, it's completely unusable on a lap. You need a flat, solid surface to
use the keyboard, full stop.

I thought it'd be more usable as a laptop. Next time, I'll look for something
like Asus Transformer, they have a rigid keyboard that holds the screen, or a
used Macbook 12 (I love the form factor of that one).

I am not sold on the kickstand. I don't really see many benefits of it. I
guess it's useful if you want to watch a movie on your tablet and want to put
it standing up? I don't know.

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moksly
My primary computing device at home, for leisure, side project coding and
sometimes work, has been a surface pro 6 (13” i5) for almost a year. It
replaced my MBP 2018 edition that I resold for almost its purchase value
around this time last year.

It was my first move to Windows after a decade of Mac at home, though we use
Windows at my place of work so it’s not unfamiliar territory to me, and I have
to say that I really enjoy the machine. The combination of VSC and WSL is just
so great a way to box away your development parts, without contaminating the
OS you use to watch movies. I know some of you are probably good at running
setups that never bricks, but I’m not, and having it in a container you can
easily replace with a new Linux image has been so nice.

I use the tablet part quite a bit. The keyboard is nice, and I don’t really
mind that it’s slow. The only real downside about from the privacy issues with
Windows, is that it’s not as good as a laptop when you’re lying down with it
on your stomach.

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dboreham
Not the OP but I've also had a Surface Go for a while. I use it to fill the
following niche:

A device that is light, small, fanless, has a usable keyboard and touchpad,
runs a real OS, can be used to write and debug code, has built-in LTE, runs a
Kindle app.

Other than a tendency to hang on reboot (shared with previous LTE Surfacen
I've used), I've liked using it. I stopped carrying a tablet (iPad or Samsung
Tab) with me when traveling since the Suface Go does pretty much everything a
tablet does and is not much larger/heavier, and also replaces a laptop on
short trips. Since phones are now so large (I use a Note 10+), I typically
read books on my phone anyway, reducing the need for a tablet sized device for
that purpose. On longer trips I carry both the Go and a regular laptop.

~~~
cwyers
The Go is the only computer that I have actually found usable on an airplane.
Fits on a tray table very easily.

~~~
dboreham
Yes forgot to mention that. Although in 1st class you can use a Macbook 16...

~~~
filmgirlcw
International first/business. Most domestic airlines (US or European) don’t
have the room for a 16”, sadly.

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Causality1
I adore the Surface Go form factor, but I'm baffled by its hardware choices,
especially the CPU. To be frank, the 4415Y is godawful. Microsoft's last small
tablet the Surface 3 used the Z8700. Let's compare them for illustrative
purposes. The 4415Y is two years newer than the Z8700, but has twice as high
an SDP, and has a Recommended Customer Price 4.35 times as high. The 4415Y
Geekbenches at 2,000 and 4,000 for single and multi-threaded performance. The
Z8700 comes in at 1,100 and 2,800. A two year newer CPU that costs over four
times as much is just barely matching the Z8700 on per-watt performance.

I don't know what kind of fuckery has been going on at Intel with regards to
their low-power chips but it isn't good.

~~~
my123
Intel's newer design that will come for the Surface Neo and such are also
nightmares.

1 big core (from the regular Core architecture lineup) + 4 little cores
(Atom), how the hell did they even want to make that?

~~~
ThrowawayR2
> " _1 big core (from the regular Core architecture lineup) + 4 little cores
> (Atom), how the hell did they even want to make that?_ "

I'm guessing the idea was adopted from ARM since they have had mixed-core
chips for years now:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_big.LITTLE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_big.LITTLE)
Probably the best known line of devices that use them is Samsung's Galaxy S
series of smartphones.

~~~
my123
Yes, those tend to/always have at least two big cores, not only one. Having
only one complicates scheduling needlessly.

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ArmandGrillet
I don't understand Microsoft's logic with the Surface line.

\- The Surface Go didn't get updated in 2019, despite having as a main issue
its performances.

\- The Surface Pro X is the future hardware-wise but has a ton of issue
software-wise.

\- The Surface Pro 7 is an iterative change and it's been like that since a
few years already.

\- The Surface Book 2 (the only one I used extensively) is still a mess
hardware-wise. The weight and angles feel atrociously weird.

\- The Surface Laptop is good but too expensive compared to the competition.

Apple has fixed a few things last year with a MacBook Pro 16" that is nearly
perfect and a MacBook Air that gives a lot, I was expecting Microsoft to
answer to that with a spec bump of the Go and a reduction in price of the
Laptop but it didn't happen.

~~~
capableweb
My guess would be that the "Surface" product line doesn't have one deciding
visionary that knows and decides what to deploy in the market, that the teams
building these things follow.

So instead of having a product line that hits each section with a device that
makes sense, there is bunch of different devices that are OK, but doesn't make
100% sense for any of the segments, and the devices are overlapping a bunch.

------
baby
How does it compare with an iPad Pro?

I had the choice of going with a Surface, or with an iPad Pro + a macbook air.

I chose the latter option because:

1\. programming sounded better on the macbook air. Maybe it is different now
with WSL? But I didn't know enough at the time.

2\. airdrop, and all the cool stuff you get when you stay within Apple's
ecosystem (I already had an iPhone).

I'm not too happy about 2, because honestly I'd rather have devices that can
all work well with each other no matter the brand, and I would have rather had
one device like the surface that could be both a great tablet and a great
laptop.

I'm super satisfied with the iPad pro though. So I'm wondering how this
compares.

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j45
This post spurred me to learn that linux, specifically Ubuntu runs nearly
perfect on the surface go. Only cameras don't seem to work which is an
accomplishment. Would be curious to see if the power usage improvements of
Ubuntu 19 could give 9 hours of actual battery life on this compared to the 6
it usually has provided in windows.

Semi related; I've wanted to run MacOS with full update support on a surface
pro for some time. Hackintosh can provide one working snapshot, but I want a
device I have to hack to keep running. In case this has changed would love to
know. I love the form factor of the Surface.

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_nickwhite
I have a new Surface Go with a Verizon LTE SIM card. Being online all the time
is great, and the portability of it is also great. But the keyboard is really
painful as the keys are all about 30% smaller and scrunched together. I've
even contemplated using a regular Surface keyboard on my Go, but it looks
ridiculous. So I've been traveling with both my Surface Go and new Surface
Laptop- and I'll probably roll down the Go to someone else at the office who
can use it.

------
1996
I got it as soon as it started shipping. It just replaced every other
computer, smartphone and tablet I was using.

Best device I ever got, period. I've the business version with 256 NVMe SSD,
Win10 Pro, 8Gb of RAM, and the dock hooked to a large screen.

I've lost quite a few pen. I now purchase the cheaper ones on Amazon. I wish
the pen went into a hole like on the thinkpads

~~~
lostmsu
How can it replace a smartphone? Can you use it for calls? Does it fit into a
large pocket?

~~~
1996
With VOIP like skype it can be used for calls.

Also it fits in a small bag I carry everywhere.

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benjiweber
It's a great little Linux laptop. Perfect form factor for me and everything
except the webcam works perfectly in Linux.

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cortesoft
I have a surface pro that I have been very happy with, but it has a couple of
issues that make me still use other computers many times. I got it thinking it
could replace both my laptop and my tablet, since it can be both.

One, it is a bit too heavy to use as my primary tablet. It gets heavy to hold
for a long time, especially laying down. Also, the on screen keyboard is not
great; the iPad keyboard works much better.

Second, the fact that the keyboard is detachable means it can't really be used
on your lap. I often like to lean back in a chair and use the keyboard on my
lap; the flexible keyboard makes this not work. You need a table to set it on.

It is a pretty powerful laptop for its size, though, and I like being able to
take only it when I am traveling. It even plays games fairly well (at least as
well as can be expected with onboard graphics)

------
Flimm
It's worth mentioning that you can get third-party keyboards made for Surface
Go, that are wireless. It makes the form factor even more interesting when you
can separate the keyboard from the screen if you want.

~~~
fwipsy
Brydge makes keyboards with clamps and a rigid hinge. I've not used one but it
seems like a neat concept. Also Surface Go model is not out yet.

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muro
I like light machines too. My favourite right now is the Pixel (book) slate.
It's light, battery life is fine, screen is great and can run Android and
Linux apps. I spend most time in chrome, but often switch to Emacs and SSH
into other machines. The keyboard is the weakest part, but I got used to it
and started to even like it. The key movement is pleasant and it's very quiet.

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jessevl
I've had the (4GB) Surface Go since launch and always thought it was too slow
to be usable. Finally did a full reinstall a month back and it's somehow been
great since, it's not a powerful machine but feels very snappy in daily use
now. Basically wasted a year.

Must be something going on that's fixed in a later Windows version because the
difference is night and day.

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kbutler
I have an Acer Spin 1 that is a slightly larger form factor (11", .65? thick)
and quite snappy and delightfully portable. The laptop form factor
(convertible to tablet) and keyboard are great.

Only downside is the 1366x768 screen, which I find just tolerable for the 11"
display.

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connorgutman
I have the 8gb model running Arch Linux with sway wm. Instead of the default
keyboard I have a split ergonomic mechanical keyboard. A bit unconventional,
but it's my favorite dev machine! Helps me keep my shoulders and neck happy.

~~~
KitDuncan
I thought about doing exactly that! Down to using sway and a "proper"
keyboard. Are you happy with the performance?

~~~
connorgutman
I'm really happy! The 8GB model is super snappy with Arch+Sway. Battery life
with full brightness is ~4-5 hours. If I'm overloading it maaaaybe 3.5 hours,
but that rarely happens. It's so small that I'll throw a battery pack in my
bag with it and charge it while using it if needed too.

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mighty_bander
So... Are these reviews paid for? I've known a few people who got stuck with a
surface, usually because their work forced it on them, and they invariably
hated it. The thing is barely a computer. They've sacrificed physical
usability for the sake of some form factor pissing contest with Apple. Why are
all the "best laptop of 20xx" reviews led by the surface and Dell's equally
awful XPS? I don't want an eight ounce conversation piece. I want a brick I
can drop down the stairs with a bunch of RAM in it. I can't be the only one.

