There Surface notebook line I’ve always liked it, because Microsoft has always paid the right attention to detail and all Surface products communicate the feeling of having good quality products in your hands. Microsoft’s intent to create a line was clear right from the start alternative to that of Apple, and to fight on equal terms the products had to be first of all very solid, beautiful and well-finished. Of course, the choice of Windows or Apple ecosystem does not start from the devices, but that is another story. In short, Microsoft has succeeded in its aimbut sometimes not all choices are completely clear, e.g Laptop Go 3, the latest addition to the smallest and most transportable notebooks, leaves a few questions unanswered. Why You cannot configure an SSD larger than 256GB? Why a 13th generation Intel processor was not used? Why the camcorder only has a resolution of 720p? Why the screen isn’t even Full HD? And above all, why the keyboard is not backlit? How much do these choices impact the use of Laptop Go 3 and, consequently, who should buy it?
Nice, solid and compact
Laptop Go 3 is well builtit is solid, compact, with the top and side part in metal which goes perfectly with the plastic material with soft touch texture of the lower part. It hasn’t changed compared to the Laptop Go 2 to be honest, but a successful project doesn’t require big changes. Let’s be clear, it has nothing special, but compared to many other models on the market in this case everything is in its place, it is easy to handle and every centimeter of the body or keyboard communicates an excellent sensation of quality.
The keyboard is passed with flying colours. The island keys have a generous travel, of a couple of millimeters, but the activation is direct, albeit soft. By applying a little force you can feel it resistance of the mechanismwhich after a certain threshold is triggered communicating a pleasant mechanical feedbackwhile subsequently the ride is soft and silent. The keys are large, distancedit is really difficult to make mistakes when typing on this keyboard. The power button integrates the fingerprint reader, which works very well. There are no layout issues.
The touchpad is sensitive at the right point and the finger slides well over semi-rough surface, with a very fine grain. Microsoft has made use of all the available area, and while desirable, a larger touchpad is not needed.
The weights are well balanced, in fact it is possible to open the screen without having to hold the base still; although no type of access has been created in the body, it is sufficient to apply a little pressure on the frame to obtain the grip necessary to open it.
The dimensions are such that you can fit the Laptop Go 3 anywhere, from small backpacks to a handbag. In terms of transportability it is the best you could wish for today.
The excellent however, the keyboard is incompletebecause as I mentioned at the beginning of the article, Microsoft has decided not to include a backlight. It’s a stupid choice, without any kind of excuse. It doesn’t matter what choices led the company to remove this feature, which is today only acceptable on very cheap notebooks, and this is not the case with Laptop Go 3 because despite being among the least expensive of the current lineupit costs the same almost a thousand euros. Using Laptop Go 3 on the move, in poorly lit places, is not comfortable. Even if you know the keyboard and type without looking, it had to be backlit.
Screen and connectors
The screen in 3:2 format It offers good ergonomics for a laptop of this size meant for work. The extra vertical space helps on such a small 12.4 screen; It doesn’t change your life, but it works well. But even in this case Microsoft has chosen not to update the screen, in fact it is the same as the Laptop Go 2 with resolution of 1536 x 1024 pixels. On paper this resolution is low compared to competing solutions. But How much of a problem is it really? It is not. It works well and the dimensions of the elements on the screen are the correct size. You will just have to live with the idea of having purchased a product that is not in step with the times and other competing models offer more at the same price, or almost.
And the same reduced budget also applies to connectors: you will have one USB-C and one USB-A, both in standard 3.1 / 3.2plus the connector 3.5mm headphone jack. They are all aligned on the left edge, while on the opposite side there is the Surface Connect connector to recharge the battery.
There video camera hidden in the small frame superior has a resolution limited to 720panother detail that will raise eyebrows in 2023.
Hardware equipment
Surface Laptop Go 3 is based on a Intel Core i5-1235U processor alongside 8 GB of RAM and to a 256GB SSD. The only one alternative available is a version with 16 GB of RAM, where everything else remains identical. And it’s a twelfth generation processortwo generations old considering that Intel has very recently presented the fourteenth generation models, which will arrive in December.
Once again I wonder whether or not this choice is a problem? The answer is the same as before: from a practical point of view a thirteenth generation processor would not have made a difference, after all Laptop Go 3 is a notebook with which you can carry out basic office tasks on the go, and a slightly more powerful processor wouldn’t have changed your life. However, you will have to live with the idea that you are purchasing a two-generation old product and that the market offers more up-to-date models from this point of view too.
What is not justifiable, however, is the lack of an SSD cut of at least 512 GB. This can make a difference, because if 256GB (less truly available after installing Windows and commonly used software) they’re good for starting outafter some time they may start to run out. Choose the 16GB modelthe only alternative to the basic version with 8 GB, It really makes little sense, because for office tasks you don’t need more than 8 GB of RAM. It would have made more sense to keep the amount of RAM unchanged and offer a larger SSD, even if the best offer, considering the 250 euro price difference, would have been an upgrade of both RAM and SSD. In short, together with the keyboard, this is a totally wrong choice and without justification, other than the desire to push the purchase of only the basic model.
I would also have expected the connectivity update with the Wi-Fi 6E standard, while only Wi-Fi 6 is presentthe same as the Laptop Go 2.
User experience
Despite some questionable choices, the experience of using Laptop Go 3 is very good. It works well, reactivity is always excellent, the screen looks good. Perhaps the glossy cover is a little too reflective in some cases. It doesn’t make any noise, it doesn’t heat upAnd autonomy is approximately 7/8 hours, therefore sufficient for a full day of work. If you want to take the charger with you, it will only take up a little space.
But not all situations turned out to live up to expectations. The camera does not do justice to a 2023 product, in fact the video calls I made were only sufficient in terms of quality. And the non-backlit keyboard, I’m sorry to repeat, is a really bad choice, which can also be experienced in the field after a few hours of use. Especially because the keys are gray and the contrasting white letters are not always visible perfectly.
In short, I promote Laptop Go 3 because it has many advantages, but I can’t promote it with flying colours, especially considering the price.
Verdict: Who should buy it?
Microsoft could have done better with Laptop Go 3. It’s just a technical upgrade over the previous model, the Laptop Go 2. But the hardware platform is only one generation higher, the twelfth, and today Intel is at the fourteenth. I don’t expect a 14th generation mobile processor because it wouldn’t have been possible, but 13th generation is widely adopted, why not use it? It almost seems that Microsoft wanted to release Laptop Go 3 only as a refresh of the previous model, because on balance it doesn’t represent a leap forward. I have highlighted all the other shortcomings, and Microsoft’s choices weigh even more compared to the price of 909 euros. While the price increase of 250 euros for the second and only variant which only increases the RAM to 16 GB instead of 8 GB is unjustifiable.
It’s not easy to say who should buy Laptop Go 3. Certainly I don’t recommend the 16 GB RAM model at the price of 1159 euros. If you are in love with the design of the Laptop Go 3, then you could consider purchasing it, aware of the fact that the market, for little more, offers technically more convincing products, such as the Dell XPS 13. Perhaps The best advice I could give you is to keep an eye on it and consider purchasing it at a slightly lower price, perhaps in exchange for some end-of-year promotions.
