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15.6"
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Surface Laptop Go 2
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

The Gateway 15.6" offers a larger screen, more storage, and more memory, which is advantageous for general use and more intensive tasks like engineering or 3D work. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while more costly and with less storage and memory, is more portable and offers better build quality, a higher resolution touchscreen, and a newer operating system. The Surface is suited for on-the-go users who prefer a compact, higher-quality screen and touch capability. If portability isn't a priority and you require more power and storage for demanding applications, the Gateway might be the better choice. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Gateway 15.6"
  • The Gateway 15.6" has no clear advantages over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
  • Good for software development
  • Good overall build quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Very good speakers
  • Good keyboard

Key differences

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Screen Quality

6.1
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
6.9
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a better screen than the Gateway 15.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.

Portability

Good
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Gateway 15.6" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

5.1
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has good build quality, while the Gateway 15.6" has poor build quality.

Cost

$100
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
$519
Product image
Product image

$0

$200

$400

$600

$800

The Gateway 15.6" has a price of $100 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $519.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.0
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Gateway 15.6" and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use.

Gaming and AI

6.0
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
6.0
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and Gateway 15.6" are both only fair for gaming and AI.

Engineering and Design

6.2
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
6.5
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and Gateway 15.6" are both only fair for engineering and design.

Content Creation

7.0
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
7.1
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for content creation.

Software Development

6.7
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
7.0
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 to be good for software development, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.

Battery

8.0 Hours
15.6"
Surface Laptop Go 2
8.0 Hours
The Gateway 15.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has 8 hours of battery life.

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How the Gateway 15.6" and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Gateway 15.6"Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Gateway 15.6"Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

GENERAL

Price
$100
$519
Release Date
August 1, 2021June 1, 2022
Overall Dimensions
14.8'' x 9.5'' x 0.77''11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62''
Weight
4.8 lbs2.48 lbs
Width
14.75"10.95"
Depth
9.5"8.12"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i5-1135G7Intel i5-1135G7
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
44
RAM Slots
00
Storage
512 GB128 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8 Hours8 Hours
Battery Capacity
Unknown41 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"12.4"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10801536 x 1024
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
250 nits401 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
5.1/107.8/10
Portability Score
7.3/109.3/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
7/107.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
5.3/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
6/108.4/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
YesYes
Backlit Keyboard
NoNo
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
21
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
NoNo
Display Outputs
11
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

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Gateway 15.6"

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Francisco Lahoz | July 2022
"Some concessions have to be made when shopping for a budget laptop. Walmart's Gateway Ultra Slim laptops succeeds on the affordability front and delivers serviceable specs and good battery life, though it's hard to claim it's the best (or even particularly good) at any particular aspect. Its build quality, especially the touchpad, is mediocre, and its performance is decent but doesn't lead the way. The Gateway does undercut the cost of some competitors and offers ample storage with good connectivity, so it's not to be ignored."

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | August 2022
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."

Get a great deal on the Gateway 15.6" or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

About Gateway

Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
116,295
Recommendations made
25,198
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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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