Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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GENERAL USE: Good—7.0/10
GAMING/AI: Fair—6.0/10
ENG/DESIGN: Fair—6.5/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good—7.0/10
CONTENT CREATION: Good—7.1/10
PORTABILITY: Excellent—9.2/10
BATTERY: Good—7.6/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Good—7.0/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Fair—6.2/10
SIZE: 12.4"
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is a lower midrange device with a compact 12.4-inch touchscreen and a lightweight design that enhances portability. It's equipped with an Intel i5 processor and integrated graphics, suitable for general use and multitasking. The device offers decent storage and memory, but might fall short for intensive 3D, machine learning, or engineering tasks due to its basic graphics capabilities. It has a high-resolution display with a focus on color accuracy and contrast, making it good for content consumption and standard productivity tasks. Battery life is sufficient for a full workday. Its build quality and keyboard are rated well, but it may not handle gaming or heavy engineering software smoothly. Overall, it's suitable for everyday tasks and on-the-go use, with a balance between portability and performance. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Lightweight and portable
- Good keyboard quality
- Very good speaker quality
- Excellent heat management
- Good build quality
Cons
- Fair general performance
- Poor 3D/machine learning performance
- Fair engineering performance
- No hardware ray tracing or DLSS
Ratings by Category
Portability:4.8
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Build Quality:4.3
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability.
Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify.
Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Battery Life:4.2
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Operating Noise:4.2
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Content Creation:4.1
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
General Use Screen Quality:4.1
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
General Use:4.0
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is fair for general use because it offers adequate performance with its CPU and RAM, ensuring smooth operation for everyday tasks. It also features a high-quality, portable design with good battery life, but the smaller screen size and lower resolution could limit the experience for those prioritizing screen real estate and crisp visuals.
Software Development:4.0
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Keyboard Quality:4.0
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
Engineering & Design:3.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a modest CPU and integrated GPU, which may not handle engineering and design software as efficiently as more powerful options. Also, while its screen quality is adequate, professionals often prefer larger, higher resolution displays for detailed design work.
Gaming & AI:3.1
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 falls short in gaming and 3D because it has an integrated GPU, which is less capable than a dedicated gaming GPU, and a screen with a standard refresh rate of 60Hz, which is lower than the higher refresh rates preferred for smooth gaming and 3D rendering.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $519 | ||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | ||
Weight | 2.48 lbs | ||
Width | 10.95" | ||
Depth | 8.12" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Intel i5-1135G7 | ||
RAM | 8 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | ||
RAM Slots | 0 | ||
Storage | 128 GB | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 8 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 12.4" | ||
Display Technology | IPS | ||
Resolution | 1536 x 1024 | ||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 401 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 7.8/10 | ||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | ||
Premium Business Laptop | No | ||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.4/10 | ||
Webcam | 720p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | ||
Backlit Keyboard | No | ||
Number Pad | No | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 1 | ||
USB-C ports | 1 | ||
USB-C Charging | No | ||
Display Outputs | 1 | ||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | ||
Shopping
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."
Comparison charts
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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.
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