The Surface Laptop Go is the cheapest laptop Microsoft makes, but it offers all the fundamentals of a great portable computer. Now, a third generation is on the way, but sadly the changes are not exactly groundbreaking.
2022’s Laptop Go 2 delivered good performance, decent battery life and one of the best keyboards around, all within a thin and light design. With a starting price of $599.99/£529, it can just about be considered a budget laptop.
If you are considering upgrading to the 2023 model, then here is everything you need to know about the Surface Laptop Go 3.
When will the Surface Laptop Go 3 be released?
The Surface Laptop Go 3 was unveiled on 21 September 2023 in New York City. It’s on sale now, having been released on 3 October 2023.
The device was announced alongside the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface Go 4.
For context, here’s when the previous two generations arrived:
- Surface Laptop Go 2 – June 2022
- Surface Laptop Go – October 2020
How much will the Surface Laptop Go 3 cost?
The price for the Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $799/£799 for the entry-level model with 8GB of RAM, or $999/£999 if you want to increase this to 16GB.
Windows Central predicted that the Laptop Go 3 would “start at a higher price point than its predecessor”, and it was on the money. This is due to Microsoft ditching the current $599/£529 entry-level model, which featured only 4GB of RAM.
The Laptop Go 3 still has a cheaper starting price than the Surface Laptop 5 (from $999/£999), and that’s not expected to be any different on the Surface Laptop 6.
What are the Surface Laptop Go 3 specs and features?
The Surface Laptop Go 3 features a 12th-gen Intel Core i5 1235U processor, either 8GB or 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. This is on the consumer models, though the business version also has these configurations.
This is a big change compared to the Laptop Go 2, which has three different configurations to choose from. But opting for a 12th-gen Intel CPU rather than something from the latest 13th-gen range isn’t a surprise – the Laptop Go has always been one generation behind.
Regardless, this processor should make the laptop 88 percent faster, according to Microsoft. How it performs in practice remains to be seen.
It comes with a 15 hour battery life, and the design is practically identical to the previous generation, with four colourways to choose from: silver, blue, green and pink.
Microsoft
It comes with a 12.4in LCD touchscreen display, with a resolution of 1536 x 1024 and a 3:2 aspect ratio. This panel has Corning Gorilla Glass 3, and has a typical brightness of 320 nits. It retains the same 1.13kg weight as its predecessor, and measures 278 x 206 x 15.7mm.
For video calls, there is a 720p front-facing camera, along with dual Studio Mics with Voice Clarity, a feature of Windows 11. Sound wise, the laptop has Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Audio.
It features the same slim bezels, four ports (Surface Connect, USB-A, USB-C, 3.5mm jack), and a fingerprint sensor built into the power. There’s no sign of backlighting coming on the keyboard, sadly.
It also runs Microsoft’s new AI assistant, Copilot. This adds guidance to productivity functions, and more abilities with voice control. There is Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 support onboard, too.
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Author: Anyron Copeman, Mobile Editor, Tech Advisor
Anyron is Mobile Editor at Tech Advisor, where he’s been a mainstay of the editorial team since 2019. In his current role, Anyron is responsible for all smartphone, tablet and mobile network coverage on the site. A BA Journalism graduate, he has experience with a wide range of consumer tech products and services, including smartphones, tablets, foldables, wearables and more.