I did some work in a dim room and instantly missed the option for key illumination. I realize this is a budget laptop, but even many low-priced Windows notebooks and Chromebooks offer backlighting these days. On average, its color and quality are okay, but as I'm writing this I have to say the text in Google Docs doesn't look super-sharp.Īnother disappointment is the lack of a backlit keyboard. The screen offers touch support and is fairly bright at its maximum setting, so it's not a total loss. From the pixel count I figured it would be close enough to mimic full HD or 1080p, but just as my colleague Tom Brant did when reviewing the first Surface Laptop Go, I found some text appeared blurry or grainy compared to the higher resolutions to which most laptop users are accustomed.

I say that because the 12.4-inch PixelSense screen's resolution falls short of full HD at 1,536 by 1,024 pixels.

The display, somewhat disappointingly, is also unchanged. Between its size and materials, the Surface Laptop Go 2 delivers a near-premium experience despite its low price point. The bottom portion does feel more like plastic than metal, but it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. The same premium aluminum is used on the lid, promoting the MacBook feel, though as an economy notebook the system isn't all metal-the base mixes aluminum and polycarbonate composite resin with glass fiber, 30% of which is post-consumer recycled material. Physically, the Surface Laptop Go 2 measures 0.62 by 11 by 8.1 inches and weighs 2.48 pounds, just as slim and portable as the original. One of four color options (the others are ice blue, sandstone, and platinum), it's quite Apple-like in style, as the Surface devices have always represented Windows alternatives to the MacBook and iPad concepts.

A pale shade of green, it's very pleasing to the eye, stands out from the crowd, and adds some style to a machine you'll be seen carrying out and about. The first thing you notice about our review unit (though it's less visible in our photos than in person) is the lovely new sage green color.

Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.

Surface go laptop 2