9 ms·

A Year with the Surface Go

116 points by soapdog 7y ago

dboreham 7y ago
Not the OP but I've also had a Surface Go for a while. I use it to fill the following niche: A device that is light, small, fanless, has a usable keyboard and touchpad, runs a real OS, can be used to write and debug code, has built-in LTE, runs a Kindle app. Other than a tendency to hang on reboot (shared with previous LTE Surfacen I've used), I've liked using it. I stopped carrying a tablet (iPad or Samsung Tab) with me when traveling since the Suface Go does pretty much everything a tablet does and is not much larger/heavier, and also replaces a laptop on short trips. Since phones are now so large (I use a Note 10+), I typically read books on my phone anyway, reducing the need for a tablet sized device for that purpose. On longer trips I carry both the Go and a regular laptop.
- cwyers 7y ago
  The Go is the only computer that I have actually found usable on an airplane. Fits on a tray table very easily.
  - dboreham 7y ago
    Yes forgot to mention that. Although in 1st class you can use a Macbook 16...
    - filmgirlcw 7y ago
      International first/business. Most domestic airlines (US or European) don’t have the room for a 16”, sadly.
  - therein 7y ago
    I took my Chromebook Go to a 15 hour flight last weekend and it worked great. Incredible battery life. Amazing keyboard and perfectly usable on an airplane. Crostini to run Linux in a container supported basically right out of the box however I needed to pass arbitrary USB devices into my container so I set up crouton next to crostini and had: (1) ChromeOS (2) Ubuntu user-space running with crouton using the ChromeOS kernel, with full native access to the hardware and also all USB devices. (3) crostini's "termina" container running its own Linux kernel, with no access to the native USB devices except for the ones whitelisted by Google. The nicest thing is, you can set up a VPN client in crostini and can enjoy network isolation. I'd get on my VPN on crostini and do my trading there while everything else on the device goes through the default route, without the VPN. Also when it comes to how Google called that container "termina" really makes me think someone at Google wrote some quick code to spin up a PoC and then never changed the name.
  - Kipters 7y ago
    The Surface Pro also fits nicely on a 737 tray, you just need to find the correct placement for the kickstand, I usually take my Pro 4 while flying for this reason
  - Wintereise 7y ago
    My XPS13 9350 from 3 years ago fits comfortably on every airplane tray I've bothered to put it on as well. This is not a small or super light machine. That's not really saying much.
Flimm 7y ago
It's worth mentioning that you can get third-party keyboards made for Surface Go, that are wireless. It makes the form factor even more interesting when you can separate the keyboard from the screen if you want.
- fwipsy 7y ago
  Brydge makes keyboards with clamps and a rigid hinge. I've not used one but it seems like a neat concept. Also Surface Go model is not out yet.
moksly 7y ago
My primary computing device at home, for leisure, side project coding and sometimes work, has been a surface pro 6 (13” i5) for almost a year. It replaced my MBP 2018 edition that I resold for almost its purchase value around this time last year. It was my first move to Windows after a decade of Mac at home, though we use Windows at my place of work so it’s not unfamiliar territory to me, and I have to say that I really enjoy the machine. The combination of VSC and WSL is just so great a way to box away your development parts, without contaminating the OS you use to watch movies. I know some of you are probably good at running setups that never bricks, but I’m not, and having it in a container you can easily replace with a new Linux image has been so nice. I use the tablet part quite a bit. The keyboard is nice, and I don’t really mind that it’s slow. The only real downside about from the privacy issues with Windows, is that it’s not as good as a laptop when you’re lying down with it on your stomach.
pottertheotter 7y ago
I've had a Surface Go since August 2018. Aside from the small size, I hate it. I can't think of a time when I bought a new computer (including phones and tablets) and was immediately underwhelmed by its performance. It is so slow. The other issue is the keyboard. Unless you have it on a solid surface, you have to be very careful about putting any weight on it. The keyboard will flex, which causes it to think the trackpad has been pressed. You can imagine the issues that come from that. A Microsoft Store exchanged my keyboard for a new one, thinking it must have been a defect. After using it for a while and having the same experience, Microsoft support told me that's how the keyboard is designed and I need to be more careful when using it. OK...
- flatiron 7y ago
  If you don’t travel much I always recommend used thinkpads coming off lease on eBay. Higher end models used by business people who probably used them as PowerPoint display devices. They aren’t usually light or fancy, but they are cheap and powerful. Every 3-5 I spend ~$400 on one as my personal device and never disappointed. I like them more than my work macbook pros but they are not as portable.
  - eb0la 7y ago
    Don't forget business-grade laptops have good keyboards ;-) I find Thinkpad keyboards great, btw.
  - paultopia 7y ago
    The problem I have with thinkpads is the same as I have with almost all OEM windows machines---the branding is impenetrable. Like, which one is the good one? Is it the T series? The E series? The X series? The QZT series? Which is the Thinkpad X̡̨͟T͏̧͢Y̶̨͏7̷̀5̶̷Q̵̶͡͠͝Q͠͡ mark XZY? Is that the best one or the worst one? And you can't look at the prices to tell, and just assume the most expensive one is the best one, because the prices are for the current generation, and you're looking on eBay on the last generation. Screw that.
    - 7y ago
benjiweber 7y ago
It's a great little Linux laptop. Perfect form factor for me and everything except the webcam works perfectly in Linux.
Causality1 7y ago
I adore the Surface Go form factor, but I'm baffled by its hardware choices, especially the CPU. To be frank, the 4415Y is godawful. Microsoft's last small tablet the Surface 3 used the Z8700. Let's compare them for illustrative purposes. The 4415Y is two years newer than the Z8700, but has twice as high an SDP, and has a Recommended Customer Price 4.35 times as high. The 4415Y Geekbenches at 2,000 and 4,000 for single and multi-threaded performance. The Z8700 comes in at 1,100 and 2,800. A two year newer CPU that costs over four times as much is just barely matching the Z8700 on per-watt performance. I don't know what kind of fuckery has been going on at Intel with regards to their low-power chips but it isn't good.
- dboreham 7y ago
  Otoh the Go is usable for most purposes in terms of performance, whereas the previous small Surfaces really weren't. Perhaps faster SSD helped.
- my123 7y ago
  Intel's newer design that will come for the Surface Neo and such are also nightmares. 1 big core (from the regular Core architecture lineup) + 4 little cores (Atom), how the hell did they even want to make that?
  - ThrowawayR2 7y ago
    > "1 big core (from the regular Core architecture lineup) + 4 little cores (Atom), how the hell did they even want to make that?" I'm guessing the idea was adopted from ARM since they have had mixed-core chips for years now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_big.LITTLE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_big.LITTLE Probably the best known line of devices that use them is Samsung's Galaxy S series of smartphones.
    - my123 7y ago
      Yes, those tend to/always have at least two big cores, not only one. Having only one complicates scheduling needlessly.
cortesoft 7y ago
I have a surface pro that I have been very happy with, but it has a couple of issues that make me still use other computers many times. I got it thinking it could replace both my laptop and my tablet, since it can be both. One, it is a bit too heavy to use as my primary tablet. It gets heavy to hold for a long time, especially laying down. Also, the on screen keyboard is not great; the iPad keyboard works much better. Second, the fact that the keyboard is detachable means it can't really be used on your lap. I often like to lean back in a chair and use the keyboard on my lap; the flexible keyboard makes this not work. You need a table to set it on. It is a pretty powerful laptop for its size, though, and I like being able to take only it when I am traveling. It even plays games fairly well (at least as well as can be expected with onboard graphics)
jessevl 7y ago
I've had the (4GB) Surface Go since launch and always thought it was too slow to be usable. Finally did a full reinstall a month back and it's somehow been great since, it's not a powerful machine but feels very snappy in daily use now. Basically wasted a year. Must be something going on that's fixed in a later Windows version because the difference is night and day.
skocznymroczny 7y ago
I have the 4GB Surface Go. I have mixed feelings about the device. I misjudged it. I expected a lightweight laptop that can work as a tablet, but Surface Go is primarily a tablet that can do some desktop work. The performance is OK for my needs. The screen bezels are too thick for my taste, but I guess that's the tablet part coming into play. The device is a bit too thick for my taste, it's matching a Macbook Pro in thickness. The weight isn't special either, sure, the tablet alone is light, but add the keyboard and it's not that light anymore. The keyboard is the best and worst part. I enjoy using it, but the way it's designed, it's completely unusable on a lap. You need a flat, solid surface to use the keyboard, full stop. I thought it'd be more usable as a laptop. Next time, I'll look for something like Asus Transformer, they have a rigid keyboard that holds the screen, or a used Macbook 12 (I love the form factor of that one). I am not sold on the kickstand. I don't really see many benefits of it. I guess it's useful if you want to watch a movie on your tablet and want to put it standing up? I don't know.
kbutler 7y ago
I have an Acer Spin 1 that is a slightly larger form factor (11", .65? thick) and quite snappy and delightfully portable. The laptop form factor (convertible to tablet) and keyboard are great. Only downside is the 1366x768 screen, which I find just tolerable for the 11" display.
connorgutman 7y ago
I have the 8gb model running Arch Linux with sway wm. Instead of the default keyboard I have a split ergonomic mechanical keyboard. A bit unconventional, but it's my favorite dev machine! Helps me keep my shoulders and neck happy.
- KitDuncan 7y ago
  I thought about doing exactly that! Down to using sway and a "proper" keyboard. Are you happy with the performance?
  - connorgutman 7y ago
    I'm really happy! The 8GB model is super snappy with Arch+Sway. Battery life with full brightness is ~4-5 hours. If I'm overloading it maaaaybe 3.5 hours, but that rarely happens. It's so small that I'll throw a battery pack in my bag with it and charge it while using it if needed too.
angleofrepose 7y ago
If we're making this a little bit of a surface line conversation: I'm absolutely amazed at how bad the latest Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is. I bought it for OneNote and as a second computer to my main laptop. The pen regularly is not recognized, the entire computer freezes for 2 seconds when rotating including stuttering video and audio. The entire computer freezes for 1s when opening the keyboard which happens for me two or three times every five minutes of active work in OneNote. I've done about 20 hours of work in OneNote now and couldn't recommend it to anyone for any workflow, not formal design work, not annotating PDFs, not drawing, not storyboarding or wireframing or writing by hand. I only keep using it hoping I'll stop hitting it's fail cases by learning it all and that has yet to happen. I plan to try out the iPad next week. Any other recommendations for a thinking workspace with digital pen? I have a list of 10-15 OneNote peculiarities that seem insane to have made it into production, and that OneNote is almost unusably laggy on Microsoft's latest device is wild to me. They center around the virtual keyboard and non-ink object selection and manipulation, of which there are zero official Microsoft tutorials or manuals. There is no way in OneNote on the surface to "exit" an action, selection or keyboard. Any tap will open the keyboard, cycling the 2x 1s freeze for opening and closing the keyboard. It's maddening.
- DenisM 7y ago
  OneNote on the iPad Pro is great, just go for it. Make sure to get the matte screen protector for the tablet for additional pen-to-surface friction.
  - angleofrepose 7y ago
    I think I'll give that a shot. I'm just greatly disappointed with OneNote's organizational features. In that they don't exist. I have notebooks > sections > pages but nothing within pages. No portals, no tools in place (leaving a pen or two in the canvas where I'm switching often). In portrait mode it takes me 3 taps to get from highlighter to pen when I'm reading papers. The PDF import as a stack is almost useless for anything larger than 30 pages. I could go on for a while. I want to try a formal design application and maybe I can make use of layers to save on the "miles" of scrolling I do in OneNote.
1996 7y ago
I got it as soon as it started shipping. It just replaced every other computer, smartphone and tablet I was using. Best device I ever got, period. I've the business version with 256 NVMe SSD, Win10 Pro, 8Gb of RAM, and the dock hooked to a large screen. I've lost quite a few pen. I now purchase the cheaper ones on Amazon. I wish the pen went into a hole like on the thinkpads
- lostmsu 7y ago
  How can it replace a smartphone? Can you use it for calls? Does it fit into a large pocket?
  - 1996 7y ago
    With VOIP like skype it can be used for calls. Also it fits in a small bag I carry everywhere.
baby 7y ago
How does it compare with an iPad Pro? I had the choice of going with a Surface, or with an iPad Pro + a macbook air. I chose the latter option because: 1. programming sounded better on the macbook air. Maybe it is different now with WSL? But I didn't know enough at the time. 2. airdrop, and all the cool stuff you get when you stay within Apple's ecosystem (I already had an iPhone). I'm not too happy about 2, because honestly I'd rather have devices that can all work well with each other no matter the brand, and I would have rather had one device like the surface that could be both a great tablet and a great laptop. I'm super satisfied with the iPad pro though. So I'm wondering how this compares.
j45 7y ago
This post spurred me to learn that linux, specifically Ubuntu runs nearly perfect on the surface go. Only cameras don't seem to work which is an accomplishment. Would be curious to see if the power usage improvements of Ubuntu 19 could give 9 hours of actual battery life on this compared to the 6 it usually has provided in windows. Semi related; I've wanted to run MacOS with full update support on a surface pro for some time. Hackintosh can provide one working snapshot, but I want a device I have to hack to keep running. In case this has changed would love to know. I love the form factor of the Surface.
_nickwhite 7y ago
I have a new Surface Go with a Verizon LTE SIM card. Being online all the time is great, and the portability of it is also great. But the keyboard is really painful as the keys are all about 30% smaller and scrunched together. I've even contemplated using a regular Surface keyboard on my Go, but it looks ridiculous. So I've been traveling with both my Surface Go and new Surface Laptop- and I'll probably roll down the Go to someone else at the office who can use it.
tyzerdak 7y ago
I dunno why ppl go to cafe to work on notebook. Eat or gtfo
ArmandGrillet 7y ago
I don't understand Microsoft's logic with the Surface line. - The Surface Go didn't get updated in 2019, despite having as a main issue its performances. - The Surface Pro X is the future hardware-wise but has a ton of issue software-wise. - The Surface Pro 7 is an iterative change and it's been like that since a few years already. - The Surface Book 2 (the only one I used extensively) is still a mess hardware-wise. The weight and angles feel atrociously weird. - The Surface Laptop is good but too expensive compared to the competition. Apple has fixed a few things last year with a MacBook Pro 16" that is nearly perfect and a MacBook Air that gives a lot, I was expecting Microsoft to answer to that with a spec bump of the Go and a reduction in price of the Laptop but it didn't happen.
- capableweb 7y ago
  My guess would be that the "Surface" product line doesn't have one deciding visionary that knows and decides what to deploy in the market, that the teams building these things follow. So instead of having a product line that hits each section with a device that makes sense, there is bunch of different devices that are OK, but doesn't make 100% sense for any of the segments, and the devices are overlapping a bunch.
muro 7y ago
I like light machines too. My favourite right now is the Pixel (book) slate. It's light, battery life is fine, screen is great and can run Android and Linux apps. I spend most time in chrome, but often switch to Emacs and SSH into other machines. The keyboard is the weakest part, but I got used to it and started to even like it. The key movement is pleasant and it's very quiet.
mighty_bander 7y ago
So... Are these reviews paid for? I've known a few people who got stuck with a surface, usually because their work forced it on them, and they invariably hated it. The thing is barely a computer. They've sacrificed physical usability for the sake of some form factor pissing contest with Apple. Why are all the "best laptop of 20xx" reviews led by the surface and Dell's equally awful XPS? I don't want an eight ounce conversation piece. I want a brick I can drop down the stairs with a bunch of RAM in it. I can't be the only one.

116 points by soapdog 7y ago

Not the OP but I've also had a Surface Go for a while. I use it to fill the following niche: A device that is light, small, fanless, has a usable keyboard and touchpad, runs a real OS, can be used to write and debug code, has built-in LTE, runs a Kindle app. Other than a tendency to hang on reboot (shared with previous LTE Surfacen I've used), I've liked using it. I stopped carrying a tablet (iPad or Samsung Tab) with me when traveling since the Suface Go does pretty much everything a tablet does and is not much larger/heavier, and also replaces a laptop on short trips. Since phones are now so large (I use a Note 10+), I typically read books on my phone anyway, reducing the need for a tablet sized device for that purpose. On longer trips I carry both the Go and a regular laptop.

cwyers 7y ago
The Go is the only computer that I have actually found usable on an airplane. Fits on a tray table very easily.
- dboreham 7y ago
  Yes forgot to mention that. Although in 1st class you can use a Macbook 16...
  - filmgirlcw 7y ago
    International first/business. Most domestic airlines (US or European) don’t have the room for a 16”, sadly.
- therein 7y ago
  I took my Chromebook Go to a 15 hour flight last weekend and it worked great. Incredible battery life. Amazing keyboard and perfectly usable on an airplane. Crostini to run Linux in a container supported basically right out of the box however I needed to pass arbitrary USB devices into my container so I set up crouton next to crostini and had: (1) ChromeOS (2) Ubuntu user-space running with crouton using the ChromeOS kernel, with full native access to the hardware and also all USB devices. (3) crostini's "termina" container running its own Linux kernel, with no access to the native USB devices except for the ones whitelisted by Google. The nicest thing is, you can set up a VPN client in crostini and can enjoy network isolation. I'd get on my VPN on crostini and do my trading there while everything else on the device goes through the default route, without the VPN. Also when it comes to how Google called that container "termina" really makes me think someone at Google wrote some quick code to spin up a PoC and then never changed the name.
- Kipters 7y ago
  The Surface Pro also fits nicely on a 737 tray, you just need to find the correct placement for the kickstand, I usually take my Pro 4 while flying for this reason
- Wintereise 7y ago
  My XPS13 9350 from 3 years ago fits comfortably on every airplane tray I've bothered to put it on as well. This is not a small or super light machine. That's not really saying much.

Flimm 7y ago

It's worth mentioning that you can get third-party keyboards made for Surface Go, that are wireless. It makes the form factor even more interesting when you can separate the keyboard from the screen if you want.

fwipsy 7y ago
Brydge makes keyboards with clamps and a rigid hinge. I've not used one but it seems like a neat concept. Also Surface Go model is not out yet.

moksly 7y ago

My primary computing device at home, for leisure, side project coding and sometimes work, has been a surface pro 6 (13” i5) for almost a year. It replaced my MBP 2018 edition that I resold for almost its purchase value around this time last year. It was my first move to Windows after a decade of Mac at home, though we use Windows at my place of work so it’s not unfamiliar territory to me, and I have to say that I really enjoy the machine. The combination of VSC and WSL is just so great a way to box away your development parts, without contaminating the OS you use to watch movies. I know some of you are probably good at running setups that never bricks, but I’m not, and having it in a container you can easily replace with a new Linux image has been so nice. I use the tablet part quite a bit. The keyboard is nice, and I don’t really mind that it’s slow. The only real downside about from the privacy issues with Windows, is that it’s not as good as a laptop when you’re lying down with it on your stomach.

pottertheotter 7y ago

I've had a Surface Go since August 2018. Aside from the small size, I hate it. I can't think of a time when I bought a new computer (including phones and tablets) and was immediately underwhelmed by its performance. It is so slow. The other issue is the keyboard. Unless you have it on a solid surface, you have to be very careful about putting any weight on it. The keyboard will flex, which causes it to think the trackpad has been pressed. You can imagine the issues that come from that. A Microsoft Store exchanged my keyboard for a new one, thinking it must have been a defect. After using it for a while and having the same experience, Microsoft support told me that's how the keyboard is designed and I need to be more careful when using it. OK...

flatiron 7y ago
If you don’t travel much I always recommend used thinkpads coming off lease on eBay. Higher end models used by business people who probably used them as PowerPoint display devices. They aren’t usually light or fancy, but they are cheap and powerful. Every 3-5 I spend ~$400 on one as my personal device and never disappointed. I like them more than my work macbook pros but they are not as portable.
- eb0la 7y ago
  Don't forget business-grade laptops have good keyboards ;-) I find Thinkpad keyboards great, btw.
- paultopia 7y ago
  The problem I have with thinkpads is the same as I have with almost all OEM windows machines---the branding is impenetrable. Like, which one is the good one? Is it the T series? The E series? The X series? The QZT series? Which is the Thinkpad X̡̨͟T͏̧͢Y̶̨͏7̷̀5̶̷Q̵̶͡͠͝Q͠͡ mark XZY? Is that the best one or the worst one? And you can't look at the prices to tell, and just assume the most expensive one is the best one, because the prices are for the current generation, and you're looking on eBay on the last generation. Screw that.
  - 7y ago

benjiweber 7y ago

It's a great little Linux laptop. Perfect form factor for me and everything except the webcam works perfectly in Linux.

Causality1 7y ago

I adore the Surface Go form factor, but I'm baffled by its hardware choices, especially the CPU. To be frank, the 4415Y is godawful. Microsoft's last small tablet the Surface 3 used the Z8700. Let's compare them for illustrative purposes. The 4415Y is two years newer than the Z8700, but has twice as high an SDP, and has a Recommended Customer Price 4.35 times as high. The 4415Y Geekbenches at 2,000 and 4,000 for single and multi-threaded performance. The Z8700 comes in at 1,100 and 2,800. A two year newer CPU that costs over four times as much is just barely matching the Z8700 on per-watt performance. I don't know what kind of fuckery has been going on at Intel with regards to their low-power chips but it isn't good.

dboreham 7y ago
Otoh the Go is usable for most purposes in terms of performance, whereas the previous small Surfaces really weren't. Perhaps faster SSD helped.
my123 7y ago
Intel's newer design that will come for the Surface Neo and such are also nightmares. 1 big core (from the regular Core architecture lineup) + 4 little cores (Atom), how the hell did they even want to make that?
- ThrowawayR2 7y ago
  > "1 big core (from the regular Core architecture lineup) + 4 little cores (Atom), how the hell did they even want to make that?" I'm guessing the idea was adopted from ARM since they have had mixed-core chips for years now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_big.LITTLE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_big.LITTLE Probably the best known line of devices that use them is Samsung's Galaxy S series of smartphones.
  - my123 7y ago
    Yes, those tend to/always have at least two big cores, not only one. Having only one complicates scheduling needlessly.

cortesoft 7y ago

I have a surface pro that I have been very happy with, but it has a couple of issues that make me still use other computers many times. I got it thinking it could replace both my laptop and my tablet, since it can be both. One, it is a bit too heavy to use as my primary tablet. It gets heavy to hold for a long time, especially laying down. Also, the on screen keyboard is not great; the iPad keyboard works much better. Second, the fact that the keyboard is detachable means it can't really be used on your lap. I often like to lean back in a chair and use the keyboard on my lap; the flexible keyboard makes this not work. You need a table to set it on. It is a pretty powerful laptop for its size, though, and I like being able to take only it when I am traveling. It even plays games fairly well (at least as well as can be expected with onboard graphics)

jessevl 7y ago

I've had the (4GB) Surface Go since launch and always thought it was too slow to be usable. Finally did a full reinstall a month back and it's somehow been great since, it's not a powerful machine but feels very snappy in daily use now. Basically wasted a year. Must be something going on that's fixed in a later Windows version because the difference is night and day.

skocznymroczny 7y ago

I have the 4GB Surface Go. I have mixed feelings about the device. I misjudged it. I expected a lightweight laptop that can work as a tablet, but Surface Go is primarily a tablet that can do some desktop work. The performance is OK for my needs. The screen bezels are too thick for my taste, but I guess that's the tablet part coming into play. The device is a bit too thick for my taste, it's matching a Macbook Pro in thickness. The weight isn't special either, sure, the tablet alone is light, but add the keyboard and it's not that light anymore. The keyboard is the best and worst part. I enjoy using it, but the way it's designed, it's completely unusable on a lap. You need a flat, solid surface to use the keyboard, full stop. I thought it'd be more usable as a laptop. Next time, I'll look for something like Asus Transformer, they have a rigid keyboard that holds the screen, or a used Macbook 12 (I love the form factor of that one). I am not sold on the kickstand. I don't really see many benefits of it. I guess it's useful if you want to watch a movie on your tablet and want to put it standing up? I don't know.

kbutler 7y ago

I have an Acer Spin 1 that is a slightly larger form factor (11", .65? thick) and quite snappy and delightfully portable. The laptop form factor (convertible to tablet) and keyboard are great. Only downside is the 1366x768 screen, which I find just tolerable for the 11" display.

connorgutman 7y ago

I have the 8gb model running Arch Linux with sway wm. Instead of the default keyboard I have a split ergonomic mechanical keyboard. A bit unconventional, but it's my favorite dev machine! Helps me keep my shoulders and neck happy.

KitDuncan 7y ago
I thought about doing exactly that! Down to using sway and a "proper" keyboard. Are you happy with the performance?
- connorgutman 7y ago
  I'm really happy! The 8GB model is super snappy with Arch+Sway. Battery life with full brightness is ~4-5 hours. If I'm overloading it maaaaybe 3.5 hours, but that rarely happens. It's so small that I'll throw a battery pack in my bag with it and charge it while using it if needed too.

angleofrepose 7y ago

If we're making this a little bit of a surface line conversation: I'm absolutely amazed at how bad the latest Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is. I bought it for OneNote and as a second computer to my main laptop. The pen regularly is not recognized, the entire computer freezes for 2 seconds when rotating including stuttering video and audio. The entire computer freezes for 1s when opening the keyboard which happens for me two or three times every five minutes of active work in OneNote. I've done about 20 hours of work in OneNote now and couldn't recommend it to anyone for any workflow, not formal design work, not annotating PDFs, not drawing, not storyboarding or wireframing or writing by hand. I only keep using it hoping I'll stop hitting it's fail cases by learning it all and that has yet to happen. I plan to try out the iPad next week. Any other recommendations for a thinking workspace with digital pen? I have a list of 10-15 OneNote peculiarities that seem insane to have made it into production, and that OneNote is almost unusably laggy on Microsoft's latest device is wild to me. They center around the virtual keyboard and non-ink object selection and manipulation, of which there are zero official Microsoft tutorials or manuals. There is no way in OneNote on the surface to "exit" an action, selection or keyboard. Any tap will open the keyboard, cycling the 2x 1s freeze for opening and closing the keyboard. It's maddening.

DenisM 7y ago
OneNote on the iPad Pro is great, just go for it. Make sure to get the matte screen protector for the tablet for additional pen-to-surface friction.
- angleofrepose 7y ago
  I think I'll give that a shot. I'm just greatly disappointed with OneNote's organizational features. In that they don't exist. I have notebooks > sections > pages but nothing within pages. No portals, no tools in place (leaving a pen or two in the canvas where I'm switching often). In portrait mode it takes me 3 taps to get from highlighter to pen when I'm reading papers. The PDF import as a stack is almost useless for anything larger than 30 pages. I could go on for a while. I want to try a formal design application and maybe I can make use of layers to save on the "miles" of scrolling I do in OneNote.

1996 7y ago

I got it as soon as it started shipping. It just replaced every other computer, smartphone and tablet I was using. Best device I ever got, period. I've the business version with 256 NVMe SSD, Win10 Pro, 8Gb of RAM, and the dock hooked to a large screen. I've lost quite a few pen. I now purchase the cheaper ones on Amazon. I wish the pen went into a hole like on the thinkpads

lostmsu 7y ago
How can it replace a smartphone? Can you use it for calls? Does it fit into a large pocket?
- 1996 7y ago
  With VOIP like skype it can be used for calls. Also it fits in a small bag I carry everywhere.

baby 7y ago

How does it compare with an iPad Pro? I had the choice of going with a Surface, or with an iPad Pro + a macbook air. I chose the latter option because: 1. programming sounded better on the macbook air. Maybe it is different now with WSL? But I didn't know enough at the time. 2. airdrop, and all the cool stuff you get when you stay within Apple's ecosystem (I already had an iPhone). I'm not too happy about 2, because honestly I'd rather have devices that can all work well with each other no matter the brand, and I would have rather had one device like the surface that could be both a great tablet and a great laptop. I'm super satisfied with the iPad pro though. So I'm wondering how this compares.

j45 7y ago

This post spurred me to learn that linux, specifically Ubuntu runs nearly perfect on the surface go. Only cameras don't seem to work which is an accomplishment. Would be curious to see if the power usage improvements of Ubuntu 19 could give 9 hours of actual battery life on this compared to the 6 it usually has provided in windows. Semi related; I've wanted to run MacOS with full update support on a surface pro for some time. Hackintosh can provide one working snapshot, but I want a device I have to hack to keep running. In case this has changed would love to know. I love the form factor of the Surface.

_nickwhite 7y ago

I have a new Surface Go with a Verizon LTE SIM card. Being online all the time is great, and the portability of it is also great. But the keyboard is really painful as the keys are all about 30% smaller and scrunched together. I've even contemplated using a regular Surface keyboard on my Go, but it looks ridiculous. So I've been traveling with both my Surface Go and new Surface Laptop- and I'll probably roll down the Go to someone else at the office who can use it.

tyzerdak 7y ago

I dunno why ppl go to cafe to work on notebook. Eat or gtfo

ArmandGrillet 7y ago

I don't understand Microsoft's logic with the Surface line. - The Surface Go didn't get updated in 2019, despite having as a main issue its performances. - The Surface Pro X is the future hardware-wise but has a ton of issue software-wise. - The Surface Pro 7 is an iterative change and it's been like that since a few years already. - The Surface Book 2 (the only one I used extensively) is still a mess hardware-wise. The weight and angles feel atrociously weird. - The Surface Laptop is good but too expensive compared to the competition. Apple has fixed a few things last year with a MacBook Pro 16" that is nearly perfect and a MacBook Air that gives a lot, I was expecting Microsoft to answer to that with a spec bump of the Go and a reduction in price of the Laptop but it didn't happen.

capableweb 7y ago
My guess would be that the "Surface" product line doesn't have one deciding visionary that knows and decides what to deploy in the market, that the teams building these things follow. So instead of having a product line that hits each section with a device that makes sense, there is bunch of different devices that are OK, but doesn't make 100% sense for any of the segments, and the devices are overlapping a bunch.

muro 7y ago

I like light machines too. My favourite right now is the Pixel (book) slate. It's light, battery life is fine, screen is great and can run Android and Linux apps. I spend most time in chrome, but often switch to Emacs and SSH into other machines. The keyboard is the weakest part, but I got used to it and started to even like it. The key movement is pleasant and it's very quiet.

mighty_bander 7y ago

So... Are these reviews paid for? I've known a few people who got stuck with a surface, usually because their work forced it on them, and they invariably hated it. The thing is barely a computer. They've sacrificed physical usability for the sake of some form factor pissing contest with Apple. Why are all the "best laptop of 20xx" reviews led by the surface and Dell's equally awful XPS? I don't want an eight ounce conversation piece. I want a brick I can drop down the stairs with a bunch of RAM in it. I can't be the only one.