The best budget laptop you haven’t heard of
Since 2019, my daily driver for productivity works on a laptop had always been the beloved Razer Blade Pro.
With a 17-inch screen, powerful Intel i7 processor and a dedicated GPU, it is truly a beast that does everything I would want.
There is just one issue, the battery expanded. to the point it becomes dangerous to use. I had to take out the battery and pick up a used Pixel C to type on the go
But I was not really satisfy with the tablet.
Typing can be quite uncomfortable because it is so small that it does not have space for my palms to rest. The 32GB eMMC storage certainly slows down the tablet as well.
I needed to find something better and then I saw a eBay listing, a refurbished £250 (+20% VAT) first-generation Microsoft Surface Laptop Go.
It did not take long before I clicked the purchase button.
You get what you pay for
Obviously, the hardware inside is no match compared to the Razer behemoth as the specification list below shows.
Display: 12.4-inch 1536x1024 IPS touchscreen
CPU: Intel Qual-core Core i5-1035G7
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x RAM
Storage: 128GB SSD
Ports: 1xUSB-A, 1xUSB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5
Battery: 4-cell 39.7Wh
Dimensions (WxDxH): 27.81 x 20.57 x 1.57cm
Weight: 1.11kg
The hardware is also already somewhat old considering it was released in October 2020.
It is not going to deliver 60fps gameplay in demanding games. It cannot process large spreadsheets in seconds. Even scrubbing a simple 1080p timeline in Adobe Premiere Pro is too daunting for the laptop to become laggy.
But I still reckon this is the best laptop at this price, as long as you…
Understand the limitations
Would I recommend anyone buying the Surface Laptop Go at its US$699 MSRP? Definitely not. If you do not have a preference for size, you would definitely be better off with the M1 MacBook Air.
Where it shines is in basic productivity tasks, such as writing scripts, streaming music, browsing social media and watching videos.
It is also compact and light so it feels almost nothing when I carry the laptop to note down my thoughts during lectures, in a café or at a park.
I also enjoy the tactility of keys thanks to the very comfortable 1.3mm travel. I actually typed this on the Surface Laptop Go while waiting to see doctor at A&E.
It may not be the best device for photo editing and video rendering, it is still capable of doing both without crashing with enough patience.
A lot of reviewers criticise the screen lacking in details as the resolution does not even reach 1080p, but I argue it is still perfectly readable given the small form factor.
The only major noticeable drawback is without a doubt the battery. I can get four to five hours of screen-on time during lectures but everyone’s workflow is different so your mileage may vary.
Although the short battery life is mainly due to Intel’s years-long reluctance to improve on efficiency, Microsoft still could have given the Surface Laptop Go a bigger battery.
Intel and Microsoft also work together to block undervolting the CPU to mitigate Plundervolt unfortunately.
A little computing wonder
This laptop shows you do not have to pay a premium just to work casually while getting solid build quality and tiny bezels.
Although the bottom part is polycarbonate, the top cover and keyboard area are made of aluminium, giving a nice feel in your hands.
I apply a dbrand skin nonetheless to create a more stylish and unique look because the default grey colour can be a bit too dull.
There is also very little competition for laptops at this size. When the MacBook Air is slightly too wide to fit in my Lycoris Recoil backpack, I can slot the Surface Laptop Go in it perfectly.
It is also small enough to not feel too awkward when I place the laptop on my thighs or tray table while travelling on a train or a coach.
Of course, there are tablets out there with similar or smaller dimensions like the iPad Pro, OnePlus Pad and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, but their functions are more limited compared to a true Windows laptop while costing more with a keyboard cover.
Will Apple resurrect the 12-inch MacBook with ARM-based Apple Silicon? Probably not when it would directly compete with the iPad Pro and hurt its sales.
Despite the shortcomings, the Surface Laptop Go probably is the best option in the US$300 to $350 budget laptop market.
While you can get Chromebooks instead, they usually come with TN panel, plastic build, more mushy keyboard and slower eMMC flash. A worse package overall.
When the Acer Aspire 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 with decent hardware (as in not Intel Celeron or AMD Athlon) still cost nearly double of what I paid for the Surface Laptop Go, this compact machine is really my best and only choice.
And I do not regret paying nearly £280 to get one.
