The Microsoft Surface Go has been my personal daily driver for more than half of a year now. How’s it holding up after all this time? I haven’t replaced it yet and that’s saying something.
I’m the type of person that acts on any excuse to get new gear. When I can walk into my local tech store without immediately wanting to purchase a new system, I know that what I have fits me really well. That’s the case with the Surface Go. It isn’t the most powerful, doesn’t have the best battery, and there are less expensive options, but the Go is a nearly perfect for my requirements.
The diminutive size means that when I’m on call, I don’t have to lug a full laptop bag around. I have a small slip case that fits the Go and a phone; that’s all I need to do my job from anywhere. It runs all the applications, network connections, communications and security software that I require to administrate a sizable corporate network. The Go spends its nights plugged in on my bedside table. It is ready in seconds should an after hours emergency arise.
In addition to being an excellent device for my work life it also fits into my personal world. I’m writing this article on it from the comfort of my bed while an old movie plays in the background. A few minutes ago, I had cast its screen to the bedroom TV so that my wife and I could pick out some new floor mats together. Before I call it quits for the night I plan on streaming a Steam game from my gaming rig downstairs.
I have typed thousands of pages of text and countless lines of code with the keyboard. It still looks just like it did when I took it out of the box. I wipe it down with a wet-wipe every once in a while, other than that it has been maintenance free. It’s also the perfect size.
Don’t get me wrong, the keyboard is small and feels cramped when compared to a full-size model. However, I have never used a keyboard as small as this one that does the job so well. The tactile feed back and key travel are great. The backlight is perfect and Microsoft’s fold and stick option for rigidity works spectacularly well. I have several options for attaching other keyboards but never bother doing so.
I have drug my Surface Pen across the Go’s screen for miles. I have scribbled numerous pages with it including portions of this very post. I’ve edited photos, created custom works of art, and whiteboarded complex ideas. The more that I use the instrument, the more I like it. I have said as much in other articles, but if I had to choose between the keyboard and the pen, I would go with the pen. The on-screen keyboard is surprisingly good.
The little guy is tough too. My Go is sporting a skin from Decal Girl, but I don’t put it in a case or use a screen protector. It’s traveled from coast to coast, been tossed on chairs, desks, beds, and counters. I’ve dropped it on the plane, my car, and the floor. So far there isn’t a scratch on it.
Microsoft has released the Surface Go LTE edition with built-in wireless access and there are rumors that another iteration is on the way. The device has proven to be very popular, several of my friends and business acquaintances have them now. I excpect the line to continue into the future.
After using the Go every day for more than six months I’m still impressed by it. Out of all the compute systems at my disposal it gets used the most by far. If you’re in the market for a portable computer I highly reccomend it. You would be hard pressed to find a system that truly competes with it’s versatility in its size class. The iPad pro can’t run Visual Studio, end of story.
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