Surface Go 2 review: small improvements over original with larger screen and faster CPU, but $400 entry model is lacking in power and upgrades are expensive
Judging the Surface Go 2 really comes down to your expectations. Can you live with slow performance to get a well-designed $400 tablet PC (not including a keyboard)?
Context & Ripple Effects
The Surface Go 2 is Microsoft's second attempt at the budget tablet it launched in 2018, when the original Surface Go review flagged the same core problem: gorgeous hardware held back by weak performance and a thin Windows tablet app catalog. The May 6 launch announcement framed the refresh as a fix — a bigger 10.5-inch display and more powerful Intel processors at the same $399 starting price.
The review's verdict suggests the fix is only partial: the entry model remains slow, and meaningful upgrades cost extra, with the keyboard still not included. The Surface Laptop Go later that year shows Microsoft continuing to chase this same affordable-Surface price band with similar compromises, and the Go line's performance complaint resurfaces in the Surface Go 3 review a year on.
First-order effects
- Buyers choosing the $399 entry configuration get the design and display improvements but inherit the original Go's performance weakness, making the real entry price higher once a keyboard and upgraded specs are added.
Second-order effects
- Microsoft's own lineup absorbs the pressure: the Surface Laptop Go and the later Go 3 — announced with updated Intel CPUs for up to 60% better performance — exist because the Go 2's base model left the affordable tier underpowered, forcing annual refreshes rather than a settled product.
Third-order effects
- The pattern points to a structural split in Microsoft's Surface strategy: premium models compete on capability while the budget tier is repositioned as a design-and-portability play where buyers pay incrementally for usable performance — a ladder that keeps the entry price low in marketing while the realistic cost climbs.
The trend: Microsoft is iterating its budget Surface line annually on the same hardware formula, with each generation promising the performance fix the previous entry model lacked.