While the Surface Go 3 offers an Intel Core i3-10100Y CPU that’s a step up from the previous generation’s 8th-gen Core m3-8100Y, it doesn’t benchmark that way. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 perform wireless duties.

You get a single USB-C port, a 3.5mm audio jack, the Microsoft Surface Connect port for power and connecting to a proprietary hub, and a microSD card reader. The Surface Go 3 is also a bit heavier than the iPad at 1.2 pounds versus 1.09 pounds.Ĭonnectivity is limited, as you might imagine with such a small and thin machine. Some of that extra thickness is most likely to accommodate the integrated kickstand. It’s thicker, though, at 0.33 inches, than the iPad at 0.29 inches. And the Surface Go 3 has a larger 10.5-inch display compared to the iPad’s 10.2-inch panel. Even so, it’s almost identical in size at 9.65 inches by 6.9 inches to the iPad (9.8 inches by 6.8 inches, with its own large bezels at each end). While the Surface Go 3 is a small device, it’s not as small as it might have been with smaller bezels. It’s a modern device in all ways except those large bezels, which look old-fashioned compared to many current laptops. Even the eminently usable kickstand is similar, flipping out from the back center of the chassis and extending to a comfortable angle for using the (unfortunately) optional Surface Pen. The Surface Go 3 is the same color and shape, has corners that are a little more rounded but still familiar, and it shares the oversized bezels of its larger sibling. In terms of its aesthetic, think of a Surface Book 7, only smaller. In fact, I’d hold the Surface Go 3’s build quality up there with the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable, which starts at over $1,000.

It’s far better built than most budget laptops and matches the $329 Apple iPad while vastly exceeding the $279 Lenovo IdeaPad Duet. It’s constructed of magnesium and has a soft but solid feel that shows it was clearly manufactured to meticulous tolerances. Microsoft is finally refreshing the Surface Studio 2 (four years later)Įspecially at its starting price of $399, the Surface Go 3 is an impressively built tablet. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5i: which 2-in-1 is best? Fitbit Versa 3īest Microsoft Surface Pro deals for January 2023

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