Customer Ratings & Reviews

Best thing about it is the size, easy to handle even with an attached keyboard. I also purchased a pen. It's fast & battery keeps a pretty good charge. Color is great! Only problem I've come across so far is, I have a sublimation printer & it's not letting me install the right driver for it. I'll have to call someone to get this corrected. But so far everything else is working fine. Yea, I got rid of the s mode! All my programs need Google to install.

I love my tablet. I take it everywhere I go. I am using it right now to write this review!

For taking notes and highliting to watching movies, Its perfect for what I need currently. Its portable and has great battery longevity.

Bought this years ago and its still going strong. No problems with it what so ever. the key board i bought to go with it on the other hand sucks hahaha

Great device can do everything my desktop can but from the couch!!

A compact and versatile device with a responsive touch-screen. Efficient performance and ample storage for on-the-go productivity.

Very satisfied with the purchase. It is all and more I have expected. Thank you

Microsoft surface go 3- best product ever at a great affordable price. Good for students, very user friendly. Battery life is good. Very adaptable to classroom user.

The wife loves this product it's just like a actual computer

The Surface Go 3 is a great budget Windows tablet that falls short of being the best in its class. Its performance and value are good but not excellent, making it a viable alternative to Chromebooks and iPads but not necessarily the best option for everyone. However, the Best Buy store price makes this device an even better deal, so if you're in the market for a low-cost Windows 2-in-1 tablet, the Surface Go 3 is definitely worth considering.

Once the world’s largest software company, Microsoft is as much a household name today as they were after Windows 95 revolutionized the home computer market by bringing both power and ease-of-use to the masses. Like other current software giants, it came as no surprise that Microsoft would follow their lead and introduce their own line of hardware devices to showcase the best that their software had to offer in a tailored package. The Surface Go 3 is the latest iteration of their smallest Windows device, promising the fully-featured Windows 11 experience in a compact and lightweight tablet. Visually similar to the Go 2 and packing updated hardware, the Surface Go 3 offers a familiar Windows environment in a highly mobile package, but with many compromises that make this difficult to unilaterally recommend.. - Unboxing and Setup Arriving in a simple, organized, and nearly fully recyclable package, Microsoft’s premium ambitions make a strong first impression. Documentation is limited to a quickstart guide showing off the port and key selection, and the only other included accessory is a 24 watt AC adapter (more on this in Performance & Battery Life). Setup is as straightforward as Microsoft’s previous Surface devices. With no preinstalled bloatware, just placeholder links to some recommended apps in the start menu after finishing setup, the only added delays to setup are downloading and installing system updates. At least one major update was needed at the time of my setup (Oct 20, 2021) which leads me to believe an early or pre-release variety of Windows was installed from the factory. - Windows 11 Microsoft’s 2021 Surface line serves as flagships for their latest operating system, Windows 11. Users coming from Windows 10 will be very familiar with the new OS, as many of the same features are present with some enhancements and fresh coats of paint. The new OS doesn’t feel particularly revolutionary, but that’s a good thing - updating the formula rather than starting over was a wise decision to make after some particularly jarring attempts over the years (as was the case with the short-lived Windows 8). As a tablet OS, Windows 11 is not well suited to the environment. The on-screen keyboard and touch gestures are serviceable but clunky. Windows has trouble picking up when to show the on-screen keyboard, and window management is poor. Even official apps from the Microsoft Store will get occluded by the on-screen keyboard as Windows fails to move, resize, or scroll to make text entry boxes visible. I found that using the Surface Go 3 more as a laptop (by attaching the excellent Surface Go Type Cover) made the experience immensely better, though it does sacrifice the portable tablet form factor for a traditional laptop one. The Surface Go 3 ships with Windows 11 in “S Mode,” which only allows installation of apps from the Microsoft Store. While there are thousands of great applications on the storefront, the majority of users will want to run their familiar apps. S Mode can be disabled relatively easily from system settings after several warnings about risking security and privacy by switching. I suspect most users will switch out of S Mode on day one. My only major complaint against Windows 11 otherwise is that a Microsoft account is now required to complete setup. You can convert your user account from a Microsoft one to a local one in the Control Panel, but the need to complete setup with an internet connection and Microsoft account without seeking convoluted workarounds is a major annoyance. Windows 11 Pro allows you to bypass this requirement, but this version of the OS is not commonly included in products below professional or prosumer level devices. - Portability & Quality Having a computer with desktop-like capabilities in a tablet form factor is likely the key selling point for the Go over the regular Surface line, and indeed, having this familiarity in a 10-inch device is phenomenal. At many points in my testing I reminisced on the “netbook” form factor of years past, as the Surface Go feels like what netbooks wanted to be. As a tablet, the device will need to be propped up to use while it sits on a table, and Microsoft’s choice to integrate a large folding kickstand into the body is still as brilliant today as it was when the Surface line first debuted. The ultra wide kickstand is sturdy with a strong hinge, and rotates up to a 170 degree angle so you can position it virtually any way you want without the hinge moving. I found the maximum angle was great for drawing and sketching using a Surface-compatible pen, and the screen and OS’s palm rejection is very good. The body of the Surface Go includes some metal attachment points for the magnets integrated in the Type Cover and Surface Pen, keeping these somewhat secure and ready for use. The mixed aluminum and plastic body is clean and wraps around the edges of the glass to provide some corner protection by default. I did notice right out of the box that the paint finish was poor at the corners of the screen, however, which makes me curious to see how quality control stacks up across a larger sample size. - Screen, Sound, Connectivity The screen on the Surface Go 3 is excellent. An IPS panel with very high brightness (though it’s non-HDR), nearly ”retina” level pixel density, and great color depth makes for a pleasant viewing experience that has no noticeable ghosting or smearing even in high-motion scenes. The panel runs at 60Hz by default but also has a 48Hz option, great for movies (24FPS) or just extending the battery life through less GPU usage. The front and rear integrated cameras are plenty serviceable, with the front-facing webcam delivering good color for video calls, while the rear blows out under lighting a bit easily but still looks good to take quick photos to share. The device’s front-facing speakers are clear and crisp, but they don’t get particularly loud. A proper combination headphone & microphone jack picks up the slack for private listening, and of course you can pair a Bluetooth headset. Bluetooth is well-integrated here with no perceptible sound delay as I’ve experienced on some other devices. Connectivity is pretty limited. A single USB-C port and a microSDXC slot are your only options to expand peripherals or storage, so a USB-C hub is highly recommended. The 128GB onboard SSD is somewhat small but users who use Microsoft OneDrive or similar cloud storage services won’t be terribly limited. - Performance & Battery Life This configuration of the Surface Go 3 uses the Pentium Gold 6500Y (2 cores, 4 threads) processor with 8GB of RAM, which delivers reasonably good performance for most tasks in its full power mode; i.e. with Battery Saver turned off. The Pentium shares nearly the same specifications as the higher-spec Core i3-10100Y model, which is an equal chip in all ways except for higher boost clock speeds (3.9GHz vs 3.4GHz). All models include Intel HD 615 integrated graphics, which do a decent enough job to run Windows 11 with some flair but don’t expect good gaming performance on anything but older or eSports-class titles at low settings. Turning on Battery Saver limits the CPU’s speed to reduce its power draw, which results in a significant performance drop that makes Windows 11 just tolerable enough to use. Sadly, enabling Battery Saver isn’t the only thing you’ll need to do to see close to the 11 hour estimate that Microsoft touts for this device. At full power and medium screen brightness I was seeing about 4 hours of runtime under casual use (web browsing, videos) before reaching critically low levels. Enabling Battery Saver and letting the OS manage the settings only did so much - the runtime extended to about 7 hours. To see double digit estimates I had to turn the screen down to very dim (about 25% brightness) levels, disable bluetooth and WiFi, and play back locally-stored video. While this technically let me hit the estimate, the compromises are not worth the trade-off and certainly require more effort and planning than simply toggling Battery Saver on as a casual user may expect to extend the battery life up to this oversold estimate. Fortunately, the short battery life is countered by the ability to recharge either via the Surface charging port or through the USB-C port (with at least a 5V, 2A charger). The included power brick is the worst part of the whole package as it’s a non-modular unit that uses the proprietary Surface power connector...and as such is essentially e-waste. I would have strongly preferred to see Microsoft bundle a USB-C power delivery charger instead, as leaving the Surface power port on the device makes sense for users upgrading from prior models, but not users who are buying in for the first time and likely have other devices capable of USB-C charging. I certainly prefer carrying one power brick and a couple ubiquitous and easy-to-replace cables for all my devices in my luggage rather than proprietary ones. - Bottom Line The Surface Go 3 makes for a great travel or secondary PC. It works plenty well for streaming media or catching up on the web while you’re on the go, and the compromises are much less impactful when it doesn’t act as your primary PC - you could potentially make it work, but I believe you’d tire of it quickly. The last thing to address then is the value proposition, which is a very tough sell. The $549 MSRP for this middle-tier model should be lesser, or the Type Cover should be bundled as this is a must-have accessory to make the Surface Go 3 a proper travel device. Sadly, this asking price is just not competitive against other tablets that offer more tailored mobile experiences. If you must have a Windows tablet then the Go 3 is a good choice, but better tablet experiences are available for equal or less money. Not recommended.

I love my new Microsoft Surface 2in1! The kickstand was a little bit rigid at first but I love the magnetic charging port

The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a very promising Windows 11 hybrid tablet/laptop that has premium build quality. In my hands, it felt very light, very thin but also very solid. Setup was very easy and took about 30 minutes to update to the newest version of Windows 11 Home in S mode. My review will be based on my experiences using it as a tablet. Specifications include the following: Dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor Kioxia BG4A 128 GB SSD 8 GB DDR3 memory 10.5 inch 1920 x 1280 PixelSense Display with 3:2 aspect ratio Corning Gorilla Glass 3 1 x Surface Connect Port 1 x USB-C 1 x MicroSDXC Card Reader 3.5 mm headphone jack 5.0MP front facing Windows Hello camera with 1080 HD video 8.0MP rear facing camera with 1080 HD video Screen quality and the built-in stereo speakers were very nice which makes this an excellent media consumption device. Amazon Prime, Disney+, Netflix, and YouTube videos all look, play, and sound great. The kickstand is absolutely brilliant as it makes it so easy to prop it up on a desk to view videos. I felt the Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor along with the 8 GB of memory made tablet use very snappy. Compared to my Android and Fire HD tablets, I felt this was the best tablet I have ever used for browsing the web. Battery life seemed okay. After about 4 to 5 hours of use, I had 37% battery life left. Hardware wise, I think this is as good as any high end Android tablet. The 3:2 aspect ratio and the bright colors also make this a great device to read digital comics from ComiXology. I have always felt that the 16:9 aspect ratio of a 1080p screen was too narrow for reading comics but having a 3:2 aspect ratio is just perfect. Although, I have to read comics using Edge as the Comixology app doesn't seem to be available in the Microsoft store. The video and voice quality from the webcam and microphone are very nice so I think this tablet will be very good for video conferencing. I would have loved to have had something like the Microsoft Surface Go 3 when I was in college. With its portability, it would have been really easy to take to class and the optional pen and keyboard make this a good note taking device. One app that I found to be very intriguing was the Microsoft Whiteboard app. At work, I usually use Visio to draw up diagrams to illustrate some concept or design that I want to share with others on my team. Playing around a bit with Whiteboard, I think this could be a useful addition to my work tools. Along with PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and OneNote, the Microsoft Surface Go 3 would be great for writing papers, preparing presentations, taking notes, and participating in video conferencing. From an apps standpoint, Windows 11 falls short of what is available on Android. I wish there was a YouTube app but viewing YouTube videos on Edge was still a pleasant experience (just like watching YouTube videos on my desktop using a browser). There are lots of Android apps that I use (such as the Best Buy or Amazon shopping app) that currently do not seem to exist in the Microsoft store. Until more apps are available, I don’t think the Microsoft Surface Go 3 would be a good primary tablet but it would be a good secondary tablet. However, the Microsoft Surface Go 3 can do things that a regular tablet cannot easily do. You can freely upgrade to the full Windows 11 Home to gain access to full desktop applications. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m pretty sure this can handle light software development (such as C# or Python) with ease. You can use the Surface Dock 2 to enable multi monitor display along with full compatibility with many USB devices such as keyboards, mice, external DVD drives, cameras etc. So, the Microsoft Surface Go 3 is basically an ultra portable tablet that can also double as a full Windows desktop. Windows 11 Home in S mode appeared to me to be a much better tablet OS than Windows 8. This was the first time I have experienced using Windows 11 and much of it feels very familiar. If you already know Windows 10, you will not have a problem using Windows 11. From a user interface standpoint, Windows 11 feels like Windows 10 with a facelift and a bit more polish. For example, I liked the polish and improvements in the Settings control. There was still some dissonance that I encountered that will probably be polished up with new updates. For example, I thought it was weird that when you display “All Apps” from the Start menu, it will show apps (such as Windows Terminal) that Windows 11 Home in S mode cannot run. If an app is not able to run in S mode, it shouldn’t appear available. Overall, until more apps become available in the Microsoft store, I think the Microsoft Surface Go 3 is somewhat of a niche device. But it excels in this niche. It’s super portable and light so it would be great to take to class as a note taking computer. With its excellent screen and speakers, It’s a great media consumption device. With its optional accessories, it can be a decent full desktop computer capable of doing light to medium computing tasks. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Microsoft Surface Go 3 as a companion tablet/laptop. A lot of people (such as my parents) would probably be happy with it as their primary computer. This little tablet/laptop actually feels a lot faster than the mini desktop I put together for them many years ago.

This arrived nicely boxed, everything neatly packaged. Opened, unwrapped, and charged the computer. The exterior is a flat silver color, and appears it will not attract fingerprints easily. The "kickstand" opens easily, and can adjusted for a good viewing angle. The display is glossy, and full HD at 1920 X 1280 - however there is about a 1/2 inch border around the actual display. It has a 4 core Pentium Gold processor, running 1.10Ghz, with 8Gb ram, and 128Gb SSD. Also, there is a micro SD card slot on the back under the "kickstand" for extra storage. Now on to actual use.... This has Windows 11 preinstalled, and has a different appearance the previous Windows. I did find my way around, and was able to navigate the apps, settings, etc. Items are not in the same place or layout, but everything is still there. It also seemed that 11 was running a little quicker than previous windows. After turning on, had to do the usual updates - which went smoothly. My next objective was to get rid of the "S" mode, as there are some apps I prefer to use, that are not of Microsoft origin. Again, all this went well - and actually, quite quickly. Next, I installed the apps I utilize, and I was surprised at the speed that this machine chugged along. Personalizing the screen and other options was a breeze. The display is sharp, colorful and bright - with great contrast - excellent for streaming videos, movies, etc. Touch worked well, and the virtual keyboard is also excellent. On to surfing, email, etc. The computer loaded web pages quickly, and did not lag when opening a number of pages. So far, this has installed, loaded and run all the apps I have thrown at it to quickly, and flawlessly. Does all the usual word processing, office, basic photo editing, music, etc. It is not a gaming machine, but it can actually run a few less demanding games. Battery life seems to be excellent - depending on screen brightness, and apps running. I found that after almost 2 hours light use, this battery is only down to 84% - so 10 hours should be achievable. This is a great choice for someone needing portability and still keep reasonable performance, or students, etc. One thing I would highly recommend, is the addition of the Microsoft Type Cover for this. It adds a "laptop" ability, and is easily detached for tablet portability. I am doing this review on this computer....

Over the years I have owned dozens of desktops, laptops, 2 in 1, all in one as well as helping friends choose a computer for their needs. Out of all of these computers there is only 1 that, after using, I didn’t recommend, and it was the Google Slate I tested for BB 2 years ago (and has been discontinued since). I now have a 2nd computer to add to my do not recommend list, and it is this Surface Go 3. And I don’t recommend it for basically the same reason I didn’t recommend the Slate - I just don’t feel that you get enough for its price. Considering its entry level processor and addons which increase the “real” cost quickly – such as keyboard ($80 – 130), pen ($66) and maybe mouse ($35 on up) – all prices from Microsoft website. Also, with only 1 USB-C you might need a port multiplier and/or a USB-C to USB 3.0 connector to allow using any non-USB-C component., all at additional cost. So where is the bang for the buck? Out of the box, this unit is more suited for streaming, light productivity and surfing – than for work or gaming – all with an eye on anything stored being mostly done in the cloud. If you must have a Windows 11 Surface tablet and not being able to upgrade/replace any component isn’t a concern, then I suggest you spring for the more costly units with more powerful I series processors, more USB connections, more/better memory, etc. giving better performance and utility. See attachments with my performance comparisons and speed tests for this device. This unit has the following specs; Power button on top. Nice position so you don’t accidentally turn it on/off. Also takes a tad bit of pressure to use, which is good. 10.5-inch 1080P 60Hz LED touchscreen with pen support. I believe it’s a 3:2 aspect ratio which I found fine for watching wide screen movies. Pretty wide bezel though. Intel Pentium 1.10 Ghz Kaby Lake 6500Y processor. doesn’t use much power and will run Windows 11 - which is about all the good I can say about it. 8GB DDR3 2400 MHz memory. DDR4 is better with DDR5 now being the best. Microsoft U3E1 motherboard Intel UHD Graphics 615 (1920X1080@60Hz) KIOXIA 128GB KBG40ZPZ128G BG4A NVMe hard drive. Pretty fast too. Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 160MHz. No hardwire option. Bluetooth 5.0 Studio Microphone built in. Front facing 5-megapixel 1080P camera. Realtek HD Audio. Built in stereo speakers sound okay. Couldn’t find wattage specs. Volume control is on top as well. 1 USB-C connection 1 Surface Connect port. Used to charge and can buy additional dongle to add additional ports/functionality. Power cord is about 6 feet long and plugs in using Connect Port. Nice that connection is magnetic in case you pick it up to take and forget it is plugged in - it will just unhook without damaging device. Also, can be plugged in up or down. Headphone jack Micro SD card reader Windows 11 S – I changed to 11 home so I could use apps I wanted to install. But I get why others may see this as a positive. Dimensions are 0.33” depth, 9.7” width, 6.9” height at just 1.2 lbs. Positives; It was nicely packaged and was fairly easy to setup. Plug it in, start it up and it walks you thru Windows 11 setup which took a while. It is very nice looking with the brushed aluminum case and seems well built. Built in Kick stand is nice. Screen is bright with vibrant colors. Touchscreen worked well. On-screen keyboard is nice size with normal sized keyboard/functionality easily selected. No “bloat” software to get rid of. Boots reasonably fast – but I have most everything turned off at startup. Apps open okay but having multiple windows open with different things running slows it down a tad. 1080P screen resolution/color is great for me with nice viewing angle, but a tad “shiny/reflective” screen. I turned power to performance mode and got about 4 hours of use before it shut down after reaching 20% left. I was doing a lot of downloading/installing/running of apps for my performance tests and they take several minutes and a lot of processing power to run so, 4 hours was decent. I got a little over 6 hours run time playing a 1080P movie from micro-sd with Bluetooth off, power set to “recommended” and Wi-Fi and HDR on. I had external keyboard dis-connected too. The USB port is fast – especially if you have a true USB-C SSD drive/connected device. Having Micro-sd slot is nice to be able to easily add storage and having it underneath the kickstand helps protect it. But it is slow (see speed attachment). Super quiet while running and size makes it very portable, even if screen size makes it a tad hard to see/read sometimes (old eyes). 1-year warranty Negatives; Only 128GB SSD and, as far as I could research, no way to upgrade. Windows takes up almost 40GB by itself. Screen is pretty reflective. No keyboard included (additional cost). Initially this didn’t seem too much of an issue. But as I continued to use it, I found that having a keyboard is a must, at least for me, to give it some semblance to a true laptop. I happened to have a USB 3.0 external keyboard as well as a USB-C to USB 3.0 conversion connector laying around so just connected it with no real additional cost to me. But I would not travel with this keyboard, and it uses up the 1 USB-C connector. No pen included (additional cost). Only 1 USB-C connection (duplicator additional cost). Can add a Microsoft dongle to the Surface Connect port for more flexibility – but again additional cost. Adding Micro-sd – additional cost. Back got hot while charging. So much so I had to set it on table as to warm on legs. This is not a situation where the device doesn’t work. It is nicely engineered, light weight, etc. – and what it does it does well, and it may grow on me. But with its entry level processor, limited storage, I can’t help but feel it is too pricey for what you get. And with that in mind I would not recommend as there are better options out there for the price.

The Microsoft Surface Go 3 tablet is the latest Microsoft Surface tablet. Based on the Surface Go 2, this new model offers superior processors. It also comes with Windows 11 installed! The Surface Go 3 ships with only a power supply and Quick-Start Guide. The almost essential keyboard accessory is not bundled with the tablet. This is unfortunate particularly since many users will select the Microsoft Surface Go 3 to serve as a “miniature” laptop, which is significantly impeded without a keyboard and trackpad or mouse. Where Android, iPadOS or Chrome OS tablets are primarily browser-centric devices utilized for streaming videos and Internet, the Microsoft Surface Go 3 tablet is suitable for much more. The distinguishing feature is the Windows 11 operating system which makes the Surface Go 3 capable of being used as a very portable mini-laptop. Having Windows 11s powerful computing capabilities and ability to run real Windows applications is something that very significantly distinguishes the Surface Go 3 from non-Microsoft tablets running operating systems which limit those devices to mobile type apps in closed ecosystems. Interestingly, Microsoft is currently Beta testing running Android apps downloaded from the Amazon app store on Windows 11. Productive use of many Windows applications, which are generally not optimized for touchscreens, is extremely difficult without a keyboard and trackpad, which is an optional addition for the Surface Go 3 rather than being a standard, bundled accessory. Not having a keyboard serves as a major impediment to effectively using the Surface Go 3 with most Windows applications, and even some Windows system menus and features, including file management. If I had a Surface Go Signature Type Keyboard, I could have typed this review on the Surface Go 3, instead of my laptop, both of which are running Microsoft Office. The Surface Go 3 has a sleek appearance, and exudes quality. The high quality case is constructed of magnesium which is lightweight yet very strong and durable. The platinum (gray) color is elegant and visually appealing. The tablet measures 9.65”x6.9”x0.33” (245mm x175mm x8.3 mm), and weighs only 1.2 pounds (544 grams). There is an adjustable, integrated kickstand on the rear to use it in a propped position. The Surface Go 3 is available with a choice of two CPUs. A Dual-core Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y processor or a Dual-core 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y processor are available. These CPUs represent a modest improvement over the Surface Go 2 models. My tablet is equipped with the less expensive, and less powerful Pentium Gold 6500Y CPU. This new CPU for tablets and some notebooks clocks at 1.1 – 1.6 GHz. Intel UHD Graphics 615 GPU is onboard. Memory selections are 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM. My Surface Go 3 is equipped with the maximum 8GB of RAM. Storage choices are 64GB of eMMC or an actual SSD drive with 128GB capacity (118GB formatted). My Surface Go 3 is equipped with the 128GB Kioxia (formerly Toshiba Memory) KBG40ZPZ128G, PCIe, NVMe, M2 SSD. In addition to the increased storage capacity, the SSD drive is a better and faster storage solution than eMMC. The Surface Go 3 display is absolutely stellar! The screen is bright and colors are vivid, with excellent color rendition and fidelity. The 10.5” PixelSense Display has a 3:2 aspect ratio, 1920x1280 (220 PPI) resolution, 60 Hz refresh rate, 8-bit depth RGB color and an outstanding 1500:1 contrast ratio,. Videos and TV streams look great and don’t suffer from buffering or lagging! This high quality touchscreen panel is clad in Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which should provide excellent durability. The touchscreen sensitivity is excellent, and it is always responsive. The bezels surrounding the screen are approximately ½” (22mm) wide on the long aspects and approximately ¼” (10mm) wide on the short aspects. Ports are limited. When in the horizontal, laptop position, the right (short) side has a 3.5mm headphone jack, one (yes, only one) USB-C port and a proprietary Surface Connect port. In the rear of the case, behind the kickstand is a MicroSDXC Card Reader. The bottom (long) side has a Surface Type Cover port for attachment of the optional keyboard. Both the Surface Connect port and Surface Type Cover keyboard port provide magnetic attachment of the connectors. The top (long) side has the very slim Power Button and Volume Control rocker, both of which are almost flush with the case and difficult to depress. LTE cellular support is expected in a forthcoming model. The Surface Go 3 is equipped with Wi-Fi 6, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, as well as Bluetooth 5.0. The front-facing camera is 5MP with 1080p video and IR sensors for facial recognition with Windows Hello logins. The rear-facing auto-focus camera is 8MP, also with 1080p video. The cameras are certainly more than adequate for video conferencing. The built-in microphones are described by Microsoft as Enhanced dual far-field Studio Microphones. The built-in speakers are 2 watts of Dolby Audio and produce good audio with plenty of volume and fidelity and decent stereo spatial characteristics. Available options include two keyboard choices; the Surface Go Type Cover and the more deluxe, Alcantara material Surface Go Signature Type Cover. The Surface Go 3 can also use the Microsoft Surface Pen (MPP support), and the Surface Mouse. Initial setup of the new Surface Go 3 tablet is similar to setting up any Windows OS based laptop, with the notable exception that the Surface Go 3 is running the brand new Windows 11 (Home Edition in S Mode). Another differentiator is the lack of a keyboard and trackpad/mouse to facilitate the setup process. Windows S Mode limits the device to running only those applications which are downloaded and installed from the Microsoft Store, blocking Win32 software (purportedly as an additional layer of security to prevent malware), and limiting browsers to Microsoft Edge. The number of apps in the Microsoft Store is still somewhat limited compared to the other app stores. Windows S Mode can be deactivated, however that change is irrevocable and permanent. S-Mode even prevents use of Microsoft’s own PowerShell. Fortunately, transitioning out of S Mode is quick and easy. Setting up the Surface Go 3 was my introduction to the just released Windows 11 operating system. The new Windows 11 user interface differs from Windows 10, but still retains some measure of familiarity. Developing a good level of comfort with the new OS occurs quite rapidly. The transition from using Windows 10 to using Windows 11 is easy and frustration free. Windows 11 is evidently intended to be even more user friendly than Windows 10, as well as more touchscreen friendly. Booting up the Surface Go 3 for the first time revealed that Microsoft has endeavored to improve usability on touchscreens through larger touch targets and increased margins around and separation between visual elements. However, there were still many occasions when a keyboard and trackpad or mouse were needed. Additionally, many Windows elements are still very small and challenging for touchscreen use. Setting up Windows Hello facial recognition was simple and fast. The facial recognition login functionality worked very reliably and quickly. In fact, Windows Hello facial recognition login has worked 100% of the time without fail, and the process is so rapid that it appears instantaneous. A user PIN number should also be created. Once the initial setup was completed the Surface Go 3 consistently booted up remarkably fast. The full boot to the desktop, including facial recognition and loading all drivers required only about 21 seconds, which is remarkable! Upon first use, the Surface Go 3 downloaded and installed 18 updates, including 4 quality updates and 9 driver updates. Downloads were fast with Wi-Fi 6, however installation consumed a lot of time. Within the first 24 hours, more updates were installed, totaling 22 updates in one day. Using the Surface Go 3 is great! The real world performance of this tablet is very impressive. The Surface Go 3 performed very well with multiple open browser windows and tabs including live-TV streams running simultaneously. Adding the additional workload of downloading apps and files, the tablet still performed beautifully! Streaming never lagged or paused. Opening, closing and using browser tabs, apps and settings while simultaneously streaming video was smooth, fast and reliable. When the Surface Go 3 CPU is working hard, the rear of the case becomes palpably warm. Battery performance of course varies with usage. The Li-ion battery capacity is 26.81Wh (3500mAh). Microsoft claims battery life up to 11 hours. With intensive use, including continuous 4k video streaming, significant browser activity and OS updates, the battery lasted approximately 4 hours. Less intensive, mixed use with a couple of hours of video streaming, and almost continuous screen time yielded approximately 7 hours. More typical utilization, with a more modest level of streaming resulted in over 8 hours of battery life with 17% remaining. Recharging from 17% to 100% was estimated by the OS at 1.5 hours, but actually required 2 hours. Overall, the battery performance is decent. The Surface Go 3 is impressive, and it epitomizes portability and convenience. It is nicely built, compact and lightweight with a superb HD touchscreen, front and rear 1080p cameras, Intel Pentium CPU, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. The case is a thin profile, sleek magnesium shell. The very responsive touchscreen is pleasing to view. The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is an excellent tablet! The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is fantastic, and a pleasure to use. I am extremely impressed with the Microsoft Surface Go 3, and I am genuinely enjoying it. It is a terrific Windows tablet. Of course, I recommend it highly.

This model of the Surface Go 3 is... pretty alright. Obviously, it's not for gaming; but it's decent enough when I'm using it for schoolwork or entertainment. However, it feels practically crippled if you get it without the Type Cover or a similar keyboard cover. Additionally, it just gets way too hot to be comfortable to hold. Windows 11 does make for a good experience on the Surface Go 3. It's pretty responsive, and all the window buttons are *usually* spaced well enough for me to be able to click on what I want the first time. (One exception is text selection - but that's a pain with pretty much any touchscreen device.) I never really expect much from a Pentium processor, but the one in this device pleasantly surprised me with how quick it was. Zoom calls, YouTube, casual web browsing, and even the agony that is using Microsoft Excel with touch only - it did it all without complaint. Again, though, I'm none too pleased with how quickly the back of the tablet heated up. The one thing that was slow was getting the keyboard to open right after opening Microsoft Edge. As far as battery goes? It's decent enough. Not spectacular, not horrible. It'll get me through about a day of usage, but I usually expect it to need charging before the next day. Battery saver mode helps a lot with this. One thing I was somewhat impressed with was the speakers. The sound was surprisingly high quality for a tablet, and *almost* sounded like it was some form of surround sound instead of just Stereo. The bass wasn't really that great, though. The screen is extremely crisp and clear. Even the smallest text renders smoothly, unlike on some displays I've seen where it ends up all blocky and rough. However, it seems to be very prone to glare - even when facing away from any light sources, it reflects a *lot* of the background. Windows Hello works really nicely on this tablet. It's pretty quick at recognizing my face and unlocking the tablet immediately. However, I was less impressed with "S Mode" - the restricted version of Windows that keeps you from installing anything outside of the Microsoft Store. I actually was considering keeping this device in S Mode... until I realized just how barren the store was of anything decent. It's also far too full of random shovelware and spam like "Google Chrome Manual". Hopefully that gets better when the promised "Android app runtime" gets off the ground. Overall, I'd say it's one of the nicest Windows tablets around. However, I'd only recommend getting this with the Surface Go Type Cover and maybe the Surface Pen as well - it really feels crippled without them.

Great tablet for very basic tasks, but wish it had better battery life, and came with a Surface Type Cover keyboard. Overall, this is a great tablet. It is a little hard to use Windows 11 on the screen for file management in Windows Explorer, due to the OS making everything so small. But typing via the onscreen keyboard, including swipe to type functionality is really pretty good. While I appreciate that I can use this thing as a functional computer, you are somewhat hampered from doing so without a Microsoft Surface keyboard. Adding that into the cost of this laptop, makes it a lot more expensive. Their keyboard should have come with the Surface Go 3 out of the box. Windows 11 on this tablet ships in Windows 11 “S” mode. You are told about this during the setup process. “S” mode is essentially a somewhat limited “tablet” mode version of the Windows OS, where Microsoft is trying to limit how much you can do on lower powered CPUs. While in this mode, you cannot install any software that is not from the Microsoft Windows Store, much like iPads app store, and Android’s Google Play Store. The problem with this is, there are not many apps available other than big name streaming services and of course Microsoft made apps themselves. While you can move the tablet out of “S” mode, and info the windows 11 “home”, once you do this, you cannot go back. For my personal usage, web browsing, watching videos, and as an ebook reader, and comic book reader, this isn’t much of an issue, as there happen to be a few apps on the Windows Store that do allow me to do all of those things, and do them very well. But for some, they will have to move into the “home” mode. You cannot even install any other web browsers other than Microsoft’s Edge. Thankfully the MS Edge browser now is a great web browser. You also will be stuck with an antivirus and firewall built into Windows 11, “Windows Defender”. You cannot install anything other than this for protection without leaving “S” mode. Now, coming from a few years of being in the iPad universe, I do have to say I LOVE this tablet. I read a lot of comic books, and the screen on this tablet is fantastic for that!!! And that is coming from someone who loved their iPad for the same usage for many years. Not only that, but I am able to actually do more with the Surace Go 3 because it is a windows 11 device. I felt a bit more locked down on iPad. I feel I can get more done on this tablet than I ever could on just my iPad. I could say I could get even more done had Microsoft included the keyboard with the tablet. The charger this tablet ships with is a proprietary surace device connector, but I am not too crazy about how much space it takes while plugging into charge, especially if you need to use it while charging. Luckily you can also charge via the USB-C port above the charging port. This also makes it easier to lug around one less charger while on the go, as I am able to use my phone charger to charge up the tablet while on the go. If there is any one thing I wish was better on this tablet, it is the battery life. Even while just reading comic books, I drop about 12 percent an hour, and that is while in airplane mode, bluetooth shut off, and low screen brightness. Not sure if it is just that windows 11 is a more full fledged OS than iPad and android tablets, but I would get much better battery life on those in my experience so far. Display is 1920 x 1280 pixels, just a tad taller by 40 pixels on top and 40 on bottom than a HD screen. This is actually a great resolution. I think any higher resolution and the battery life would have been even less. Speaking of which, this tablet makes me question why MS chose to not use a AMD Ryzen mobile chip, over the intel chip. The intel chip in this tablet is a middle of the line one, and if you are solely using it in Windows S mode, I think it would be fine. I had no issues with having Edge open with several tabs, and running a reading app. However, intel chips are known to drain batteries faster than the newest AMD Ryzen mobile CPUs. Now that I have been on this tablet, I do not think I could ever go back to a non windows based tablet now that I have had time with the Surface Go 3. However, I cannot say the same if this was to be my primary computer. For it to have been my primary computer, would require the Surface Type cover, and would just make this tablet too expensive for what it is. While it does have a bezel around the sides of the screen, I actually like it, because when I use it as a tablet, I am not covering the screen display itself with my fingers while holding it. Did I mention how great this tablet is as a general “e-reader”?!! I love this thing for that alone. Watching videos is also great. Because this is Windows 11, I can access network devices across my home, including video/audio network shares directly hooked up to my router. I can get to those directly, and play movies and shows from them easily using VLC player, (thankfully this app is in the Windows Store!). Another great feature on this tablet is the built-in kickstand on the back of the tablet. This makes using this thing on my lap so much easier, and even just lying in bed, it is easy to prop up it’s side. Audio for a tablet is very good, and much better than the two iPads I have owned over the years. Tablet comes with the latest WiFi standard, 802.11AX aka WiFi 6, and I had no problem streaming high resolution video from a drive holding media directly connected to my router. Good, very basic tablet, but if you add in a Surface Type Cover keyboard, and you start venturing into pricing where some may as well just get a laptop instead. Just wish MS either lowered the price some more, or thrown in their keyboard. If all you need to do are basic tasks, video, web browsing, some email, and do not think you would need that keyboard, this is a good iPad alternative. For me personally, it fits the bill right now for what I need.

I primarily got this to use as an tablet for entertainment with the added upside of being able to do some work on it when needed. For the most part the Surface Go 3 functions fairly well. The processor was very quick and had no lag. Windows 11 seems to be a tad more user friendly. Windows 11 did take some playing with to figure out where everything is. One thing I was not a fan of with Windows 11 was that you cannot put hardly anything in the desktop. I went through all the settings and even googled how to add programs like Word or Netflix to the desktop but nothing worked; you could only pin them to the task bar or a pop up menu. Otherwise this tablet works just like a standard laptop, however for that use a keyboard (not include). I love the portability of this unit. I wish it functioned more like a tablet however. The cameras on this are not great at all, especially in low lighting. If I had a zoom meeting somewhere without great lighting I feel it would be difficult. It has a little led light next to both cameras, but no flash like other tablets do. Also, for an item that is meant to be great on the go and tablet like, it is difficult to charge on the go. You do not have the ability to charge this in a vehicle or from a powerbank without buying extra special power banks and car ports. The battery life is decent for a laptop. The day i recieved this I took it on a flight with me. I played movies and games on it all flight long and still had about 40% battery left when I landed (about 3 hours). For a laptop that is pretty good. I really like that you can split screen with multiple applications at once. On the plane I was playing solitaire while my daughter watched a movie on Netflix. I also really like the stand. It is super adjustable which is wonderful. I did also notice that even some of the basic games you can download from the app store only work if you have a keyboard, which was kind of a bummer.

pros - nice, crisp 1080p 10.5" screen - decent audio (for a laptop/tablet) - windows 11 works decent in tablet mode, and looks nice. It is missing some features from 10... but 11 is still rolling out so I anticipate updates in the future. - 3.5mm audio jack is appreciated. I've noticed a lot of budget 2-in-1's that do not have one - Decent power for the price (see more details about power in cons) cons - battery life is not quite as good as advertised. It's plenty long enough for my purposes, but be aware that if you are actively using it unplugged you will probably get about half the advertised lifespan - Do not buy this device expecting a powerhouse. It's perfect for casual activities - like browsing, streaming, spotify, discord, word processing or drawing apps, etc. But this device is not intended for heavy workloads (3d rendering) or demanding games. - Also be aware that storage is minimal. There are, of course, cloud options for storage. But the actual SSD is pretty small. This is not an issue for me, but it's good to know before you buy