At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Windows 11
- A slight improvement in processing power
Cons
- Pretty much the same as the Surface Go 2
- Keyboard and pen must be purchased separately
Our Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is the Surface Go 2 of 2021, and that’s about all there is to say.
Best Prices Today
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Microsoft touts its 10.5-inch Surface Go 3 tablet as its most mobile Surface. While that’s definitely true, what else does the new Surface Go 3 have to offer? A small processor bump, Windows 11, and, well, that’s about it.
The Surface Go 3 is essentially the same device as the Surface Go 2. We don’t consider Windows 11 to be necessarily worth the upgrade, which robs the Surface Go 3 of its appeal. As for the processor upgrade — yes, there’s now a 10th-gen Core i3 option, but it doesn’t really move the needle performance-wise.
Surface Go 3: basic features and available configurations
Microsoft’s Surface Go 3 is available in three configurations, ranging from $399.99 on up to $629.99, which is the price of our review unit. We wouldn’t recommend the $399.99 base model (with a Pentium Gold 6500Y, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage) because the 4GB of memory isn’t sufficient for running multiple apps. The other configurations, including a midrange version (Pentium Gold 6500Y/8GB RAM/128GB SSD: $549.99) and the premium offering (Intel Core i3/8GB RAM/128GB SSD: $629.99), round out the offerings.
The Surface Go 3 is unique because there aren’t many small, inexpensive Windows tablets vying for your wallet. Otherwise, the Go 3 is priced similarly to Microsoft’s budget clamshell laptop, the Surface Laptop Go, which also has a $549.99 discounted version that includes a Core i5-1035G1 with 8GB of memory and a 128GB SSD. The Laptop Go’s screen is a definite step down, however.
Unlike the prior Surface Go 2, the current version of the Surface Go 3 consumer version doesn’t ship with cellular options. It’s a somewhat odd omission, though our Go 2 review indicated that its cellular reception was spotty. Microsoft reserved the LTE option for what it calls the Surface Go 3 for Business, which ships in both a $499.99 (Core i3/4GB RAM/64GB SSD) …….