Considering “upgrading” from iPad Pro 10.5 to surface go. Have a few questions.

[derekeh]

I currently have an iPad Pro 10.5 and after playing around with the surface go several times in Best Buy, I’m really wanting the 8gb cellular model. Before i jump in and buy it, I’d like to ask a few questions.
I don’t foresee this having any issues running the programs I will need for work such as edge, QuickBooks online and office programs. I am wondering about the tablet part of it though. I like multitasking in split screen with my ipad using edge and facebook or messenger app. How well does this work on the surface go? I also use mysms to sync texts from my android phone to my ipad. Can I do this with the surface go with any app? Another app I use a lot for work is google maps. Can i use it on surface go? Ive tried the maps app in windows and for some reason when I zoom in, the image is much blurrier than google maps so I’m not sure that it would work out. And I use kindle app to read. Can I do this on the surface go?
Apps out of the way, can i simply stop what I’m doing on the surface go, close the keyboard case, and come back in a few hours and the battery not be drained significantly ? I do this on my ipad frequently and the battery seldom drains more than a percent or two even overnight.
I’m just wanting to be sure before i lay down $1,000 for a surface go cellular with the accessories. I went through a brief period with a surface 3 cellular and it was quite the disaster. Constant updates even when auto update was disabled, horrible battery life, very slow charging, sometimes would charge to full overnight only to start draining as soon as it reached full charge, on screen keyboard not appearing, typing delays, blue screen issues, sometimes would take several minutes to wake from sleep... one of the worst purchases of my life. But it was the 2 gb model and i think that was much of the problem. So easy to overwhelm it. I dont want round 2 of this with the surface Go.
Thanks in advance for the help/advice!

 

[libra89]

I currently have an iPad Pro 10.5 and after playing around with the surface go several times in Best Buy, I’m really wanting the 8gb cellular model. Before i jump in and buy it, I’d like to ask a few questions.
I don’t foresee this having any issues running the programs I will need for work such as edge, QuickBooks online and office programs. I am wondering about the tablet part of it though. I like multitasking in split screen with my ipad using edge and facebook or messenger app. How well does this work on the surface go? I also use mysms to sync texts from my android phone to my ipad. Can I do this with the surface go with any app? Another app I use a lot for work is google maps. Can i use it on surface go? Ive tried the maps app in windows and for some reason when I zoom in, the image is much blurrier than google maps so I’m not sure that it would work out. And I use kindle app to read. Can I do this on the surface go?
Apps out of the way, can i simply stop what I’m doing on the surface go, close the keyboard case, and come back in a few hours and the battery not be drained significantly ? I do this on my ipad frequently and the battery seldom drains more than a percent or two even overnight.
I’m just wanting to be sure before i lay down $1,000 for a surface go cellular with the accessories. I went through a brief period with a surface 3 cellular and it was quite the disaster. Constant updates even when auto update was disabled, horrible battery life, very slow charging, sometimes would charge to full overnight only to start draining as soon as it reached full charge, on screen keyboard not appearing, typing delays, blue screen issues, sometimes would take several minutes to wake from sleep... one of the worst purchases of my life. But it was the 2 gb model and i think that was much of the problem. So easy to overwhelm it. I dont want round 2 of this with the surface Go.
Thanks in advance for the help/advice!

Google Maps is not a thing in the Windows App store. The Kindle app is no longer supported but if you are willing to use Edge to read via the Cloud Reader, it can work. I believe you can do the sms syncing if you use Cortana and Microsoft Launcher.

I'm unsure about the split screen, hopefully someone will share some information about that.

 

[HeyCori]

I'll try to tackle some of these. I started with tablet mode but now I mainly use desktop mode, so that's kind of my perspective.

I don’t foresee this having any issues running the programs I will need for work such as edge, QuickBooks online and office programs. I am wondering about the tablet part of it though. I like multitasking in split screen with my ipad using edge and facebook or messenger app. How well does this work on the surface go?

There's not much to say about it as it simply works. Setting up split screen (snapping as it's called) is as simple as dragging the app to either the left or right side of the screen. Then Windows will automatically ask what you want to snap next. And if you already have two snapped apps and open another, Windows will ask where you want the new app to be snapped. The only issue you might run into are applications that are designed for a more traditional desktop experience but that won't be a problem with the Office apps and Edge.

I also use mysms to sync texts from my android phone to my ipad. Can I do this with the surface go with any app?

You'll have to use the Your Phone app. It comes pre-baked into the latest version of Windows 10, and then you'll have to download the app on Android. I used it briefly, and sometimes it takes a bit for a text to go through, but ultimately I realized I didn't need it since my phone is usually close by.

Another app I use a lot for work is google maps. Can i use it on surface go? Ive tried the maps app in windows and for some reason when I zoom in, the image is much blurrier than google maps so I’m not sure that it would work out. And I use kindle app to read. Can I do this on the surface go?

libra89 already beat me to this.

Apps out of the way, can i simply stop what I’m doing on the surface go, close the keyboard case, and come back in a few hours and the battery not be drained significantly ? I do this on my ipad frequently and the battery seldom drains more than a percent or two even overnight.

You can, actually! Battery life on Windows tablets trail well behind iPads, but standby time in Windows is great. Often I wake up to find the battery right where I left it. Though I'm sure cellular will change that a bit.

I’m just wanting to be sure before i lay down $1,000 for a surface go cellular with the accessories. I went through a brief period with a surface 3 cellular and it was quite the disaster. Constant updates even when auto update was disabled

You can cheat and set the connection as metered and that will prevent the OS from doing major updates but won't stop security updates.

 

[gnirkatto]

All I can say is, if your main focus is on tablet mode, the GO sucks, big time, compared to the iPad. I love the Go with a passion, but use it s a mini-PC most of the time. Some few issues that came to my mind:

on screen keyboard not appearing: yes, that still happens in W10 tablet mode.
gestures: they are all there, but not as smooth and fluid as on the iPad (I had both the 10.5 and the 11).
tiny icons, not tablet-friendly: icons in tha task bar are so tiny, that it's sometimes hard or almost impossible to tap them without a pen. Also, like somebody stated, some stone-old but totaly neccessary apps do still not offer a tablet-mode, and therefore operating them by fingertapping is cumbersome: eg. Windows Explorer. Even Edge is sometimes tricky to operate by fingertapping.
IF the onscreen keyyboard appears, it often overlays input fields or other important displays.
etc.

All of this is driving me absolutely mad, when using the Go as a tablet.

Howver, I love it in PC-mode with the keyboard attached. Eg. You can get things done in Office, that you never can accomplish on an iPad. Therefore I'll currently continue with the Go. Should tablet mode ever become my main focus again, I'll go back to an iPad.

 

[derekeh]

I understand the battery life isn't the best. Does it charge fast at least? Through USB c?

 

[dschwa]

Not fast via USB. I got a long second charger to carry in my bag

 

[dschwa]

I have Kindle app installed on mine

 

[derekeh]

Does it at least charge fast enough through usb to not drain while being used?

 

[HeyCori]

It shouldn't be a problem as long as you're using the current wattage charger (off hand I can't remember the exact wattage you need).

 

[Insti Gator]

Does it at least charge fast enough through usb to not drain while being used?

Hey @derekeh actually, USB-C charging can be FASTER than the OEM charging brick.

That's because Microsoft implemented the correct USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 specs which allow the use of high wattage chargers to increase the speed. You have to use a powerful USB-C charger, a phone charger is not enough to charge the Surface Go quickly. A 30W USB-C PD charger can charge 20-80% in less than an hour. I'd say that's pretty quick!

This website dedicated to Surface devices tested a few different chargers, it looks like 30W USB-C PD chargers are the sweet spot. 45W wasn't much faster overall despite the higher power supply: https://surfacetip.com/surface-go-usb-c-charging/

 

[derekeh]

That's great. My phone uses USB c along with my Nintendo switch. Id love to use just one charger in the car for all of my devices. I'm on the road a LOT so I need a good car charger for sure. My current one is 24w but I'll check into a 30w

 

[derekeh]

I use Tapatalk quite a bit. Does windows have a similar app?

 

[HeyCori]

I don't know much about tapatalk so the only thing I can think about is maybe Microsoft Teams or Slack.

 

[tgp]

I don't know much about tapatalk so the only thing I can think about is maybe Microsoft Teams or Slack.

Ha ha this is obvious! :smile: Tapatalk is basically a forum aggregator, where you can log into sites such as Windows Central, iMore, XDA, and a lot of others. It makes it simpler to use them on a mobile device, and it shows them all in a similar format.

OP, I haven't used a Windows mobile device for awhile, but from what I know, Tapatalk is no longer supported. I'm not sure it is available at all. There had been a similar app called mTalk that some were using, but I don't know its current status either.

 

[HeyCori]

Thanks for the info, tgp!

 

[Insti Gator]

My current one is 24w but I'll check into a 30w

That should be plenty! The factory Microsoft unit is also 24W. It will still be plenty fast!

 

[maj71303]

I had the Surface Go and sent it back as I felt it wasn't that good. I now have the Samsung Galaxy Book2 and i'm satisfied indeed it works very well if you can get over Windows 10-S and having a Snapdragon 850 CPU. It's pretty stellar on battery life, comes with a keyboard & S pen, fingerprint reader, and mine is the Verizon LTE version. I think it's better than the Surface Go and I'm plenty satisfied.