Ahh well that stinks then! Crazy the inconsistent experiences between us because sometimes I set mine off on accident if I unplug it and the screen lights up and recognizes me before I can flip up the type cover and logs me back in lol.. It's usually faster than I can get my hand in front of it to block it!
How are you enjoying your "Go"
- Thread starter wolfpack219
- Start date
Ahh well that stinks then! Crazy the inconsistent experiences between us because sometimes I set mine off on accident if I unplug it and the screen lights up and recognizes me before I can flip up the type cover and logs me back in lol.. It's usually faster than I can get my hand in front of it to block it!
HeyCori
Mod Emeritus
Keyboard isn't perfect but is working much better in the October update. Granted that could have more improvements to do with Edge more so than anything else.
cowboy6201
New member
Coming from a Surface 3 which I used as a tablet 95% of the time for most everything from MSFT store, FB, FB Messenger to you name it.
I love my Surface Go 128GB SSD w/8GB's of ram, it's really awesome using for the same thing as my Surface 3 I'm strictly using it as a tablet, I only bought the Burgundy Pen and Burgundy Arc Mouse.
At some point I'll get the new Pro 6 for my Computer Business but for now Enjoying My Go for personal use.
This Go is Fantastic it charges fast and Runs Great.
Mits5139
New member
Received mine the other day and finally set up today. I bought the 8gb version with the type cover. My initial thoughts are that it's pretty damn good. Love the size and the type cover is a great typing experience. Switched to the full windows 10 mode and downloaded photoshop and lightroom as I do the odd bit of image editing. Its performed really well and glitch free.
As with the usual windows experience worth updating first which takes a while as there were a lot of updates but finally got there.
This I now think is going to be my primary device I've downloaded offline music via deezer and spotify glitch free. I can connect a printer to it directly (the only reason I had to give up my chromebook which I loved). Photoshop works as advertised. I really only use it for emails and planning lessons but overall a great little device.
I think it's highly underrated but overall a fantastic piece of kit. Looking forward to using this going g forward
As with the usual windows experience worth updating first which takes a while as there were a lot of updates but finally got there.
This I now think is going to be my primary device I've downloaded offline music via deezer and spotify glitch free. I can connect a printer to it directly (the only reason I had to give up my chromebook which I loved). Photoshop works as advertised. I really only use it for emails and planning lessons but overall a great little device.
I think it's highly underrated but overall a fantastic piece of kit. Looking forward to using this going g forward
HeyCori
Mod Emeritus
Got spooked and rolled back to 1803. Figured there's no reason to put up with any potential bugs if I don't have to. I already had a weird bug where waking up from sleep took me straight to the desktop instead of the lock screen.
Mike Buckhurst
New member
In the last 2 weeks I've really tested my Go, a trip from California to Denver for a couple of days and then a transatlantic trip to damp and miserable Manchester.
The first trip allowed me to see if it would do as a replacement for my Pro 4 for work on the longer trip, which it came through with flying colours, yes it is a bit slower, browsing is slower with Firefox, apps take a little longer to load, compiling in Visual Studio is noticeably slower, but we're quibling over seconds not minutes. It's a lot faster than the core duo I'm writing this on, but you do spend a lot of time thinking if only it had an i5.
First the bad things, the screen resolution is not great for some apps, I found I needed to scale at 100% to get the most out of the device, this is a little small for my older eyes, but great at preventing anyone looking over your shoulder from reading. I think the biggest issue is Firefox, because Edge only wants to synchronise half my links, I still use Firefox, it's certainly the memory hog, far worse than Edge from my experience, if I didn't have 8GB it would definitely have been an issue.
Battery life on the flight watching video was a little dissappointing, I had hoped to get a 10 hour flight out of the device with only a single battery charge, leaving plenty of capacity in my battery pack, watching HD video seems to be the big battery killer, I don't think I got more than 4.5 hours. That said when the lights were dim, I could turn the brightness down so maybe I would have got more like 5-6 hours you would expect, if I'd been measuring it on the latter half of the flight.
On to the pros, it's a pleasure carrying the lightweight device, added to that the power supply is much lighter than the Pro 4. Since my phone and battery pack are USB C I used my lumia dock power supply for charging those (and the Go) which itself is pretty light.
It's also a lot easier to use in the cramped conditions of economy, you can have it on the tray table and still have a drink on the table. It also works well on your lap in these conditions. I didn't use it without the attached keyboard, but I certainly could still touch type, turbulence permitting.
Back on dry land, the biggest surprise was how much power the USB-C port can deliver, I have a USB hub with network, plugged into a USB3 graphics adaptor, it was still able to power it well enough to drive a second HDMI monitor in extend mode. After my tv refused to work with the Lumia dock this backup plan worked well. Even allowing me to use BBC iPlayer in HD mode, fullscreen, without jitter.
For travelling, I think there are a few extra you really would like, firstly for the transatlantic crossing, the battery pack https://www.frys.com/product/9523082?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG is really useful, especially if finding a working power socket is difficult - I tried 6 at LAX before finding a working one. A USB-C to USB hub is pretty useful, I bought one with a removable cable, makes it a lot easier to pack, can switch between USB-C and USB as well. If using a dual monitor then the Lumia dock is handy, but warning, it does slow down the charging through USB-C which is why I carried the super light charger as well as the dock power supply. A portable bluetooth mouse is very useful and for serious work, you will need the keyboard case - it's simply not worth using any other keyboard, this protects the screen works very well and no problems with dongles or bluetooth connections. If you carry spare USB-C cables make sure they're good quality and work with any battery packs you might carry. I think putting a 256GB microsd card in the slot is quite useful, I then point Onedrive at that drive. I also bought a 500GB Samsung T5 for the trip, very pleased with this purchase, ironically my storage on my devices has shrunk as they've got lighter and SSD has got cheaper, so I'm finding I need bigger external storage and microsds, thankfully both are quite cheap now.
All in all, I think it was a good purchase and is likely to usurp my Pro4 as my travelling companion, especially when flying, except if I was expecting to work for more than a couple of days, where I think I'd still want the power of the i5.
The first trip allowed me to see if it would do as a replacement for my Pro 4 for work on the longer trip, which it came through with flying colours, yes it is a bit slower, browsing is slower with Firefox, apps take a little longer to load, compiling in Visual Studio is noticeably slower, but we're quibling over seconds not minutes. It's a lot faster than the core duo I'm writing this on, but you do spend a lot of time thinking if only it had an i5.
First the bad things, the screen resolution is not great for some apps, I found I needed to scale at 100% to get the most out of the device, this is a little small for my older eyes, but great at preventing anyone looking over your shoulder from reading. I think the biggest issue is Firefox, because Edge only wants to synchronise half my links, I still use Firefox, it's certainly the memory hog, far worse than Edge from my experience, if I didn't have 8GB it would definitely have been an issue.
Battery life on the flight watching video was a little dissappointing, I had hoped to get a 10 hour flight out of the device with only a single battery charge, leaving plenty of capacity in my battery pack, watching HD video seems to be the big battery killer, I don't think I got more than 4.5 hours. That said when the lights were dim, I could turn the brightness down so maybe I would have got more like 5-6 hours you would expect, if I'd been measuring it on the latter half of the flight.
On to the pros, it's a pleasure carrying the lightweight device, added to that the power supply is much lighter than the Pro 4. Since my phone and battery pack are USB C I used my lumia dock power supply for charging those (and the Go) which itself is pretty light.
It's also a lot easier to use in the cramped conditions of economy, you can have it on the tray table and still have a drink on the table. It also works well on your lap in these conditions. I didn't use it without the attached keyboard, but I certainly could still touch type, turbulence permitting.
Back on dry land, the biggest surprise was how much power the USB-C port can deliver, I have a USB hub with network, plugged into a USB3 graphics adaptor, it was still able to power it well enough to drive a second HDMI monitor in extend mode. After my tv refused to work with the Lumia dock this backup plan worked well. Even allowing me to use BBC iPlayer in HD mode, fullscreen, without jitter.
For travelling, I think there are a few extra you really would like, firstly for the transatlantic crossing, the battery pack https://www.frys.com/product/9523082?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG is really useful, especially if finding a working power socket is difficult - I tried 6 at LAX before finding a working one. A USB-C to USB hub is pretty useful, I bought one with a removable cable, makes it a lot easier to pack, can switch between USB-C and USB as well. If using a dual monitor then the Lumia dock is handy, but warning, it does slow down the charging through USB-C which is why I carried the super light charger as well as the dock power supply. A portable bluetooth mouse is very useful and for serious work, you will need the keyboard case - it's simply not worth using any other keyboard, this protects the screen works very well and no problems with dongles or bluetooth connections. If you carry spare USB-C cables make sure they're good quality and work with any battery packs you might carry. I think putting a 256GB microsd card in the slot is quite useful, I then point Onedrive at that drive. I also bought a 500GB Samsung T5 for the trip, very pleased with this purchase, ironically my storage on my devices has shrunk as they've got lighter and SSD has got cheaper, so I'm finding I need bigger external storage and microsds, thankfully both are quite cheap now.
All in all, I think it was a good purchase and is likely to usurp my Pro4 as my travelling companion, especially when flying, except if I was expecting to work for more than a couple of days, where I think I'd still want the power of the i5.
trooperoutlaw
New member
I received my Go about 5 days ago. I love it. It works perfect for my uses. I am using it for Word, Excel, OneNote and web browsing. Haven't had any issues yet. I bought the burgundy type cover and matching surface pen. I think it is the perfect size for portability. I haven't been away from power long enough to know what my battery life will be. Couple hours at a time off of power. I did order a skin for the back. The area around the camera (the lighter gray part) was scuffed by my tile counter tops). So far, I am very pleased! I sold my iPad Pro 12.9 to get this. Don't regret it at at all!
Scienceguy Labs
Active member
I'm looking mine too. It's a great, little tablet. I'm actually using mine in tablet mode for a while to see how that goes.
I like my Go.
The size is wonderful. I replaced my Surface Pro 3. The Go fits in my vest pocket. OK, it's a special vest designed for such things, but the Pro 3 didn't fit. So very convenient. I'll use the Go far more when I'm out and about. I usually left the Pro 3 at home.
Keyboard is fine
Hello is fun.
To help battery life, I follow the guidelines to keep unused apps closed.
Oh, the USB - type c permits me to charge from the same charger I use for my phone (an Anker charger, 45W, I believe. I use my phone so much, I always had to carry a charger anyway. Glad I can get by with one for both Go and Moto G5S Plus.
The pen is fine.
Candidly, I'm still learning it. Which means, over time, I'll learn all tricks and short cuts.
The size is wonderful. I replaced my Surface Pro 3. The Go fits in my vest pocket. OK, it's a special vest designed for such things, but the Pro 3 didn't fit. So very convenient. I'll use the Go far more when I'm out and about. I usually left the Pro 3 at home.
Keyboard is fine
Hello is fun.
To help battery life, I follow the guidelines to keep unused apps closed.
Oh, the USB - type c permits me to charge from the same charger I use for my phone (an Anker charger, 45W, I believe. I use my phone so much, I always had to carry a charger anyway. Glad I can get by with one for both Go and Moto G5S Plus.
The pen is fine.
Candidly, I'm still learning it. Which means, over time, I'll learn all tricks and short cuts.
gnirkatto
New member
Overall, it's a very likable device. Form factor & concept are perfect for travel and for city courier bag outings. The attachable keyboard is so much better than what Apple offers for their iPads, it's ridiculous.
Performance is OK-ish, I would say it is "just" sufficient for regular use (browsing, low-demand-office tasks, Youtube etc.) - on my 8GB/128GB device. If you try to avoid known performance killers like eg Chrome.
It is very pleasing to carry a "real" PC around and to have full PC functionality at hand. Just recently, I tried to execute some Excel macros on my iPad pro, and they didn't work, but on the Go, they did, flawlessly.
Handwriting experience to me feels better on the Go than on the iPad w. Apple pencil, as there seems to be no need to constantly reconnect the pen - it just works, always. There might be better drawing apps available on iOS, but for me, an instantly working pen is more important (I mainly use it for handwriting, no artistic drawing).
What I absolutely dislike is the fact that the W10 tablet experience still sucks big time, compared to iOS. Even with W10 in tablet mode, returning to iOS feels like a relief, as the experience is way smoother and more fluid than on W10. Also, there are still several nasty bugs in W10/tablet, like the on screen keyboard either not popping up by itself, or overlaying input fields. I have no clue why MS has not been able to fix that in years.
I will sell my iPad pro and keep the Go. Overall, the Go offers more to me, and having a real PC at hand wherever I go is priceless.
Performance is OK-ish, I would say it is "just" sufficient for regular use (browsing, low-demand-office tasks, Youtube etc.) - on my 8GB/128GB device. If you try to avoid known performance killers like eg Chrome.
It is very pleasing to carry a "real" PC around and to have full PC functionality at hand. Just recently, I tried to execute some Excel macros on my iPad pro, and they didn't work, but on the Go, they did, flawlessly.
Handwriting experience to me feels better on the Go than on the iPad w. Apple pencil, as there seems to be no need to constantly reconnect the pen - it just works, always. There might be better drawing apps available on iOS, but for me, an instantly working pen is more important (I mainly use it for handwriting, no artistic drawing).
What I absolutely dislike is the fact that the W10 tablet experience still sucks big time, compared to iOS. Even with W10 in tablet mode, returning to iOS feels like a relief, as the experience is way smoother and more fluid than on W10. Also, there are still several nasty bugs in W10/tablet, like the on screen keyboard either not popping up by itself, or overlaying input fields. I have no clue why MS has not been able to fix that in years.
I will sell my iPad pro and keep the Go. Overall, the Go offers more to me, and having a real PC at hand wherever I go is priceless.
got the LTE version and been quite happy with it for about a week of use now. my main laptop is SB2, so this has replaced it when traveling to work, on the train or cab etc. LTE speeds on TMo is fast. I can hotspot it too if needed to share. typing is good enough for email. I love the e reader on Edge when used in portrait mode. sorry to hear about the non US markets not having the ebook store. I can charge it with usb c power brick that I already carry for a phone. the battery life isn't great, but I try not to use max brightness to extend it a bit. for my daily use it is adequate but I need to keep an eye on it whereas with SB2 I never worry about it.
Taretare
New member
I usually use my iPad mini and Kobo Aura for reading books. I am still trying to find ways to dump my iPad mini but the books app and snappiness of Youtube kept me going back to it. If Microsoft can do something about their software department, I would be more than happy to throw away my iPad mini.
Though my Kobo Aura is here to stay... that little thing is a beauty just to have around (huehue!)
HeyCori
Mod Emeritus
I'm left handed and I knew I would have to buy an artist glove and if I really wanted to use the stylus effectively even though I don't draw. But instead I bought a pair of super cheap, paper thin gloves and then cut out the necessary fingers to make it work like an artist glove. It's probably my favorite way to use the tablet because I can easily, and quickly, navigate anywhere using the stylus while also not having to worry about my palm getting in the way.
Did you make sure to select "Left Handed" in Settings> Pen and Windows Ink?
Every so often via update mine gets set back to right handed and it severely messes up the palm rejection. I can immediately tell and once I set it back to left handed all is well!
HeyCori
Mod Emeritus
Did you make sure to select "Left Handed" in Settings> Pen and Windows Ink?
Every so often via update mine gets set back to right handed and it severely messes up the palm rejection. I can immediately tell and once I set it back to left handed all is well!
I have but I find the glove to be more reliable. I make fewer mistakes and I'm less concerned with my palm placement. Plus it keeps the screen cleaner. :grin:
berrydroidapple
New member
Purchased the 4G model to accompany my iPad Pro 10.5, so happy now.
There are certain things I just can't do on my iPad easily, on the Go no problem.
There are certain things I just can't do on my iPad easily, on the Go no problem.
richard_rsp
New member
Update #2 : Well, I have realized how much I missed having a full Windows device the size of an iPad... So I bought another Surface Go (and will be selling my Chromebook). I was really torn about 4gb vs 8gb this time around, but ended up with the 4gb again. So far, I am happy and have kept it in S mode. My only "complaint" about S mode so far is the inability to change the search engine for Edge. But oh well... Just thought id give an update just to keep it honest!
HeyCori
Mod Emeritus
Just took my GO for a real world, on the job, test today. I'm coming from a life with both an iPad and Macbook Air for work.....wanted to see if I could use just one device that covers both use cases.
This thing seems far snappier than I expected even with a slew of office apps open....I have noticed zero lag.
Walking around, I feel like I have forgotten to bring my computer!...it is so light.
The ONLY downside is my newly deteriorating vision....I just started to need reading glasses. If my eyes were good, this thing would be pure magic.
I can't believe that I have an actual Windows computer inside this tiny package....no more compromising with iOS or a ridiculously slow netbook...it's a real computer with actual files, folders and proper applications.....all running without laggy hiccups.
I'm using Windows 10....without the "S"
If you are mostly a productivity (Office) user, this is perfect. Not great for gamers and video editors, of course.
This thing seems far snappier than I expected even with a slew of office apps open....I have noticed zero lag.
Walking around, I feel like I have forgotten to bring my computer!...it is so light.
The ONLY downside is my newly deteriorating vision....I just started to need reading glasses. If my eyes were good, this thing would be pure magic.
I can't believe that I have an actual Windows computer inside this tiny package....no more compromising with iOS or a ridiculously slow netbook...it's a real computer with actual files, folders and proper applications.....all running without laggy hiccups.
I'm using Windows 10....without the "S"
If you are mostly a productivity (Office) user, this is perfect. Not great for gamers and video editors, of course.
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