Surface Go -- Worth updating from Surface 3 (non-pro)

[tribexx]

All,

I have a surface 3 (nonpro) and its starting to get slow...is the Go worth an upgrade? Or should I just go to a Pro?

I have a 4GB atom processor and i feel like i need at least 8gb ram and something more....

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

Depends on what you're gonna be using the Surface Go for!

Personally, I'd upgrade, as you will see a performance increase of some kind compared to what you get with the Intel Atom chip on the Surface 3. If you're gonna be using Photoshop or doing video editing, then I'd go for the Surface Pro, but for casual web browsing, emails and some very light gaming, I think the Surface Go should be the upgrade to go for!

I've pre-ordered the Surface Go 64GB / 4GB configuration myself, upgrading from a Lenovo ideapad with an Intel Celeron chip, and will also replace my Surface 2 RT (I know, old right?!).

 

[overboard08]

I think I'm gonna be selling off my Pro 4. I've had it since it came out and it was exactly what I needed for a few years. Being active duty, it became a useful 2-in-1 for online masters work but i eventually needed something bigger. Pulled the trigger on a new desktop for more screen real estate, desktop core i5 and 12GB ram for multitasking...I now have an overpowered tablet for what I would really need a tablet for. Surface Go would be exactly what I need to get reading done, email, browsing, light office work so that I can save everything in the cloud to hit hard school work on the desktop. Surface Go seems like it'll be the consumer Surface to go for.

 

[krisguy]

Is the Type cover the same from the OG 3 and the Go, or are they different?

 

[justjun555]

yes if battery life offers atleast solid 7 hours.
everything else is good. pricing is also much better.
8 gb ram + 128 gb ssd version is sweet configuration.

 

[bulls96]

Has anyone done Size comparisons between the surface 3 and surface go?

 

[libra89]

Is the Type cover the same from the OG 3 and the Go, or are they different?

They are different, you can't use the same type cover from what I have read.

 

[LibbyLA]

Comparison for bulls96:

(Based on specs found online)

Surface 3 | 10.8" screen | 1920 x 1280 | 10.5 x 7.4 x .34 | 1.37 lb., 2.1 lb. w/kb

Surface Go | 10" screen | 1800 x 1200 | 9.6 x 6.9 x .33 | 1.15 lb., 1.6 w/kb.

 

[bulls96]

Thanks!!

Comparison for bulls96:

(Based on specs found online)

Surface 3 | 10.8" screen | 1920 x 1280 | 10.5 x 7.4 x .34 | 1.37 lb., 2.1 lb. w/kb

Surface Go | 10" screen | 1800 x 1200 | 9.6 x 6.9 x .33 | 1.15 lb., 1.6 w/kb.

 

[derekeh]

Im also thinking of upgrading my surface 3 to the surface go. How does battery life on the go seem to be vs the surface 3?

 

[HeyCori]

From the windows central review

https://www.windowscentral.com/surface-go

With display brightness around 40 percent users should expect around seven hours of usage, but closer to eight or more.

The battery result was much better than I had anticipated, and I was surprised at how efficient the processor was at sipping power. On one evening I spent two solid hours using the Surface Go browsing the web, installing apps, using those apps, and watching videos on YouTube and Netflix. After those two hours, I still had 76 percent battery left, which is respectable.

...The most significant variable with the Surface Go and battery life is not so much what you do with it but screen brightness. If you ramp up the intensity to above 60 percent (or even maxed out), you will get a few hours less than what I experienced making it the most significant power draw.

--------------

I find that 65% is the sweet spot for me. I usually get around 5 hours.

 

[sd4f]

I've got a S3 128gb 4Gb model, and it does what I need it to do, so not upgrading any time soon.

However, If I were to upgrade, I'd probably look elsewhere from a surface/MS, and if I had to stick with a surface, I'd probably consider a surface pro ahead of the go.

If the size of the Go suits your use case better, aim for the larger storage and ram model. 4gb is still workable today, but just. Fortunately the atom cpu in my S3 isn't good enough to run stuff to get to 4gb use, but a few programs and a browser gets really close.