Surface Go 3 finishes refining the concept of Windows tablet for the educational segment. The third iteration of the device comes to improve the lack of power that was criticized so much in its previous version. The rest remains unchanged in a device that balances the price-power-portability balance.
We have had the opportunity to test the Surface Go 3 for two weeks, in which it has constantly accompanied me thanks to its reduced weight and size. The device surprises for good, although we must take into account the public to which it is focused and what its limitations are.
Surface Go 3 | |
Screen | 10.5″ IPSLCD Pixel Sense 1920×1280 3:2 aspect ratio |
Processor | Intel Core i3-10100Y 2 cores / 4 threads @ 1.3 GHz (up to 3.9 GHz) |
RAM | 8GB LPDDR3 |
Storage | 128GB SSD |
Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 615 |
connectivity | WiFi 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.0 4G |
ports | USB-C Jack 3.5 Surface Connect microSD card reader |
Rear camera | 8MP |
5MP | |
Others | face recognition |
Dimensions and weight | 245mm x 175mm x 8.30mm – 522g |
Battery | up to 10 hours |
OS | Windows 11 Home in S mode |
Price | €679 |
Surface Go 3, ideal size and weight for portability
I must admit that used to using a Surface Pro 6, I thought that moving to the 10.5-inch Surface Go 3 was going to be somewhat traumatic. However, the transition was a matter of minutes and not because of the tablet as such, but because the keys of the Type Cover are smaller… After 15 minutes in which my fingers stuck from pressing the same key, I was already writing with complete ease.
As to the 10.5-inch diagonal is not noticeable at any time. Yes, it is true that you will not be able to have two windows open at the same time, but it is not something you need when you are taking notes with OneNote. In addition, to work we can always connect a larger external monitor.
However, the best has been the weight of 554 grams… This factor has been decisive for the Surface Go 3 to become my travel companion at this time. The device managed to replace the notebook that I usually carry everywhere and become my usual laptop, planner and notebook.
In this way, whenever I had to go somewhere, the Surface Go 3 came with me. I would go from working with the team in the office to watching a Netflix series in my kitchen or finishing my day in bed before going to sleep. The versatility that this form factor gives you, at this size and weight is incredible.
Continuous design and a spectacular screen
If we talk about design, we can tell you little. Surface Go 3 is exactly the same as its predecessors, being a small version of the Surface Pro 7 (not the Surface Pro 8). Its small size and the kickstand make the device very versatile, as we mentioned in the previous section.
Taking into account that Surface Go 3 came out at the same time as Surface Pro 8, Microsoft could have taken the opportunity to renew the design of the little one in the family. The truth is that it is something that is not missing on a day-to-day basis, but increasing the screen and reducing frames is something that would be appreciated.
As for the screen, PixelSense manages to take full advantage of the color effects of Windows 11, such as Acrylic or Mica. The FullHD resolution is more than enough for a 10.5-inch device, so we are not going to ask for more in this regard. In fact, it is appreciated that Microsoft does not bet on something superior so as not to harm its autonomy.
The maximum brightness of around 400 nits makes multimedia consumption exquisite, although it seems short when we are outdoors. This is especially relevant if we take into account the gloss finish, so we will find reflections that will be somewhat annoying. On the other hand, the automatic brightness adjustment works perfectly.
In addition, we miss the color profiles that we find in the Pro version of the device… And for the curious, the default scaling of the screen comes to 150%, which is perfect for use as a tablet.
Was something more powerful needed?
No. In a device like the Surface Go 3, designed to achieve maximum portability and autonomy in common day-to-day use, we do not miss a more powerful CPU. The 10th generation Intel Core i3 has proven to be more than competent for basic office tasks, entertainment and multimedia consumption.
This model, accompanied by 8GB of RAM, has been able to function with any web application, Microsoft Teams, TeamViewer, Visual Studio Code, WhatsApp, Unigram… Of course! If you are going to use apps like Teams, my recommendation is to rule out the 4GB RAM variant due to its high memory consumption.
The only time we have missed a little more power has been when Windows has started to install updates. It has only been in those moments when we have noticed that the device had a harder time responding.
Furthermore, the benchmarks do not give bad results to the Intel Core i3-10100Y. Despite being a Y-series CPU with a TDP of 5W, it achieves results very close to the i3-10110U which uses a TDP of 15W. That is, despite consuming a third, it manages to get close in performance by reaching 3.9 GHz (as long as we are connected to the power).
Cinebench R23 | ||
Single Core | multi-core | |
Surface Laptop 4 Ryzen 7 4980U | 1263 | 7733 |
Dell XPS 13 9310 Intel Core i7-1165G7 | 1377 | 4647 |
PC Mark 10 | |||
Essential | Productivity | Half | |
Surface Laptop 4 | 9005 | 7534 | 5057 |
Dell XPS 13 9310 | 9550 | 6777 | 4791 |
Geek Bench 5 | ||
Single Core | multi-core | |
Surface Laptop 4 | 1514 | 5488 |
Dell XPS 9310 | 1164 | 6835 |
If what we want is something more powerful, we will have to wait for Microsoft to launch a 10.5-inch Surface Pro… Because, as I was saying, we are talking about device concepts with quite a few differences.
As for the integrated graphics HD Graphics 615, for the use that we mentioned before it is more than enough. In fact, we notice that the Surface Go 3 moves Windows 11 animations much smoother than PCs with Xe graphics that started from Windows 10. We imagine that coming from the factory with the latest version of the operating system is a plus when it comes to optimizing the device.
On this occasion, we are not going to analyze the graphics using games, since Surface Go 3 is not a device oriented towards that market… Although we can always use Xbox Game Streaming together with a Bluetooth controller. As for multimedia editing tasks, we can make small montages with Photoshop or Premiere, but without demanding too much.
3DMark | ||
time spy | fire-strike | |
Surface Laptop 4 Radeon Vega 8 (Charger) | 991 | 2,503 |
Surface Laptop 4 Radeon Vega 8 (battery) | 1,321 | 3,465 |
Dell XPS 13 9310 Intel Iris Xe | 1,626 | 3,554 |
Surface Laptop 3 Intel Iris Plus G7 | 894 | 2,381 |
Surface Laptop 2 UHD Graphics 620 | 389 | 1,271 |
If we talk about storage, we must bear in mind that with 128GB of internal memory we will have to have a cloud service such as OneDrive so as not to fill the device. In any case, we can also use a microSD card as a complement, although we miss a variant with a little more capacity.
The read speed of the SSD is within expectations, although the write speed of 373 MB/s seems a bit low for a unit of this type. In any case, it is advisable to opt for this version instead of choosing the variant of Surface Go 3 with eMMC storage unit.
CrystalDiskMark | ||
Read (MB/s) | Write (MB/s) | |
Intel Core i3 + SSD | 1616.88 | 373.63 |
Intel Pentium Gold + eMMC | 223.1 | 138.2 |
Surface Go 3 + Docking Station = A Necessary Combo
Regarding connectivity, We have a USB-C port and a headphone jack… Nothing more, nothing less. Therefore, we will have to get hold of a docking station or hub to connect our devices if we plan to use a desktop computer.
In my case, it was very simple, since I have a Dell docking station in the office. I simply had to connect the gadget via USB-C to the Surface Go 3 and it was working. We could request a USB-A to complement, but it seems complicated due to the dimensions of the device.
Also, we have state-of-the-art wireless connections. With WiFi 6 we can make the most of 1 Gbps Internet or local network connections, and with Bluetooth 5.0 we can connect various devices such as a keyboard, mouse or headphones without interference and with minimal energy consumption.
Microsoft meets the promised 10 hours of battery life
Autonomy is, without a doubt, one of the strengths of the Surface Go 3. We didn’t have to wait for Intel’s latest Alder Lake CPUs, but rather the Intel Core i3-10100Y manages to do superb power management with its 5W draw.
With the “recommended” power mode of Windows 11, we managed to exceed 8 hours of work without using the charger. Browsing the Internet, watching series and using Microsoft 365 applications, we can carry out a workday without any surprises.
Cameras designed for Microsoft Teams
The main 5-megapixel camera is designed to get the most out of meetings in Microsoft Teams. The camera manages to get a good brightness in low light conditions, the definition and the colors are good, and we do not find the trail in the movement that we see in other devices.
In addition, we find a double microphone with great quality, capturing the sound with great naturalness. Therefore, we will not have to opt for an external microphone or headphones to make video calls without affecting either the video or the audio.
As for the rear camera, Surface Go 3 includes an 8-megapixel sensor. The goal is to enable us to use the device to take pictures of whiteboards or scan all kinds of notes.
Windows 11 fails to develop the full potential of Surface Go 3
Now, let’s talk about the user experience in terms of software. It is necessary to mention that the performance of the device right out of the box is quite improvable, so, If you just got a Surface Go 3, I recommend you go through Windows Update… The difference in performance between the device right out of the box and after upgrading is incredible.
If we use the equipment as a computer or as a laptop, with the keyboard connected, we will not notice any difference with any other PC. The fluidity of the animations and the speed with which the system moves is excellent considering the hardware below.
However, we have the problem when we want to make Surface Go 3 do what should be its main function: being a tablet. Let’s remember that Windows 11 no longer has a tablet mode as such, but rather adapts the interface to make it touch-friendly, but the experience is not quite satisfactory.
The lack of gestures to open components such as the Start Menu or the Action Center is somewhat tedious, and we can’t switch between applications easily either… If we compare the interface with that of, say, iPadOS, we lose out in many respects. However, it seems that Microsoft is aware of this and is working to fix it.