Microsoft says the Surface Laptop Go 2 can deliver more than 13 hours of screen-on time between charges. Its Wi-Fi 6 connectivity ensured a stable link to my home network, while up-to-date Bluetooth 5.1 allowed it to pair perfectly with multiple sets of wireless headphones and earbuds. Having said that, the product's webcam, onboard microphones, and speakers performed well during Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom work sessions. Basic HD (1280 x 720 pixels) is undeniably dated in 2022 - even the cheaper Surface Go 3 has a better webcam. A Full HD unit would have suited the notebook much better, bringing more pixels and crisper picture quality during video calls and virtual meetings.

Just like its keyboard that could have used a backlighting upgrade, the HD camera of the Surface Laptop Go 2 has room for improvement. During a week as my go-to computer, it handled my usual workload of toggling between a browser with multiple open tabs, Microsoft Word documents, Affinity Photo, Microsoft Teams, and Slack with ease. With 8GB of RAM and a less pixel-dense screen (higher resolutions always put more strain on the graphics and battery), the Intel hardware delivered a snappy performance that exceeded my toned-down expectations. The chip maker began releasing 12th-generation components to consumer products, but I didn't expect Microsoft to include them in a starter Surface before its top-shelf products, so it comes as no surprise they're absent here. It packs an 11th-generation Intel processor and graphics that have proven their dependability in the Surface Laptop 4.

PERFORMANCE: 8/10Įven though it's an entry-level product, the Surface Laptop Go 2 doesn't fall short of hardware capabilities. I found the Go 2 display's more modest resolution to be a worthy tradeoff for the smaller size and price than those of a standard Surface Laptop. Unless you're obsessed with graphic design and photo-editing projects, you probably won't need more pixels. To be fair, 15.6-inch laptops with higher-resolution Full HD screens - an industry-standard - have the same 141 ppi sharpness as the Surface Laptop Go 2. The display panel has a modest pixel density of 141 ppi, which means it isn't as crisp as the 13.5-inch display panel with 201 ppi of the Surface Laptop 4.

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