Microsoft launches its new Surface Laptop Go, its most affordable and battery-centric notebook yet

Microsoft’s Surface hardware is finally in South Africa, which means that every new Surface announcement is now a call for excitement, rather than sadness and longing. This is the newest, and perhaps the most exciting, announcement we could possibly get from Microsoft — but only if it makes its way to South Africa. This is the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go.

Gotta gotta gotta Go

The Surface Laptop Go is a 12.4in version of the company’s existing 13in and 15in Surface Laptop range, but with a focus on affordability in addition to features. The smaller screen size, obviously, means a smaller overall design but the company’s sticking with its (gorgeous) PixelSense display for the Laptop Go.

It’s also keeping in a full-sized keyboard, oversized trackpad and it’ll be using a 10th-gen Intel Core i5 processor. There are a couple of RAM/storage variants in store, up to 16GB/256GB which means there’s an 8GB/128GB version out there as well. There’s also a 4GB/64GB edition being talked about, which would be the machine’s lowest price-point. Some versions of the notebook will include a fingerprint sensor on the power button, in case biometric access is important to you.

Go-ing the distance

But the real winner for Microsoft in terms of hardware has to be the (claimed) battery life. The tech giant claims up to thirteen hours and, based on the performance of its previous Surface machines, we believe them. Not all the way, but we do reckon you’ll get through a workday, and a little overtime, without needing to connect to a wall socket.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is set to launch in the States, where it’ll start at $550. Here at home, that’s an almost-accessible R10,000 — which is a small price to pay for access Microsoft hardware. We’ll have some official imagery of the hardware up shortly (we got the info early but not the assets), as well as official local pricing (should it wind up launching here). Hopefully, it turns up and in all three different finishes (Ice Blue, Sandstone and Platinum).

Also incoming from the company? A refresh of the not-yet-seen-in-SA Surface Pro X is on the way, as well as a battery of new accessories for the range — a new Designer Compact Keyboard, a wireless Numpad, 4K Wireless Display Adaptor, and a new Bluetooth Ergonomic Mouse. International pricing and availability for these are known, but are TBC for South Africa as well.