Microsoft makes next-gen Surface Laptop Go 2 official, starting at $600

Enlarge / Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 2. (credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft has officially announced the Surface Laptop Go 2, which replaces the original model that was released back in October of 2020. The new model is currently available for preorder. It starts at $600 and comes in four different colors, including a new green-ish Sage option. As of this writing, preordered laptops will arrive as soon as June 7.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 first broke cover in a retail listing yesterday, and that listing had the facts right: The Go 2's biggest update is a Core i5-1135G7 processor. The chip is a generation out of date at this point, but it's still a capable performer and a significant upgrade over the old model's Core i5-1035G1. The 12.4-inch, 1536×1024 touchscreen remains the same, as does the laptop's size, weight, and port selection.

The Laptop Go 2 retains Microsoft's Surface Connect port on the right side. On the left side, you'll find a USB-A port, a headphone jack, and a USB-C port. You can use the USB-C port to charge the laptop. (credit: Microsoft)

The $600 base price is $50 higher than the previous model, but that extra money at least gets you a proper 128GB NVMe SSD rather than 64GB of slow eMMC storage; this drive can also be upgraded with something larger later on, which is a good way to save some money on storage if you're comfortable doing the upgrade yourself. Unfortunately, that base model still includes just 4GB of RAM, a limitation you'll feel any time you try to play a game or open more than a handful of apps or browser tabs at once.

Read 2 remaining paragraphs | Comments

from Tech – Ars Technica https://ift.tt/1xQzmuI