Microsoft's Surface Go is a great budget tablet, so it's no surprise the Surface Go 2 is among the most anticipated devices of 2020. Similar to the iPhone SE or Galaxy S10e, the original Surface Go is a cheaper alternative to a more premium product: the Surface Pro 7.
But like those phones, the Surface Go shares several features with its pricier sibling. For one, it has a fantastic display that is sharp, colorful and superbright. The 10-inch tablet also shares the same materials and design language as the Surface Pro 7. But the one thing holding back this budget slate is performance.
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Unfortunately, based on the latest rumors, the hotly-anticipated Surface Go 2 won't move the power needle. Reliable tipster @_rogame revealed on Twitter that the upcoming Surface Go 2 will pack an Intel Pentium 4425Y CPU on the low end and a Core m3-8100Y CPU on the high end.
New UpdateMicrosoft Surface Go 2There are now two options:Intel(R) Core(TM) m3-8100Y CPU @ 1.10GHz2C/4T 1.6GHz base 3.4GHz boostIntel UHD 6158GB RAM256GB SSDIntel(R) Pentium(R) CPU 4425Y @ 1.70GHz2C/4T 1.7GHz base no boostIntel UHD 6158GB RAM128GB SSD https://t.co/VAyCJgMItw pic.twitter.com/GJmjp9bDwIMarch 20, 2020
Both configurations will come with 8GB of RAM and an Intel UHD 615 GPU. The cheaper model will ship with 128GB of storage while the Core m3 version will come standard with a 256GB SSD.
On one hand, we're happy to see the upgraded Pentium Gold 4425Y processor, although it has only a slightly higher base clock speed than the previous Pentium Gold 4415Y and the same 2-core, 4-thread configuration.
But the Core m3-8100Y CPU is a head-scratcher. Yes, it will provide better performance than the Pentium Gold thanks to its 3.4Ghz max turbo frequency, but this specific Amber Lake CPU was launched at the end of 2018. Intel has since updated its Y-series CPUs with the i3-10110Y, a 10th Gen Comet Lake chip with a max clock of 4Ghz.
We'll reserve our judgment until we get our hands on an official review unit. If Microsoft can add value in other areas and keep the Surface Go 2 at the same $399 price as its predecessor, then it could still be an awesome value for those who want a portable, on-the-go tablet that doesn't break the bank.
