Surface Go 2 specs are going to disappoint hopeful fans
Microsoft axed the Surface Mini, which turned out to be a real device, even before it saw the light of day. Four years later, it came out with a larger and very different Surface Go that was meant to be the company's on-the-go Windows solution and it was well-received, being compared with Apple's iPad Pro. It has taken Microsoft two years to come out with a successor but while the wait might finally be over, those hoping for a more decent upgrade will be sorely disappointed, at least based on these initial leaks.
The Surface Go was never really meant to be a powerhouse, designed for portability and quick access to Windows for those always on the move. It was billed both as an "everyday computer" but also as a sort of companion to a more stationary desktop. Despite that, it enjoyed a decent amount of success, enough to have fans hoping for a second run.
Based on a recent leak, though, it won't be much of an upgrade. The Surface Go 2 will reportedly have a configuration running on an Intel Core m3-8100Y, currently the latest and last chip in Intel's Core m3 series, perhaps the entire Core m line even. It's a significant upgrade from the first Surface Go's Pentium Gold 4415Y, definitely, but not by much.
It doesn't help that few other things are changing as far as the other core specs go. There will at least be a 256 GB SSD option to go with the Core m3 but the RAM remains squarely in the 8GB mark. There are no details on other hardware features but considering how modest the core specs are, there might be little hope for new components as well.
It is understandable that Microsoft will want to distance the Surface Go from its Surface Pro line but, considering how far the latter has advanced, the gap between the two widens even further. With Apple making an even stronger push for its iPad Pros to become the portable computers of today, now is not the time for Microsoft to remain timid in changes. Especially when the success of the dual-screen Surface Neo can hardly be guaranteed.