Microsoft Surface Go reviews: too slow or an iPad beater?

Choosing a tablet computer is a little more difficult today than it was when Apple launched the iPad back in 2010. As a consumer, you bought either the iPad or a similarly-sized alternative, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Fast forward eight years and the selection has grown substantially, with Microsoft becoming a key player in the market thanks to its Surface tablets.

Launched in 2012, the Surface line had a more conventional computer layout. Microsoft released a host of desktop-style accessories to go with it, such as a magnetic keyboard and mouse support, the latter of which is still absent on the iPad.

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Now there’s a smaller and cheaper alternative called the Surface Go, which launches on 23 August for £379 - putting it in direct competition with Apple’s entry-level iPad.

The Surface Go sits at the bottom of Microsoft’s tablet range, below the critically acclaimed Surface Pro all-in-one computer.

With the same keyboard and mouse support as the range-topping Pro, the Surface Go could be an enticing prospect for potential iPad buyers looking for a more conventional set-up.

However, critics have been somewhat split over the new tablet. The Verge says the Surface Go “doesn’t seem to slot easily into any of the predefined notions of computer pricing tiers we’ve come to know recently”.

This is because ticking a few upgrade options on the order list can make the Go significantly more expensive than the entry-level iPad, but it’s slightly cheaper than a Surface Pro or a mid-range Windows laptop, the tech site says.

Mashable, meanwhile, argues that the Go’s Pentium processor is too slow compared with the Intel Core m3 chip inside base-spec Surface Pro models.

“It's good for very, very short bursts of light productivity. Pound out a couple of emails at the coffee shop. Watch a video on the plane. Edit a few documents in a cab,” the website says. But these tasks “can be accomplished on a cheap [Google] Chromebook or iPad” with ease.

However, Engadget disagrees. Despite the slow hardware, the Go is “the first Surface that can actually take on the iPad”, it says.

The tech site praises the Go’s “impressively thin and light” design, but notes the sleek looks don’t compromise the computer’s ability to deliver “a fully-fledged Windows PC” experience.

Still, with reviewers torn over whether the Surface Go is a stroke of genius or an underpowered laptop imitation, buyers may want to opt for the cheaper - and more critically praised - entry-level iPad.

Microsoft Store, from £379