Microsoft's big Surface Go 2 processor upgrade is now pretty much confirmed
Commercially released almost two years ago, Microsoft's smallest and cheapest tablet to date wasn't exactly welcomed with the same enthusiasm as, say, 2019's Surface Pro 7 powerhouse. But the first-gen Surface Go did prove popular enough to yield a sequel, which is widely expected to see daylight this month.
The first Surface Go 2 details... surfaced in the rumor mill way back in February, and although there doesn't seem to be much left to reveal about Microsoft's direct rival to Apple's iPad Air (2019), it's nice to get pre-release confirmation in a major hardware department.
As it turns out, those benchmarks from over two months ago were right on the money in regards to at least one Surface Go 2 processor option. As spotted by Windows Latest in a recent Energy Star certification, there's an Intel Core m3 configuration in the pipeline. Specifically, one powered by a Core m3-8100Y chip, which may not sound impressive by Surface Pro family standards, but should actually prove significantly faster than the original Surface Go.
Keep in mind that, while Microsoft sells its 2018-released 10-incher in three different versions, all three have the same Intel Pentium 4415Y processor under the hood. If previous rumors and leaks pan out, the entry-level Surface Go 2 variant will come with an Intel Pentium 4425Y chip inside, itself providing an incremental upgrade over the old Windows 10 tablet with a compact body.
Speaking of compact bodies, rumor has it the Microsoft Surface Go 2 will be able to squeeze a display of anywhere between 10.5 and 11 inches into a largely unchanged chassis courtesy of slimmer bezels, which makes it that much cooler to hear the revamped slate could start at the same $400 price as its predecessor.
Naturally, your four Benjamins will only be enough to hook you up with the aforementioned Pentium configuration likely packing 4 gigs of memory and a blazing fast 128GB SSD. The Core m3 variant is expected to boost those numbers to 8 and 256 gigs respectively, which may lead to a significant hike to a price point of $550 or even more. Don't forget about the 4G LTE-enabled model either, which is likely to cost around $700. Of course, nothing is etched in stone just yet, but an official announcement could take place any day now.
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