Microsoft Surface Go 2

For quite some time I searched for a good, very small and multifunctional laptop to take with me on my trips, after my previously used HP X2 210 G2 was just getting to slow.

My list of important points turned out to be:

Full Windows 10 (Want to use the same software than on my normal laptop)
SSD instead of an ordinary HDD (Because of the robustness and performance)
Convertible that can be used as laptop, but also as tablet during flights.
Chargable using USB-C, so I don’t need a lot of chargers for my different devices
Very long battery lifetime (>=5h)
Small form factor (10″ish)
Good display (At least a FHD display to be able to work on stuff)

After trying the MacBookAir and the combination of an iPad with keyboard, I was aware that I definitely have to go with Windows, if I don’t want to buy all licenses again and also the Macs lacked a lot of features I wanted to have, so I sold them after my tests.

I then went on to have a look at convertibles with Windows that were available in the electronic discounters and more or less accidentially discovered the HP X2 210 G2 which was close to my needs and did a good job for two years, but then it was just getting too slow and frustrating.

So I was back at the beginning.

After the last two years it seems a lot of companies that built decent, not too pricey convertibles, seemed to have moved away from this concept and after checking an awful lot of devices I ended up realizing that Microsoft just has the best devices of this type.

I had a look at all available options and the

with it’s small form factor once again seemed to be the best choice.

So I did more research and tested the various versions at the local stores and when finally getting the chance to test the version with the intel Core m3-8100Y CPU, I know I had a winner.

The version I use now is the one with 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD. A true SSD, not just the eMMC, the smaller versions use.

The battery life I experienced by now is simply amazing and brings me almost through a day when I choose the settings to be the ones showing on the right.

With this setting I made it to over 8 hours of battery time working in several applications like WordPress in Chrome and photo retouching in Affinity Photo. Very satisfying.

A good idea is to work on a battery friendly setting and just adjusting the performance when needed. This helps a lot to expand the battery lifetime.

I also recommend to definitely go for the 128GB version, to be able to not having problems with big Windows Updates and have enough space for applications.

For enough space I added a 256GB MicroSD (SDXC) in the port and most of my cloud syncs are targeted to the SDXC card to also not run in any disc space problems.

I also got the Microsoft Surface Mobile Mouse, because it instantly got me when testing it for just some minutes. It perfectly works on all surfaces, which is important during travelling and it’s quite flat so it even fits into the smallest bags.

The Surface Go Type Cover, no matter what color and version is a mandatory accessory for the Surface Go 2 as it transforms the small tablet into a full laptop. I really like typing on the keyboard, even if my hands are quite big and I especially like the possibility of the background light of the keyboard, which helps a lot in planes, trains or your balcony with sea view during your travels. The integrated trackpad is of high quality and very responsive.

As a final point we have:

Travel reasons to choose a real 2-in-1 convertible!

The first and foremost reason is the form factor itself, especially when going for a solution around 10″. It definitely IS small, but this gives you also a lot of freedom to fulfill all works you have to tackle during travelling.

Another important one is:

Some airlines still act strangely when you unpack a full size laptop during the flight, but with this one it isn’t a problem, even if they complain you can undock it from the keyboard and you have just a tablet, which is allowed on every flight.

Thanks for listening! Always safe travels!