The recently-announced Surface Go is Microsoft’s biggest attempt yet to use its Surface line to unseat the iPad. The entry-level model comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $399, and the only upgrade version that Microsoft initially announced was a $549 model with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.
But as Neowin just spotted, there might be a middle way. Costco has a model listed with 4GB of RAM and the 128GB SSD, plus a Surface Type cover (usually $100) for $549. If you take out the value of the Surface Type cover, that comes to around $450, which would be a perfect middle-of-the-line model.
As you’d expect, the rest of the specs on the laptop appear to be the same as what Microsoft announced earlier this month. That means an 1800 x 1200 10-inch display that Microsoft is calling PixelSense, because you can’t just let Apple call its screens “Retina” without expecting the rest of the tech world to follow suit. The processor inside is an Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y, there’s a pair of cameras, full 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Dolby-certified stereo speakers. Most importantly, the Surface Go is 8.3mm thick and weights just over a pound, while still managing to fit in a USB-C port for charging and a microSD card reader, which offers a lot more options (and cheaper dongles!) than the iPad’s solitary Lightning port.
Costco has the midrange Surface Go up for pre-order with an August 2nd release date. Of course, you need to be a Costco member to order it at all.
