Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 12.4", Core i5-1035G1, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Silver

The Surface Laptop Go is a compact 12.4-inch touchscreen laptop with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, priced between USD 235 and USD 410. The screen and portability are best-in-class, but the CPU and GPU are weak, and gaming is essentially out of the question. At the low end of the price range, it's a great buy for students and commuters. At the high end, you're better off looking at newer options.

The Core i5-1035G1 is a quad-core chip from Intel's 10th gen lineup, running at a modest 1.0GHz base clock. In our database, it lands in the 27th percentile for CPUs among laptops, which is a polite way of saying it's not going to win any races. For everyday stuff like web browsing, Word docs, spreadsheets, and video calls, it's perfectly fine. You won't feel like you're waiting on the machine for basic tasks. But throw anything heavier at it, like video editing or running a bunch of browser tabs alongside a Zoom call, and you'll start to feel the ceiling.

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics sits even lower, at the 28th percentile for GPUs. That's not a surprise for a machine this size, but it does mean gaming is basically off the table. Our scoring puts gaming at 5.6 out of 100, which is about as close to zero as we get. The 16GB of RAM is the saving grace here. It's more than enough for multitasking, and it's actually a bit unusual to see this much memory paired with a budget-tier CPU. The 256GB SSD is on the smaller side, landing in the 16th percentile for storage, so you'll want to lean on cloud storage or an external drive if you keep a lot of files locally.

Stacked against the competition, the Surface Laptop Go holds its own in a few specific areas and falls behind in others. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a business-class machine with a much better keyboard and more ports, but it typically costs significantly more. The Apple MacBook Pro GSRF MWP42LL/A is in a completely different performance class, but you're paying Apple prices for that privilege. The HP OmniBook X Flip and ASUS Vivobook TP3407SA-DS74T both offer newer processors and better port selections, though they tend to be pricier and larger.

The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is probably the closest philosophical competitor here. It's thin, light, and aimed at similar use cases, but it comes with a newer chip and a higher price tag. Where the Surface Laptop Go wins is on sheer portability and price. The 96th percentile compact score is no joke. This thing disappears into a bag. But if you need more than one USB-A port, or you want to do anything beyond basic productivity, the newer options start to look more appealing.

Here's where things get interesting. The same core config is listed between USD 235 and USD 410, and that gap matters a lot. At USD 235, this is a genuinely compelling buy. You're getting a touchscreen laptop with 16GB of RAM, a solid screen, and a compact body for less than the price of a decent smartphone. That's hard to argue with. At USD 410, the math changes. You're now in territory where you can start looking at newer budget laptops with better CPUs and more modern port selections.

The affordability score sits in the 95th percentile, which reflects the low end of that price range more than the high end. If you can snag this at the lower price, it's a steal. If you're looking at the higher listing, we'd say hold off or negotiate. The seller notes mention fast shipping and top-rated customer service, which is nice, but that doesn't change the hardware inside. For the money, the sweet spot is clearly the cheaper listing.

The Surface Laptop Go is one of those machines that makes you wonder why more laptops can't just be this simple. It's a 12.4-inch touchscreen laptop that weighs about as much as a hardcover book, and it's aimed squarely at students, commuters, and anyone who wants a real Windows machine without hauling around a five-pound slab. The spec sheet here is interesting too: 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD in a body this small is a combo you don't see every day at this price point.

What makes this particular listing worth a look is the price spread. We're seeing it listed between USD 235 and USD 410 across two listings, which is a pretty wild range for the same core hardware. At the low end, you're getting a lot of laptop for the money. At the high end, you're starting to brush up against newer options that might make you think twice. That's the kind of thing we'll dig into below.

And yes, this is a refurbished unit. That's not a dirty word around here. A good refurb with a solid seller behind it can be the smartest buy on the market. The seller notes mention fast shipping and top-rated customer service, which helps. But the real question is whether the hardware itself holds up in 2025, and for who exactly.

If you're a gamer, skip this without a second thought. The integrated graphics and 5.6 out of 100 gaming score mean you'll be frustrated within minutes. Look at something with a dedicated GPU, even a budget one, if you want to play anything beyond solitaire. Business users who need to dock to external monitors or connect multiple USB devices should also look elsewhere. The single USB-A port and lack of USB-C is a dealbreaker for a lot of office setups.

Anyone who works with large files locally, like photographers or video editors, will find the 256GB SSD and modest CPU limiting. You'd be better served by a machine with a larger drive and a more powerful processor, even if it costs a bit more. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon or a newer HP OmniBook would be a better fit for those use cases.

For students and commuters who live in a browser, write papers, and watch lectures, this is a solid pick at the right price. The 16GB of RAM means you can keep a dozen tabs open without the machine grinding to a halt, and the screen is genuinely nice for the size. The touchscreen is a bonus for note-taking or scrolling through PDFs. If you can get it at the lower end of that USD 235 to USD 410 range, it's an easy recommendation.

For anyone who needs to run demanding software, play games, or connect multiple peripherals, this is not the laptop for you. The single USB-A port and lack of USB-C is a real limitation in 2025, and the CPU will struggle with anything beyond light productivity. If you're a business user who needs to dock to a monitor and run spreadsheets all day, look at the ThinkPad X1 Carbon or a newer HP instead. This is a student and casual-use machine, and it's good at being that.