Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 refreshed with newer processor and more storage options

Just over a year after launching the Surface Laptop Go 2, Microsoft is refreshing its entry-level laptop. This time around, the Surface Laptop Go 3 as its called gets some choice upgrades with a newer processor as well as more storage.

The Surface Laptop Go 3 now comes with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1235U processor, mated to up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM with your choice of either a 128GB UFS drive or an SSD with either 256GB or 512GB of storage. That’s a notable step up from last year’s Surface Laptop Go 2, which had an 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and only up to 256GB of storage.

Unfortunately, what hasn’t been upgraded is its display. The Surface Laptop Go 3 still has a 12.4-inch PixelSense Display pushing a meagre 1536 x 1024p resolution in Microsoft’s preferred 3:2 aspect ratio. This panel covers the sRGB colour gamut, has a 1000:1 contrast ratio and a peak brightness of 320nits. That’s the same resolution and 148PPI pixel density as its predecessor.

Other features of note include a 15-hour battery life, a 720p webcam, Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio Premium, a hardware TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise-grade security and a fingerprint reader on the power button for Windows Hello sign in. You’ll also find a USB-C 3.2 port, a USB-A 3.1 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Surface Connect port for charging. Wireless connectivity meanwhile gets taken care of with WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 support. With an aluminium lid and a polycarbonate body, the Surface Laptop Go 3 is a rather light device, coming in at just 1.13kg.

Microsoft has not made it known how much it’ll cost in Malaysia or when it’ll even be available here, but we do know that in the US at least, it’ll be available from 3 October onwards with a USD799.99 (~RM3,749.95) starting price.