As a former marketing professional and a laptop reviewer, I often find myself surprised and sometimes confused by the decisions companies make when launching laptops. An example is when a company offers only one or two configurations that may not meet the needs of many users and, as a result, the laptop starts up incorrectly. In that case, I can at least understand the complexity of manufacturing and component sourcing. Although I would mention the lack of options in a review, I wouldn’t necessarily bash the laptop because of it.
However, some mistakes are hard to ignore. I feel the same way about Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 3, which the company introduced at a significantly higher price than its predecessors. The laptop, designed and configured like a budget machine, starts at $800 and runs up to $1,000. These are midrange prices, but the Surface can’t compete with many midrange laptops.
$800 is too much
At a starting price of $800, the Surface Laptop Go 3 comes with a last-generation Intel CPU, Core i5-1235U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. To be fair, this is an upgrade from the previous generation’s base configuration of 4GB and 128GB that cost $550. Plastic is used in its construction and it has a low-resolution display that is less than 1080p. Today, they would be fine specifications at a price of $550.
But let’s look at an alternative, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED. That laptop costs $700 for a faster AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. The kicker is the ZenBook’s stunning 2.8K OLED display that’s extremely sharp and delivers amazing brightness, insanely rich colors, and incredibly high contrast to blacks. It’s a larger laptop at 14 inches compared to the Surface Laptop Go’s 12.4 inches, but for many, if not most, that will be a plus. The 14-inch display strikes a great compromise between screen and chassis size.
The ZenBook is also improved, with an all-metal chassis, and a better keyboard and larger touchpad. It also has a 1080p webcam, compared to the 720p version of the Surface, and its wireless connectivity is up to date on Wi-Fi 6E versus Wi-Fi 6. I’m doing a more comprehensive comparison of laptops, but the point is that the Surface Laptop Go 3 just can’t compete. And the ZenBook isn’t the only better laptop you can buy for $800 or less.
I Dell It uses a lower-powered 12th-generation Intel CPU, so it’s a little slower than the Surface, but it also comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Its display is faster and offers more accurate colors, but it’s otherwise similar in performance. Finally, it’s made entirely of aluminum, but it also has a 720p webcam. It’s a better laptop, though not in the same class as the ZenBook, and it costs $200 less than the Surface Laptop Go 3. not good.
Price is one of the most important marketing considerations when launching a new product. And Surface Laptop Go 3 is very expensive.
$1,000 is even worse
There is also a higher-end configuration of the Surface Laptop Go 3, which costs $1,000 and increases the RAM to 16GB. For the same price at Best Buy, you can get a asus zenbook 14x With a very fast Intel Core i7-13700H CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and the same OLED display as the ZenBook 14 OLED. This is just one example of laptops that blow the Surface out of the water for similar money.
Just as importantly, you can also get the Apple MacBook Air M1 directly from Apple for $1,000, and as I’m writing this, macbook air m2 Available at Best Buy for $949. The MacBook Air M1 is still relevant with faster performance, a better display, and a sturdy build. Get the MacBook Air M2 at this sale price and you’ll get a laptop that’s much faster than the Surface, slightly faster than the M1 version, and with a more modern design. It is the thinnest laptop at just 0.44 inches.
Obviously, these are all better laptops for the $1,000 price range. Anyone doing their research before buying will find those and others that are much better value.
No matter how you shake it, the Surface Laptop Go 3 doesn’t fall into that category. It’s a limping guppy swimming in a sea of sharks.
