PC World - USA (2020-11)

62 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2020

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP GO

By this measure, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go

does decently, proving that it should be perfectly

capable in Web apps.

WebXPRT

WebXPRT 3 WebXPRT 2015

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

Microsoft Surface Pro X Microsoft SQ1

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Core i7-1065G7

HP Pavilion x360 14 Core i5-1035G1

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Core i7-1065G7

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Ryzen 7 3780U Surface Edition

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Ryzen 5 3580U Surface Edition

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Core i5-8250U

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go Core i5-1035G1

Microsoft Surface Go 2Core m3-8100Y

Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro (2017)Core i7-7820HQ

Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro (2018)Core i9-8950HK

Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) Core i7-7660U

Microsoft Surface Book (2015) Core i7-6600U

Apple 12-inch MacBook (Mid-2017) (Core m3-7Y32)

597

N/A

185

582

196

572

N/A

549

181

535

198

533

155

461

163

455

132

453

153

449

152

441

N/A

414

139

400

122

344

explaining that the app isn’t compatible with

Windows 10 in S Mode. We don’t understand

why Microsoft can’t only show you apps your

PC can download.

That said, there’s a decent amount of apps

and games that are available for the Surface

Laptop Go: the Office suite, certainly, as well

as popular apps like Spotify. But even games

are hit-and-miss: Minecraft for Windows 10 is

Windows 10 S-capable. Minecraft Dungeons

is not. Halo? Nope—even though all three are

Microsoft-owned games. Meanwhile, third-

party games like World of Tanks: Blitz and

Goat Simulator are ready to rock.

As you may be aware, however, there is a

way out. Within the Windows 10 Settings

menu (Update & Security > Activation) lies the

Switch to Windows 10 Home option.

Switching out of Windows 10 in S mode to

Windows 10 Home is a one-way street, and

you’ll lose the protective embrace of

Windows 10 S. Doing so, however, opens

the door to all the freedom you’d expect

with a PC.

Battery life is one slightly brighter spot

for Windows 10 in S Mode. We’ve noticed

longer life from prior Surface Laptops tested

in S mode, although the margin seems to

have narrowed over time. The Surface

Laptop Go’s battery lasted a little longer in

S mode than in it did when we switched to

Windows 10 Home, but not enough to

justify sticking with the more limited

operating system.

PERFORMANCE: WINDOWS

10 IN S MODE

Because the Store restrictions prevented us

from running our traditional suite of

benchmarks in Windows 10 S, we used