28 PCWorld JANUARY 2022REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE GO 3
transition to Windows 11,
specifically the addition of
Windows 11 Home in S
Mode. This means two
different things. First, setup
involves stepping through
the soothing sequence of
introductions as described in
our Windows 11 review (fave.
co/3cdEtj3). Secondly,
Windows 11 Home in S Mode
handcuffs you by restricting
apps to the Microsoft Store,
as Windows 10 S (Windows
10 Home in S Mode [fave.co/3edGAV7]) did.
This restriction helps secure the PC by
ensuring you’ll only download apps that
Microsoft has nominally vetted. But if you
want to, for example, download a third-party
browser like Google Chrome, you can’t. We
also have yet to see the tangible upgrades in
the performance and battery life that
Microsoft originally promised with S Mode.
All this means is that I quickly switched out of
Windows 11 in S Mode (fave.co/3Fet8fa) for
the “real” Windows 11 Home, which took a
minute or two.MICROSOFT’S MOBILE
EXPERIENCE
Using the Surface Go 3 feels more like a
mobile experience than a typical tablet or
laptop (even during a pandemic). Windows
11’s updated tablet experience simply adds asmall software-based keyboard to the user
interface when the keyboard is undocked,
which allows you to freely wander about the
house. The Go 3’s narrow display bezels are
about a finger’s width apart, and the compact
dimensions make it uniquely suited to using it
as a traditional tablet.
You can use the Go 3 while seated at a
desk or you can easily throw it into a
backpack. However, I found it much easier to
use at a desk than on my lap, like previous
Surface Go devices. One part on the Type
Cover’s dual hinge holds fast onto the tablet,
preventing the keyboard from flipping
backward and out of your lap. But the
secondary hinge detaches easily, flopping the
keyboard down into a flat (and uncomfortable)
orientation. To be fair, the Go’s size does allow
working under cramped conditions such as on
a train’s pull-down table.Part of the Type Cover’s dual hinge holds onto the tablet, preventing
the keyboard from flipping backward and out of your lap.