Microsoft Discontinued The Budget Surface Go & Surface Laptop Go
Credit: Dell
Microsoft announced the discontinuation of the Surface Go 4 tablet and Surface Laptop Go 3 laptop, ending its line of compact and affordable Windows devices. According to Windows Central, the company has no plans to release new models in these series, despite strong demand among enterprise customers. Both models are no longer listed on Microsoft’s official website, suggesting they have been discontinued.
This means Microsoft has eliminated the budget products from its lineup. It currently sells 12- and 13-inch Surface Pro tablets, as well as 13-, 13.8-, and 15-inch Surface Laptops; a pricey Surface Laptop Ultra is also planned. According to the source, Microsoft considered releasing the Surface Go 5 with a low-cost Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, but abandoned the project because enterprise customers weren’t interested in the Arm-based model. This is significant because the Surface Go 4 was sold as a commercial device; the company is less interested in consumer devices.
As an alternative, Microsoft began offering the Dell XPS 13, positioning it as a competitor to the Apple MacBook Neo, but with Windows Hello facial authentication, a touchscreen, and a backlit keyboard. The base version of the computer offers an Intel Core 5 320 processor, 8 GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 512 GB SSD, a 13.4-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 2560 × 1600 pixels and a variable refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, Wi-Fi 7, and a chassis weighing 1 kg. In the US, the Dell XPS 13 starts at $699 for consumers and $599 for students; however, in other countries, it is significantly more expensive—in Germany, for example, the base model is priced at €1,049, significantly more than the MacBook Neo.
Microsoft’s decision to discontinue the Surface Go and Laptop Go was unexpected, especially given the steady demand among corporate customers. Many organizations chose these devices as convenient and affordable solutions for employees, but now they will have to choose devices from other manufacturers.
