# Microsoft Surface Go

12 Hacker News commenters recommended Microsoft Surface Go and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** A small tablet people use for light work and travel alongside a main laptop, and it runs Linux reasonably well. Common caveat: it feels sluggish and is weak as a full laptop.

## Why people recommend it

- Practical for light work and travel (4 comments): "it shined if I had to to more work/research and I didn't have laptop with me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47875434)) "does the job for when I'm not carrying my Macbook Air around with me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48355477)) "was one of the most practical little machines I've ever used" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49389335))
- Runs Linux well (4 comments): "from what I know they run Linux fairly reliably now and can be gotten suprisingly cheaply" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48182429)) "the least effort route might be the MS Surface Go 3 tablet running Windows or Linux" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46285113)) "will be somewhat usable for that with Linux installed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47874616))

## What people warn about

- Feels sluggish, slow to start typing (2 comments): "I'm addicted to the small form factor, but it's not as quick to open and start typing as a laptop would be." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49752325)) "super sluggish after upgrading to 11 even after debloating" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46446696))
- Weak as a full laptop (2 comments): "kind of just throws away the things you would pick windows for in the first place (legacy app compatibility)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47223563)) "It was also a lousy laptop and a bad ebook reader." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45860511))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Microsoft Surface](https://hackerapproved.com/p/microsoft-surface.md): 64 recommend
- [Lenovo Yoga](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lenovo-yoga.md): 15 recommend
- [Microsoft Surface Book](https://hackerapproved.com/p/microsoft-surface-book.md): 13 recommend
- [Asus ROG Flow Z13](https://hackerapproved.com/p/asus-rog-flow-z13.md): 7 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Microsoft+Surface+Go+2&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Microsoft Surface Go", https://hackerapproved.com/p/microsoft-surface-go-2/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).