Microsoft unveils its ‘iPad Pro-killer’, the smallest and lightest Surface device yet

In the biggest challenge we’ve seen to the iPad’s dominance of the tablet market so far, Microsoft has unveiled a cheaper, lighter and smaller competitor in the form of the two-in-one Surface Go.

Though it has a similar style to the previous Surface models, the new Surface Go has a smaller 10-inch screen, weighs less than a bag of sugar at 522g and is only 8.3mm thick. Starting in the UK at £380, it’ll run on Windows 10 and Windows 10 S, and hold a full nine hours of battery life.

Where previously Microsoft may have had to reduce quality in areas like screen resolution in favour of bringing down the price point, the Surface Go seems to face very few of those troubles. It has a high-resolution Pixelsense display that’s calibrated to be soft on your eyes while working or in high-contrast when watching videos, and supports the Surface Pen.

Read more: Surface Book 2 review: Microsoft’s latest 2-in-1 laptop is a beast

Unlike the Surface Pro range, the Go only carries the seventh generation Intel Pentium Gold chip to power its performance. An in-built kickstand will help workers when they’re out and about, carrying over the detachable keyboard from the Pro and also supporting the new Surface Mobile mouse.

Security has also been ramped up this time around, with the camera allowing users to sign in using facial recognition. A version of the Surface Go will come out later in the year that holds on-the-go wifi capabilities through 4G LTE broadband.

“That’s the idea behind the design of Surface Go – our smallest, lightest, and most affordable Surface yet,” said Microsoft chief product officer Panos Panay.

“When we designed this device, we had to ask ourselves what people want and need from a 10 inch Surface. The answers seem obvious – lightweight, productive, and accessible to more people.”