Microsoft Surface Go 4 review

Microsoft Surface Go 4 (2023) — 0.52 kg of patience

The Surface Go 4 at $246 is the cheapest machine in this batch and the lightest at 0.52 kg — 60% under the netbook-class median of 1.3. Weight is the flagged strength, mobility posts 100 (+40.8%), and overall performance is the flagged weakness at 14.08, 47.5% below the class median. An Intel Processor N200 with the integrated GPU as the only graphics carries the configuration.

Where it holds up

Portability posts 100 (top) — the ceiling reading — and office productivity 95 (top), the strongest compute axis on the card. For documents, mail and browsing on a machine that disappears into a small bag, the sheet delivers exactly what the format promises. Weight at 0.52 kg is the lightest in this batch by a wide margin.

Where it falls short

Overall performance at 14.08 (low) sets the honest frame, with modeling 18 (low), photo design 20 (low) and CAD 19 (low) behind it. The gaming index logs 64, yet no measured title clears even the minimum bar in the fit data — treat that reading as index-only, not playable. No depreciation anchor is recorded (base $0); the 2023 cohort rate is 12.83% per year.

Price and depreciation

No curve or projection applies without an anchor; the 12.83% class rate is mid-band. At $246 the ask is the floor of this batch — the depreciation risk left in the card is proportionally small.

Alternatives to consider

The IdeaPad 1 14 at $399 in this list is the cheaper full-laptop shape with the same bottom-tier compute; the Surface Laptop Go at $650 is the laptop-shaped sibling; and the Surface Pro 8 at $666 is the step-up tablet with a U-series chip if the budget stretches.

Bottom line

Fairly priced for the class. An ultralight secondary device: 0.52 kg, portability 100 top, office 95 top — against performance 14.08 low and no measured game clearing minimum. A companion machine, honestly priced, not a primary computer.