CheckMag | If you like the ROG Flow or iPad's form factor, the Surface Go is still a compelling purchase in 2025

Small, but functional productivity machines capable of (desktop class) web browsing, basic image editing and media consumption have all fallen out of style. Instead, the only options are iPads and Android tablets with their terrible multitasking, file management and mobile browsers, as well as gaming handhelds with tiny screens or products from Chinese brands. Then there are 13-inch tablets or 2-in-1s, which although powerful, are far too impractical to hold in front of your face for long. Finding any sort of sub 13 inch device that runs a desktop class operating system is more or less impossible in 2025.

So when I was on the hunt for a highly portable machine that would take up a minimum amount of space when travelling with just carry-on luggage, a second hand Surface Go 2 at around $100 for 8 GB RAM and a 128 GB SSD seemed like a steal. That was until I tried to use it. The person I bought it from had thoughtfully "upgraded" it to a fresh installation of Windows 11, requiring a painfully slow (30 minutes plus) setup process. Once through that tedious process, opening even the most basic apps such as the file manager or web browser would take tens of seconds, and loading something resource intensive like YouTube would force the whole thing to lock up for minutes at a time.

I love the form factor, so was inspired to look for an alternative solution. Nuking Windows entirely and installing a Gnome based distro transformed my pre-loved Surface Go 2 from a slug into a surprisingly functional, touch friendly, highly portable and multipurpose machine.

Installing the operating system is as easy as burning an image to a USB stick and booting from it. I chose to go with Ubuntu, simply because I am familiar with it, there is a ton of support available online, and there are plenty of guides to get Ubuntu onto your Surface Go. Any Linux distribution will do, the only caveat being that if you want it to function well as a tablet without the keyboard attached, the Gnome desktop environment is essential. There are some hoops to jump through, such as disabling secure boot, then re-enabling it and enrolling the keys, but once this is completed you are left with a functional operating system. It is also worth installing the Linux-Surface kernel, although pretty much everything worked out of the box, including screen rotation, touchscreen, audio, Wi-Fi and the detachable keyboard.

The only hardware that doesn't work is the cameras. This was never a dealbreaker as plugging your phone in to use as a webcam works well, however there are workarounds to get the cameras working in most software, including Firefox.

Working with Linux is night and day compared with the bloated Windows 11, but you do have to temper your expectations. The processor in the Surface Go is weak in every way, but opening programs (including Chrome) is fast, and I never encountered any issues even with multiple tabs open. This entire article was written on the Surface Go 2, including basic editing of images, and it never once felt like the device was holding me back. Gimp was probably the slowest program to open, taking around 15 seconds, but once loaded, basic tasks were more than serviceable. The native resolution without scaling gives plenty of screen real estate to work with, and it's easy to switch to 150% in the settings if you want a more touch friendly experience.

Where the Surface Go really shines is not only its ability to function as a serviceable work machine, but also replace an e-reader, music player, remote gaming machine and TV when packing light and away from home. 

FBReader will let you read pretty much any e-book including ePub and mobi with the device being light enough to not give you repetitive strain injury when holding it in front of your face for long periods of time. While FBReader hasn't been open source since 2015, it is one of the best touch friendly ebook readers for Linux. 

Lollypop is an excellent MP3 player with a touch friendly interface, allowing you to scroll through albums, artists and playlists. The interface is far easier to use in a tablet form factor than something like Rhythmbox. 

Feeds, or the Feedly GUI, will let you import your news feeds and read just like you would on an iPad or phone, while Kodi will let you browse and watch your media library. Unlike the iPad, the Surface Go 2 actually has expandable storage, so there is almost no limit to how much media you can store on the device.

Moonlight will let you stream games from a gaming PC, (although the Surface Go is surprisingly capable when running lightweight titles such as Hollow Knight) and Remmina will let you remotely access any Windows remotes if you need to administer your gaming machine.

You can even install WayDroid which will add Android and Google Play Store functionality to your Surface Go. When testing WayDroid, performance was excellent and gave me access to every Android app out there. However, ultimately, I preferred to stay with native Linux apps in the majority of cases.

While not essential, installing the Gnome Extension Manager allows you to install some useful tweaks. TopHat adds a handy set of system statistics to the toolbar, showing how much RAM or disk space remains, as well as letting you know exactly how pegged the CPU is on the Surface Go. Unless doing something really intensive, all 4 cores were rarely above 50%. 

Better OSK allows you to customise the on-screen keyboard allowing the full width of the screen to be used in landscape, as well as giving access to CTRL, ALT and Delete keys.

From a purely aesthetic perspective, I also installed Wobbly Windows and Magic Lamp effect, simply because I love Compiz Fusion from back in the day, and neither add much overhead to the already taxed CPU.

The Surface Go isn't a power house by any stretch of the imagination. It doesn't have the processor, RAM or even battery life of something more modern. If you are looking for a tablet that fills that niche, you might want to look at the outrageously priced ROG Flow Z13 (Available on Amazon.com).

However, the Surface Go can be found very cheaply on the 2nd hand market in a variety of configurations (just stay away from 4 GB RAM models) and offers a number of compelling use-cases when looking for a serviceable all in one device. While completely useless running Windows, if you are prepared to put in a bit of DIY, what you are left with is an extremely flexible, multi-function device that packs down into a form factor that isn't offered outside of iPads and Android tablets, and it arguably presents a far more flexible and functional experience.