Microsoft has announced the Surface Go 2, an upgrade to 2018’s Surface Go, and this new version packs a lot of new features, including a larger 10.5-inch display, a camera app for the rear-facing camera, and improved battery life. The Surface Go 2 also starts at $399.99, making it affordable enough for people who may just want a cheap Windows computing machine without the more expensive bells and whistles of a Surface Pro or Surface Pro X.
The Surface Go has a lot of competition, however, and its rivals have similar screen sizes and lower prices. Apple’s $329 entry-level iPad was updated last year with a 10.2-inch screen size and a connector that lets you attach a Smart Keyboard to it. Amazon refreshed the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet in 2019 as well, and that costs just $149.99. Samsung announced the $349.99 Galaxy Tab S6 Lite in April, which is scheduled to launch sometime in Q2 2020.
If you’re in the market for an entry-level tablet, there are a lot of different options to pick from. To help you decide which model is best for you, we’ve compared the Surface Go 2 with the iPad, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, and the Amazon Fire HD 10 in the table below.
The table is best viewed in landscape mode on mobile devices.
Surface Go 2 vs. iPad (2019) vs. Galaxy Tab S6 Lite vs. Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019)
| Category | Surface Go 2 | iPad | Galaxy Tab S6 Lite | Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Surface Go 2 | iPad | Galaxy Tab S6 Lite | Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019) |
| Starting price | $399.99 | $329.00 | $349.99 | $149.99 |
| OS | Windows 10 | iPadOS 13.4 | Android 10 | Fire OS 7 |
| Display | 10.5-inch (1920 x 1280) | 10.2-inch (2160 x 1620) Retina display | 10.4-inch (2000 x 1200) | 10.1-inch (1920 x 1200) |
| Pixels per inch | 220 ppi | 264 ppi | TBA | 224 ppi |
| Dimensions | 9.65 x 6.9 x .33 inches | 9.8 x 6.8 x .29 inches | 9.63 x 6.07 x 0.28 inches | 10.3 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches |
| Weight | Wi-Fi: 544g; LTE Advanced, 553g | Wi-Fi: 483g; Wi-Fi + Cellular, 493g | 458g | 504g |
| Battery capacity | Up to 10 hours of “typical device usage” | Wi-Fi: Up to 10 hours of “surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music;” Wi-Fi + Cellular: Up to nine hours of “surfing the web using cellular data network” | Up to 12 hours | Up to 12 hours of “reading, browsing the web, watching video, and listening to music” |
| Processor | Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4425Y or 8th Gen Intel Core m3 Processor | A10 Fusion | Exynos 9610 octa-core (4 x 2.3GHz + 4 x 1.7GHz) | Octa-core 2.0 GHz |
| RAM | 4GB or 8GB | 3GB, reportedly | 4GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 64GB eMMC or 128GB SSD | 32GB or 128GB | 64GB or 128GB | 32GB, 64GB |
| Ports | One USB-C, one Surface Connect, one Surface Type Cover Port, one microSDXC card reader | One Lightning | One USB-C | One USB-C, one microSD card reader |
| Rear cameras | 8MP, 1080p | 8MP (F/2.4) | 8MP (F/1.9) | 2MP, 720p |
| Front cameras | 5MP, 1080p | 1.2MP (F/2.2), 720p | 5MP (F/2.0) | 2MP, 720p |
| Biometrics | Windows Hello | Touch ID | Facial recognition | N/A |
| LTE | Yes, with the $729.99 model | Yes, with the $130 more expensive Wi-Fi + Cellular model | Yes, though pricing for the LTE version will vary by carrier | No |
| Power Adapter | 24W power supply | 12W power supply | TBA | 9W power supply |
| Colors | Silver | Space gray, silver, gold | Oxford gray, angora blue, chiffon rose | Black, twilight blue, plum, white |
| 3.5mm headphone jack | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard | Yes, with $99.99 Surface Go 2 Type Cover | Yes, with third-party accessory | The Tab S6 Lite supports Bluetooth keyboards | Yes, with third-party accessory |
| Trackpad | Yes, with $99.99 Surface Go 2 Type Cover | Yes, with third-party accessory | The Tab S6 Lite supports Bluetooth mice | Yes, with third-party accessory |
| Stylus support | Yes, with $99.99 Surface Pen or supported styluses | Yes, with $99 Apple Pencil or supported styluses | Yes, with included S Pen | Yes, with third-party accessory |
