After two years of waiting, Microsoft has finally refreshed the Surface Go family with the Surface Go 4, except it's not exactly what we were expecting. While this new model is still one of Microsoft's best Surface products, the company is only making a business version, meaning most consumers won't be able to find it in stores. Still, if you're interested in this budget-oriented Windows tablet, we've got you covered.

Surface Go 4: Price, specs, and availability

Microsoft quietly announced the Surface Go 4 at an event on September 21st, but it's not exactly clear when it will be available or how much it will cost. Pre-launch reports suggested it may start at $579, but we'll have to wait to hear more from the company to be sure.

Since it's a business-oriented device, it may not show up at retailers like Best Buy or Amazon, and the easiest place to buy it will likely be Microsoft's own business store.

What's new in the Surface Go 4?

As you'd expect with any hardware refresh, the Surface Go 4 comes with some upgrades to the specs, but that's about it.

New processor

The most notable change with the Surface Go 3 is that it comes with a new Intel processor, and it's the first one to use the new branding from Intel. Simply called the Intel processor N200, this CPU comes with four cores and four threads, and it can boost up to 3.7GHz. There's only one CPU configuration available this time, whereas there used to be two, but it's a significantly better processor.

The previous top-end model featured a Core i3-10100Y, which had two cores and four threads, and it could boost up to 3.9GHz. The processor cache has also increased by 50%, from 4MB to 6MB, so the performance uplift should be noticeable.

More RAM and faster storage

Microsoft has also done away with the 4GB configuration for the Surface Go 4, meaning the base model now starts with 8GB, a very welcome change. 4GB is simply not great for Windows 11, so this change makes total sense.

The storage in the base model is also faster now. Microsoft has ditched the old eMMC storage and now offers a 64GB UFS drive in the base configuration, which should be significantly faster. eMMC storage is really slow, so you can expect a noticeable increase in speed from this change alone.

No consumer model

Interestingly, Microsoft has decided to release the Surface Go 4 only for business users, which is a first for the series. It had previously been reported that the company was working on an Arm-based model aimed at consumers, but the Intel version would be geared for businesses. However, we didn't get an Arm-based version of the Surface Go, so we'll have to wait and see if the company will launch a version for consumers later.

Surface Go 4: Should you buy it?

Realistically, even if you want to buy the Surface Go 4, there's a good chance you can't, since it's only a business product and it doesn't seem to be available anywhere yet. It's a shame, too, because the upgrades this model brings are actually quite good. The newer processor, but especially the added RAM and faster storage should make the base model far more compelling. We'll be sure to keep you updated if the model becomes available for purchase, but for now, you might want to check out the best laptops instead. Microsoft also announced the Surface laptop Studio 2 and Surface laptop Go 3 at this event, and those are available for consumers, if you're interested.