Launched earlier this month, Microsoft’s new $400 Surface Go is barely out of the gates in terms of availability. Microsoft unveiled two variants of the device based on RAM and storage configuration. However, an interesting third variant that was never announced by the company is now available.
Surface Go is available globally for $399 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. This is the variant Microsoft really wants consumers to get excited about. It matches Apple’s base level iPad in terms of price and betters it in many technical aspects.
Microsoft also sells a more powerful 8GB RAM and 128GB storage Surface Go for $549. While coming with improved specs, this variant blurs lines slightly with the Surface Pro. Both versions of the Go come with Intel’s Pentium 4415Y processor.
At the official unveiling, Microsoft didn’t speak of any more variants, but one has shown up at US-based retailer Costco. The company is selling a version of the Surface Go with 4GB of RAM (like the $399 model) and 128GB storage (like the $549 model).
We thought this may have just been an error in Costco’s retail listing. However, this story has done the rounds today and the company has not updated its listing, so we guess this is the variant it is selling.
Bundle
Interestingly, the 4GB/128GB version at Costco is priced at $549 like the 8GB/128GB variant. So what gives, why would you want to pay the same price for less RAM? Well, Costco’s model stands out because it comes bundled with some additions.
For example, the device comes with a Black Edition Surface Type Cover for free. Microsoft does not bundle the cover/keyboard accessory with its Surface Go models, instead selling it for an additional $99. That would mean buying the Type Cover with the base Go model would raise the price to $499 and adding to the higher configuration brings a retail cost of $649.
So, we can look at Costco’s item as something of a trade-off. You get the same RAM as the base model, but the same storage as the high-end model with a Type Cover thrown in for the same price. Not bad.
Last Updated on April 9, 2020 11:35 am CEST by Luke Jones
