What does the Surface Go 2 come with?

Tempted to buy a shiny new Surface Go 2 but not sure if you need to pick up a Type Cover keyboard and Surface Pen stylus to go with it? Then fear not as Trusted Reviews has checked in with Microsoft to confirm…

What does the Surface Go 2 come with?

The Surface Go 2 doesn’t come with a Type Cover keyboard or Surface Pen. Both are optional extras you have to buy separately.

The Type Cover is available on the main Microsoft Store in a variety of colours, including Platinum, Black, Poppy Red, and Ice Blue. Pricing hasn’t been released yet, but the first generation Surface Go Type Cover retailed for £150. The Surface Pen is also available in the Microsoft Store for £100.

Hands on: Surface Go 2 review

This means the Surface Go is a little pricey, even compared to its iPad Pro competition, when you get all the optional extras, with lowest specced tablet retailing for $400 (roughly £320 at the time of writing).

We’ve always taken exception to the fact Microsoft makes you pay extra for the pen and keyboard cover. If our experience with the first-generation Surface Go, and pretty much every Microsoft convertible, is anything to go on you’ll need both peripherals to get the most out of the device.

Related: Best laptops for students

Without it, the Surface Go’s functionality is fairly limited, as the Windows 10S software is really designed for pen and keyboard inputs. This is especially true compared to Apple’s iPad Pro, which iOS software is fully optimised for touch inputs.

The Surface Go 2 was unveiled in May 2020 alongside the more premium Surface Book 3 laptop. It’s a small form factor tablet-laptop convertible designed for students and buyers on a budget. Its main selling point is its robust battery life and optional LTE connectivity. It sits below the higher-end Surface Pro, which has a larger screen, more robust storage, CPU and RAM options.