The Surface Go just hit shelves this week, which means its time for the usual rite of passage for all big tech releases: the teardown. The device deconstruction wizards at iFixit have given Microsoft's latest Surface the teardown treatment, giving us a peek at what's inside and, importantly, just how difficult it may be to perform repairs on your own.
So what's the verdict? You probably won't want to crack into this thing for any repairs on your own. While iFixit found that the Surface Go's smaller display was sturdier and easier to remove, everything underneath is held stubbornly in place.
The battery is glued firmly in place by two pads of adhesive, making it difficult to remove. Underneath, the Surface Go holds "seemingly endless layers of shields, tape, and hidden screws." And while all of the major hardware specs of the Surface Go are no secret, the teardown did reveal that the device is free of any heat pipes for cooling, relying instead on thermal paste and a thin copper shield. While that may raise concerns over heat dissipation, we found in our review that the Surface Go doesn't seem to get more than slightly warm under stress.
Surface Go is available now in retail stores and from Microsoft in the U.S. and Canada starting at $399. The device is set to roll out to 23 other markets around the world starting on August 23, with more to follow in September.
