It’s not been long since Microsoft’s smallest Surface ever, the Surface Go, came out. And the folks at iFixit have already torn the entire device down. iFixit, for those unfamiliar, tears down latest hardware and awards them a “repairability” score that’s essentially an indicator of how easy it is to repair or upgrade a device.

And like every other Surface device to date, the Surface Go isn’t any better when it comes to the repairability score. iFixit awarded the device with a repairability score of 1 out of 10, which means it’s going to be quite challenging to repair or upgrade the hardware. The main complaint from iFixit continues to be revolved around the usage of adhesive: when the Surface Laptop got a repairability score of 0, iFixit called it a “glue-filled monstrosity”. And that’s no different here. On the Surface Go, iFixit complimented the easily disconnectable battery, but that later got shattered by the two “giant pads of adhesive” holding the battery cells together.

iFixit says the lack of modularity and upgradability will make repairs “unnecessarily” expensive, and “severely” limit the device’s lifespan. In fact, replacement of any part on the device will require you to remove the display assembly completely, which is easily prone to damage. Either way, that’s expected on a 10-inch computer.

Microsoft’s Surface has never been known for upgradability. The company’s Surface Book 2 and Surface Pro got a repairability score of 1 as well, with the Surface Laptop getting a score of 0, and the Surface Studio coming up strong with 5. The small, cramped form factor of these devices make it incredibly hard to tear them down and upgrade all the different parts, and that’s expected here on a 10-inch device. Even Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a repairability score of 2, so Microsoft isn’t doing too bad here.

Tagged with iFixit, Surface, Surface Go, Surface Laptop