Microsoft Corp. has returned to the small, affordable tablet market, announcing the Surface Go, a 10-inch tablet packing a lot of punch for $399.

Pitched by Microsoft as “the most portable and affordable Surface product yet,” the Go tablet offers an 1800 x 1200 PixelSense Display. It supports the Surface Pen with 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, low pen parallax, low latency and precision for accurate note-taking, drawing and computer-aided design.

Powered by an Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4415Y, the Surface Go tablet is fanless and promises to deliver up to nine hours of battery life. Microsoft notes in a likely jab at Apple Inc.’s iPads that it has “the ports you need,” including a Surface Connect port for charging and docking; USB-C 3.1 for data, video and charging; a headphone jack; and a MicroSD card reader for storage expansion.

Along with its smaller screen size, the Surface Go also shrinks in depth and weight over other Surface tablets, coming in at 8.3 millimeters thick and 1.15 pounds.

Initial feedback on the device, the first time Microsoft has offered a cheaper, smaller Surface Tablet since it discontinued the Surface 3 in at the end of 2016, has been positive. But many rightly point out that the price is somewhat deceptive because the $399 does not include a keyboard.

Microsoft is offering two keyboard options for the Surface Go, the Surface Go Type Cover in black for $99 or the Surface Go Signature Type Cover in Alcantara, red, blue or silver for $129. That means that to get the best use out of the Surface Go, a typical user would be paying $498. Want more? The Surface Mobile Mouse comes in at $34.99 while the Surface Pen comes in at $99.

It can be argued that a user doesn’t require the extras. But with Microsoft pitching the tablet not only at educational institutions but also for personal and businesses users, specifically referencing its support for native Office apps, most people will need at least some of the extras and hence the end cost goes up.

Preorders from the Surface Go open July 10 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The device will be available starting Aug. 2.

Photo: Microsoft