Microsoft typically holds an event each fall to update its Surface models, and Geekbench's listing reveals the improvements we can expect from the entry-level 2-in-1 Surface Go 3. Of course, this is not a definitive product name, but according to the site, the Surface Pro X 2 is consistent with past Surface products, initially appearing as OEMSR (the "SR" part refers to the product's internal codename, Santa Rosa).

It is unclear what "AL" means (given the generation of Intel chips involved, it could be something as routine as "Amber Lake"), but looking at the specs, it seems clear that this is a new member of the Surface Go family: one is powered by an Intel Pentium Gold chip, and the other is powered by an Intel Core chip.

If these listings are indeed for the refreshed models, we can expect some performance gains there with the Surface Go 2, especially in the entry-level version. Both devices are said to use Amber Lake Y-series chips. The entry-level model has an Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y, while the higher-spec version has an Intel Core i3-10100Y. The former has 4 GB of RAM, while the latter has 8 GB of RAM.

The entry-level Surface Go 3 scored 3,197 for single-core and 5,643 for multi-core performance in Geekbench testing. This is a significant improvement over the basic Surface Go 2, which scored 2,200 and 4,300 at best.

The improvement over the Intel Core model is less pronounced, but still welcome: according to the Geekbench listing, it achieves 4,359 points for single-core performance and 7,643 points for multi-core performance. The current m3 Surface Go 2, on the other hand, maxes out at about 4,100 and 6,800 on the same site.

Aside from the processor upgrade, it is not clear what other improvements the Surface Go 3 brings over its predecessor; the Surface Go 2 has a larger screen, Wi-Fi 6, and better battery life via Geekbench. Although not picked up, it offers many improvements over the first generation.

Microsoft has promised a Surface Pro 8, a radically redesigned Surface Book 4, Surface Duo 2, and of course Windows 11, so the fall schedule will certainly be busy. The next Microsoft Surface event may be one worth keeping an eye on.