Costco Offers Up a Secret Variant of the Surface Go

Microsoft announced the Surface Go tablet earlier this month with two variants. The first has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage; the second doubles things up for 8GB memory and 128GB storage--and switches to a (presumably faster) traditional SSD. Now a third variant, which sits between those offerings, has debuted on Costco's website.

All three versions of the Surface Go are pretty similar. They all boast a 10" display, are limited to Wi-Fi connectivity, and feature an Intel Pentium 4415Y processor. Costco's surprise third variant merely changes up the capacities to 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $549. That alone isn't very appealing--Microsoft's 8GB RAM / 128GB SSD version costs the same--but Costco's sweetening the pot with a bundled Surface Go Type Cover. Note, though, that it's the $99 basic black model keyboard that's included, not the fancy $129 Alcantara model.

Costco and Microsoft appear to believe people care more about storage and equipping their tablets with a keyboard than about how much RAM comes with the device. This bundle lets potential buyers get the extra storage, without having to pay for memory they don't think they need while costing less than the entry-level Surface Go and Surface Type Cover would separately.

Costco and Microsoft have yet to officially recognize this bundle's existence as a third option for wannabe Surface Go owners. Costco's customer support team did tell Neowin that the variant's listing on its online store is legitimate, though, and that its specs are correct. That should mean that buying this variant through Costco won't result in a "Sorry we messed up" email when the company realizes the mistake before shipment.

It's no surprise that Microsoft had more Surface Go models planned than it originally announced. The company previously said it would reveal variants with up to 256GB of storage and LTE connectivity. So fiddling with the exact configuration post launch isn't too out of the ordinary. Costco said its Surface Go will start to ship on August 2, as will its officially recognized counterparts, and pre-orders are open to members now.