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Surface 3 vs. Surface Go 2 - Detailed Specs Comparison

Here's what you need to know what's different between Surface 3 and Surface Go 2 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

BY Evan Forrest November 15, 2023

The 2015 Surface 3 features the 2W Intel Cherry Trail quad-core Intel Atom x7-Z8700 with the boost speed up to 2.40 GHz. While the 2020 Surface Go 2 features the 6W 8th Gen Intel Amber Lake dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y up to dual-core Intel Core M3-8100Y with the boost speed up to 3.40 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 10.8″ Surface 3 (2015) and the 10.5″ Surface Go 2 (2020), we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

Surface 3 vs. Surface Go 2: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface 3 See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Go 2 See at Amazon
Key Features
What's new	New design It’s now thinner (8.7mm), new tablet-friendly 3:2 aspect-ratio form factor, and new Microsoft Logo on the kickstand. Full Windows 8.1 You can run all your desktop apps and upgradable to Windows 10. Better display New bigger and better 10.8” Full HD Plus display with 10 points multitouch. Inking supports It now supports a new Surface Pen with 256 pressure sensitivity, tail eraser, and remote Bluetooth activation. New CPU Architecture It’s now using the new quad-core Intel® Atom™ x7 processor for outstanding performance and long battery life. New kickstand Now in three angles. New Micro-USB port It can be charged with any mobile phone charger. More Better 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera, new Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), and optional 4G LTE.
What's missing	No magnet charging port replaced with the new Micro-USB port. Slower Charging The new Micro-USB has a limited power delivery (13W) compared to its older propriety 24W charger.

Availability	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
Released	2015	2020
Release Info	Introduced: March 21, 2015 Pre-ordered: March 21, 2015 Released: May 5, 2015	Introduced: May 6, 2020 Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020 Released: May 12, 2020
Pricing	Surface 3 Wi-Fi $499 - 2 GB \| 64 GB $599 - 4 GB \| 128 GB Surface 3 4G LTE $599 - 2 GB \| 64 GB $699 - 4 GB \| 128 GB	Surface Go 2 for Consumer $399 - Intel Pentium \| 4 GB \| 64 GB \| WiFi $549 - Intel Pentium \| 8 GB \| 128 GB \| WiFi $629 - Intel Core M3 \| 8 GB \| 128 GB \| WiFi $729 - Intel Core M3 \| 8 GB \| 128 GB \| LTE Surface Go 2 for Commercial $449 - Intel Pentium \| 4 GB \| 64 GB \| WiFi $599 - Intel Pentium \| 8 GB \| 128 GB \| WiFi $679 - Intel Core M3 \| 8 GB \| 128 GB \| WiFi $779 - Intel Core M3 \| 8 GB \| 128 GB \| LTE

Surface 3 Price
	Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model) By Microsoft $529.99 $629.99 16% OFF	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface 3 128GB WiFi Tablet 10.8" Intel Atom - Silver (Renewed) By Microsoft $219.99	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive (PKX-00003) Matte Black (Renewed) By Microsoft $359.00 $399.99 10% OFF	See at Amazon
Surface Go 2 Price
	New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 64GB - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model) By Microsoft $249.18 $399.99 38% OFF	See at Amazon
	New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model) By Microsoft $492.45 $549.99 10% OFF	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed) By Microsoft $165.00 $199.00 17% OFF	See at Amazon

Display	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
Size	10.8 Inches	10.5 Inches
Info	Resolution: 1920 x 1280 (2.4M Pixels) Density: 214 PPI Aspect ratio: 3:2 Inking: supports Surface Pen Touch: 10 points multi-touch	Resolution: 1920 x 1280 (2.45M Pixels) Density: 220 PPI PixelSense™ Display Contrast ratio: 1500:1 Aspect ratio: 3:2 Inking: designed together with Surface Pen Touch: 10 points multi-touch Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3

Exterior	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
Size Comparison
Dimensions	10.52” x 7.36” x 0.34” (267 mm x 187 mm x 8.7 mm) Width: 10.52” (267 mm) Height: 7.36” (187 mm) Thickness: 0.34” (8.7 mm)	9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33” (245 mm x 175 mm x 8.3 mm) Width: 9.65” (245 mm) Height: 6.9” (175 mm) Thickness: 0.33” (8.3 mm)
Weight	Surface 3: 1.37 lbs (621 g) Surface 3 with Keyboard: 1.95 lbs (884 g)	Surface Go 2: 1.2 lbs (544 g) Surface Go 2 with LTE: 1.22 lbs. (553 g) Surface Go 2 Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 g)
Colors	Silver	Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad	Surface Type Cover Not included Keyboard: Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12) 4 directional keys; Windows and Media Controls Keys; LED backlighting Trackpad: Precision glass trackpad. Supports up to three-finger multitouch gesture.	Surface Go Type Cover Not included Keyboard: Full-size mechanical backlit keyset with 1 mm of key travel. Trackpad: Precision glass trackpad. Trackpad size: 101 mm x 56 mm Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.
Ports	1 x Full-size USB 3.0 1 x microSD™ card reader 1 x Micro USB charging port 1 x Headset jack 1 x Mini DisplayPort 1 x Cover port 1 x Nano SIM card slot (Surface 3 with LTE only)	1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1 Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort. 1 x Surface Connect™ Supports charging and docking station. 1 x Headset jack 1 x microSD™ card reader 1 x Surface Go Type Cover port

Internal Specs	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
Processor	Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700 4 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 2.40 GHz, 2MB Cache, 2W	8th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4425Y 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.70 GHz, 2MB, 6W 8th Gen Intel® Core™ M3-8100Y 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 5W
Integrated Graphics	Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700 Intel® HD Graphics 16 Execution Units, 20 → 600 MHz	8th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4425Y Intel® UHD Graphics 615 24 Execution Units, 300 → 850 MHz 8th Gen Intel® Core™ M3-8100Y Intel® UHD Graphics 615 24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
Memory	2GB 4GB 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM.	4GB 8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage	64GB 128GB eMMC	64GB eMMC 128GB 256GB SSD

Connectivity	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.	Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth	Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology	Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
	Optional LTE Nano SIM Tray GPS Assisted GPS GLONASS	Optional LTE Nano SIM Tray 4G LTE Advanced (22 Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66) GPS/GLONASS: Standalone and Assiste GNSS, accuracy up to 3 meters

Battery	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
Size	27.5 Wh	26.81 Wh
Battery Life	Up to 10 hours of video playback	WiFi: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage LTE Advanced: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply	13W Micro USB power supply	24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply

Software	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
OS	Windows 8.1 Pro Upgradable to Windows 10 Pro	For Consumer: Windows 10 Home in S-mode For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps	1-Year Microsoft Office 365 Personal	For Consumer Microsoft 365 Family one month trial For Commercial 1 month trial for new Microsoft Office 365 customers

Camera & Audio	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
Camera	3.5MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video	Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing) 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD video
Audio	Single microphone Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio enhanced sound	Dual Studio Mics 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™

Misc	Surface 3	Surface Go 2
Inking	Supports Surface Pen 256 levels of pressure N-trig Active Pen technology	Supports Surface Pen 4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel magnetic storage
Sensors	Ambient light sensor Proximity sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer Digital compass	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer NFC
Security		HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box	Surface 3 Power supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents	Surface Go 2 Power supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents
Warranty	One-year limited hardware warranty
More	Casing: Magnesium Kickstand: 3 positions Physical buttons: volumes, power	Mechanical features: Signature unibody magnesium design with hidden perimeter venting Kickstand with a full-friction multiposition hinge to 165 degrees Magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability Physical buttons: volumes, power Casing: Magnesium