Home » Devices » Surface Go 3 vs. Surface Go 2 - Detailed Specs Comparison

Surface Go 3 vs. Surface Go 2 - Detailed Specs Comparison

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

BY Evan Forrest September 29, 2023

Surface Go 3 vs. Surface Go 2

The 2021 Surface Go 3 features the 5W 10th Generation Intel Amber Lake Y dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y up to dual-core Intel Core i3-10100Y with the boost speed up to 3.90 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 10.5″ Surface Go 3 (2021) 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 Go 3 vs. Surface Go 2: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Go 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	More Powerful Processors - The Surface Go 3 now features the latest 10th generation Intel Mobile processors, including Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, resulting in faster speeds up to 3.40 GHz, particularly on the entry-level models. Longer Battery Life - Last up to 11 hours battery life of typical device usage. More Now with the Matte Black option Preloaded with Windows 11 Supports fast charging

Availability	Surface Go 3	Surface Go 2
Released	2021	2020
Release Info	Introduced: September 22, 2021 Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021 Released: October 5, 2021	Introduced: May 6, 2020 Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020 Released: May 12, 2020
Pricing	$399 Gold 6500Y 4 GB 64 GB WiFi $549 Gold 6500Y 8 GB 128 GB WiFi $629 i3-10100Y 8 GB 128 GB WiFi	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
Amazon Deals	$389.95 Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model) $299.95 Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Pentium® Gold - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model) $174.44 Microsoft Surface Go 3-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium Gold-4GB Memory - 64GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum Windows 11 PRO (Renewed)	$210.69 Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Core m3-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum Windows 11 PRO (Renewed) $219.00 Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" LTE Unlocked Touch-Screen - Intel Core m3-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi+LTE - Platinum Windows 11 PRO (Renewed) $114.95 Microsoft Surface Go 2 Touch-Screen 4GB RAM 64GB Storage Windows 11 Professional (Renewed)

Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5” Price
	Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model) By Microsoft $389.95	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Pentium® Gold - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model) By Microsoft $299.95	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Go 3-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium Gold-4GB Memory - 64GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum Windows 11 PRO (Renewed) By Microsoft $174.44	See at Amazon
Surface Go 2 Price
	Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Core m3-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum Windows 11 PRO (Renewed) By Microsoft $210.69	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" LTE Unlocked Touch-Screen - Intel Core m3-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi+LTE - Platinum Windows 11 PRO (Renewed) By Microsoft $219.00 $244.50 10% OFF	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Go 2 Touch-Screen 4GB RAM 64GB Storage Windows 11 Professional (Renewed) By Microsoft $114.95	See at Amazon

Display	Surface Go 3	Surface Go 2
Size	10.5 Inches
Info	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 Go 3	Surface Go 2
Size Comparison
Dimensions	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 Go 3: 1.2 lbs (544 g) Surface Go 3 Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 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	Platinum Matte Black	Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad	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 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 microSDXC™ card reader 1 x Surface Go Type Cover port	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 Go 3	Surface Go 2
Processor	10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 5W 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 5W	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	10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y Intel® UHD Graphics 615 23 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y Intel® UHD Graphics 615 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 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	4GB 8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage	64GB eMMC 128GB SSD	64GB eMMC 128GB 256GB SSD

Connectivity	Surface Go 3	Surface Go 2
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.	Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth	Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology	Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
	LTE version coming soon.	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 Go 3	Surface Go 2
Size	28Wh Nominal battery capacity. 26.8Wh Minimum battery capacity.	26.81 Wh
Battery Life	Up to 11 hours of typical device usage	WiFi: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage LTE Advanced: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply	24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply	24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply

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

Camera & Audio	Surface Go 3	Surface Go 2
Camera	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	Enhanced dual far-field Studio Mics 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™	Dual Studio Mics 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™

Misc	Surface Go 3	Surface Go 2
Inking	Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) 4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel magnetic storage	Supports Surface Pen 4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel magnetic storage
Sensors	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer	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 Go 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	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