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Surface Pro 5 vs Surface Go 2: Which is right for you?

Here's what you need to know what's different between Surface Pro 5 and Surface Go 2 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

BY Evan Forrest January 29, 2024

Surface Pro 5 vs. Surface Go 2

The 2017 Surface Pro 5 comes with the 7th Generation Intel Kaby Lake dual-core Intel Core m3-7Y30 processor, which has a maximum speed boost of up to dual-core Intel Core i7-7660U with a speed of up to 4.00 GHz. The 2020 Surface Go 2, on the other hand, has the 8th Gen Intel Amber Lake dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y processor, which has a maximum speed boost of up to dual-core Intel Core M3-8100Y with a speed of up to 3.40 GHz.

Suppose you're considering buying a laptop and are unsure about the differences between the Surface Pro 5 and the Surface Go 2. In that case, we have a detailed comparison of both devices for you to review. You can check it out here.

Specs Comparisons

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Pro 5 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 now has clean lines and rounded edges. Better performance It’s now 2.5x times faster than Surface Pro 3. Better Battery It has 50% more battery life than Surface Pro 4 up to 13.5 hours. Better Inking It supports a new Surface Pen with 4,096 pressure sensitivity and tilt sensing. More Fanless on Core m3 and i5 models, new deeper 165-degree hinge, on-screen Surface Dial capability.

Availability	Surface Pro 5	Surface Go 2
Released	2017	2020
Release Info	Introduced: May 23, 2017 Pre-ordered: May 23, 2017 Released: June 15, 2017	Introduced: May 6, 2020 Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020 Released: May 12, 2020
Pricing	Starting at 799$	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 Pro 5 Price
	Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Tablet,12.3 inch (2736 x 1824), Intel Core i5-7300U 2.6 GHz, 8 GB RAM 256GB SSD, CAM, Win 10 Pro (Renewed) By Microsoft $299.24	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Pro 5 12.3" Touchscreen (2736 X 1824) Tablet PC, Intel Core i5-7300U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Including Keyboard, WiFi, USB 3.0, Camera, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed) By Microsoft $329.00	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Pro Intel Core i5 4GB RAM 128GB SSD Windows 10 Newest Version (Renewed) By Microsoft $181.00 $229.88 21% 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 $239.00	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum (Latest Model) (Renewed) By Microsoft $272.80	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed) By Microsoft $167.00	See at Amazon

Display	Surface Pro 5	Surface Go 2
Size	12.3 Inches	10.5 Inches
Info	Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (5M Pixels) Density: 267 PPI PixelSense™ Display Aspect ratio: 3:2 Inking: designed together with Surface Pen Touch: 10 points multi-touch Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 10nm Oleophobic Coating	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 Pro 5	Surface Go 2
Size Comparison
Dimensions	11.50” x 7.9” x 0.33” (292 mm x 201 mm x 8.5 mm) Width: 11.50” (292 mm) Height: 7.9” (201 mm) Thickness: 0.33” (8.5 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	Intel Core m3: 1.69 lbs (768 g) Intel Core i5: 1.7 lbs (770 g) Intel Core i7: 1.73 lbs (784 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
Keyboard and Trackpad	Surface Type Cover Not included Weight: 0.68 lb (310 g) Dimension: 11.61 x 8.54 x 0.19 inches (295 mm x 216 mm x 5mm) Keyboard: Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12) 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys; LED backlighting Trackpad: Precision glass trackpad. Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm) Supports a five-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 Mini DisplayPort 1 x Surface Connect™ Supports charging and docking station. 1 x Headset jack 1 x microSD™ card reader 1 x 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 Pro 5	Surface Go 2
Processor	7th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-7Y30 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.00 → 2.60 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7660U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 4.00 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W	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	7th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-7Y30 Intel® HD Graphics 615 24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U Intel® HD Graphics 620 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7660U Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 640 48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM side cache, 300 → 1100 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 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM	4GB 8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage	128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD	64GB eMMC 128GB 256GB SSD

Connectivity	Surface Pro 5	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 4.1 technology	Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
		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 Pro 5	Surface Go 2
Size	45 Wh	26.81 Wh
Battery Life	Up to 13.5 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	44W power supply USB-A output: 5W Surface Connect: 39W	24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply

Software	Surface Pro 5	Surface Go 2
OS	Windows 10 Pro (Creators Update)	For Consumer: Windows 10 Home in S-mode For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps	Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial	For Consumer Microsoft 365 Family one month trial For Commercial 1 month trial for new Microsoft Office 365 customers

Camera & Audio	Surface Pro 5	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	Dual microphones 1.6W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium	Dual Studio Mics 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™

Misc	Surface Pro 5	Surface Go 2
Inking	Supports Surface Pen 4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel 0.1mm precision 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	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 Pro (5th Gen) 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 Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement	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	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

Performance

In terms of performance, the Surface Pro 5 is more powerful than the Surface Go 2 due to its design and better thermal system. The Surface Pro 5 features a 7th-generation Intel Core processor, which offers faster performance than the 8th-generation Intel Pentium Gold CPU found in the Surface Go 2. Additionally, the Surface Pro 5 has a higher maximum RAM capacity of 16GB than the Surface Go 2's maximum RAM capacity of 8 GB.

Surface Pro 5 Processor Options

However, the Surface Go 2 can still handle most basic tasks well. It's worth noting that the Surface Go 2 is cheaper and designed more for on-the-go productivity and portability. At the same time, the Surface Pro 5 is a more powerful device intended for heavier workloads.

Surface Go 2 Processor Options

Portability

Regarding portability, the Surface Go 2 is more portable than the Surface Pro 5 due to its smaller size and lighter weight. The Surface Go 2 has a 10.5-inch display and weighs just 1.2 pounds, while the Surface Pro 5 has a 12.3-inch display and weighs 1.69 pounds without the keyboard. So, the Surface Go is more accessible to carry and more comfortable to use as a tablet.

However, the larger screen of the Surface Pro may be more convenient for specific tasks, such as editing documents or watching videos. Ultimately, the choice between the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Go 2 depends on your needs and preferences.

Ports

The Surface Pro 5 has more port options than the Surface Go 2. The Surface Pro 5 has a full-size USB-A port, a mini DisplayPort, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. It also includes a proprietary Surface Connect port that you can use to connect to the Surface Dock for additional ports.

Surface Pro 5 Ports (Right)

Surface Pro 5 Ports (Left)

On the other hand, the Surface Go 2 has only one USB-C port, a headphone jack, a microSDXC card slot, and a Surface Connect port for charging and docking. While lacking a full-size USB port and a mini DisplayPort, the USB-C port offers an all-in-one solution for charging, video output, and data transfer.

Surface Go 2 Ports

Choosing between the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Go 2 regarding ports depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you require a variety of ports for your daily use, the Surface Pro 5 may be the better option. However, if you prioritize portability and are willing to use a USB-C hub, the Surface Go 2 can still offer a great computing experience.

Our Verdict

The Surface Go line-up is excellent for portability and working on the go. However, its low-powered processors hold it back in terms of performance, especially compared to the Surface Pro 5. Surface Go 2 is an excellent choice as a secondary computer. The Surface Pro 5 is great on its own, and you can have it as your primary computer despite being less portable. It has all the performance you need for daily activities.

Here are the most frequently requested comparisons for Surface Pro 5: