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Surface Pro 6 vs. Surface Pro (5th Gen) - Detailed Specs Comparison

Here's what you need to know what's different between Surface Pro 6 and Surface Pro (5th Gen) specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

BY Evan Forrest Last updated June 19, 2020

The 2018 Surface Pro 6 features the 15W 8th Generation Intel Kaby Lake R quad-core Intel Core i5-8250U up to quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U with the boost speed up to 4.20 GHz. While the 2017 Surface Pro (5th Gen) features the 4.5W 7th Generation Intel Kaby Lake dual-core Intel Core m3-7Y30 up to dual-core Intel Core i7-7660U with the boost speed up to 4.00 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 12.3″ Surface Pro 6 (2018) and the 12.3″ Surface Pro (5th Gen) (2017), here we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

Surface Pro 6 vs. Surface Pro (5th Gen): Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Pro 6 See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Pro (5th Gen) See at Amazon
Key Features
What's new	Better performance It’s now 2.3x times faster than Surface Pro 6. Now with USB-C It allows you to charge, transfer data, and output up to two [email protected] displays. Better specs 10th Gen Intel Ice Lake processors, Intel Iris Plus G1-G7 graphics, 3733 MHz LPDDR4x, WiFi-6, Bluetooth 5. More Fast Charging and Dual far-field studio mics	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.
What's missing	MiniDisplay port replaced with USB-C port

Availability	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
Released	2018	2017
Release Info	Introduced: October 2, 2018 (Microsoft October Event) Pre-ordered: October 2, 2018 Released: October 16, 2018	Introduced: May 23, 2017 Pre-ordered: May 23, 2017 Released: June 15, 2017
Pricing	Starting at 899$	Starting at 799$
Stores	See at Amazon	See at Amazon

Display	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
Size	12.3 Inches	12.3 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 10nm Oleophobic Coating	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

Exterior	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
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)	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)
Weight	Intel Core i5: 1.7 lbs (770 g) Intel Core i7: 1.73 lbs (784 g)	Intel Core m3: 1.69 lbs (768 g) Intel Core i5: 1.7 lbs (770 g) Intel Core i7: 1.73 lbs (784 g)
Colors	Matte BlackPlatinum	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 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.
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 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

Internal Specs	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
Processor	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U 4 cores, 8 threads, 1.60 → 3.40 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U 4 cores, 8 threads, 1.70 → 3.60 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U 4 cores, 8 threads, 1.90 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W	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
Integrated Graphics	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U Intel® UHD Graphics 620 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U Intel® UHD Graphics 620 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U Intel® UHD Graphics 620 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz	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
Memory	8GB 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM	4GB 8GB 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage	128 GB256 GB512 GB1 TB BGA PCIe SSD	128 GB256 GB512 GB1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD

Connectivity	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.	Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth	Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology	Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology

Battery	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
Size	45 Wh	45 Wh
Battery Life	Up to 13.5 hours of video playback	Up to 13.5 hours of video playback
Power Supply	44W power supply USB-A output: 5W Surface Connect: 39W	44W power supply USB-A output: 5W Surface Connect: 39W

Software	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
OS	For Consumer: Windows 10 Home For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro	Windows 10 Pro (Creators Update)
Built-in Apps	Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial	Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
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	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 microphones 1.6W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc	Surface Pro 6	Surface Pro (5th Gen)
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 0.1mm precision magnetic storage
Sensors	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope
Security	HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in	HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box	Surface Pro 6 Power supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents	Surface Pro (5th Gen) 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 Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
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

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Best Accessories for Microsoft Surface

With the right set of accessories, you can boost your Surface's productivity to the next level. Here we have some of the best accessories you should get for your Surface devices.

Those are the top must-have accessories for Microsoft Surface devices so far. With Surface Pen, Surface Dock, Surface Precision Mouse, and microSD card will significantly increase your Surface performance, storage, and productivity.