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Surface Pro 1 vs. Surface RT - Detailed Specs Comparison

Here's what you need to know what's different between Surface Pro 1 and Surface RT specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

BY Evan Forrest February 28, 2022

The 2012 Surface Pro 1 features the 17W 3rd Generation Intel Ivy Bridge dual-core Intel Core i5-3317U with the boost speed up to 2.60 GHz. While the 2012 Surface RT features the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 with the boost speed up to 1.40 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 10.6″ Surface Pro 1 (2012) and the 10.6″ Surface RT (2012), we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

Surface Pro 1 vs. Surface RT: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Pro 1 See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface RT See at Amazon
Key Features
What's new	Windows 8 Pro You can do everything as you've ever done on your PC. Laptop class performance Powered by 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB, and up to 128GB of SSD storage. Touch & Inking It supports 10-point multitouch and Surface Pen with 1,024 pressure sensitivity. Kickstand It comes with an integrated kickstand easy to switch between tablet and laptop mode. Detachable Touch & Type Cover Be more productive with a full-size keyboard doubling as a protective screen cover. More Magnet charging connector, Full-size USB 3.0 port, Bluetooth 4.0, HD front and rear camera.	Windows RT Microsoft's touch-centric OS made specifically for ARM-powered tablet device. Kickstand It comes with an integrated kickstand easy to switch between tablet and laptop mode. Detachable Touch & Type Cover Be more productive with a full-size keyboard doubling as a protective screen cover. More Magnet charging connector, Full-size USB 2.0 port, Bluetooth 4.0, HD front and rear camera.
What's missing		Can't run desktop apps You can't run desktop apps (x86 or x64) on this device. The only way to get apps is through the Windows Store. No Windows 10 The latest OS you can get is Windows RT 8.1 Update 3 Less multitouch support It supports only 5-points multitouch. More Only HD display and no USB 3.0 port.

Availability	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
Released	2012	2012
Release Info	Introduced: June 18, 2012 Not available for pre-ordered Released: February 9, 2013	Introduced: June 18, 2012 Not available for pre-ordered Released: October 26, 2012
Pricing	Intel® Core™ i5 $899 - i5 \| 4 GB \| 64 GB $999 - i5 \| 4 GB \| 128 GB	Surface RT $499 - 2 GB \| 32 GB $599 - 2 GB \| 64 GB Surface RT with Black Touch Cover $599 - 2 GB \| 32 GB $699 - 2 GB \| 64 GB

Surface Pro 1 Price
	Microsoft Surface Pro (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB) – Newest Version (Renewed) By Microsoft $1,169.98	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (1 TB SSD, 16 GB RAM, Intel Core i7e) By Microsoft $734.94	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Tablet, 13" QHD Touchscreen, 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135g7 (Up to 4.2GHz), 8GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Win11h, Platinum, Device Only, with MTC Stylus Pen By Microsoft $1,199.99	See at Amazon
Surface RT Price
	Microsoft Surface RT (32GB) By Microsoft $54.16	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Magenta Touch Cover for 10.6 inch Microsoft Surface RT - with Windows RT and for Surface Pro - with Windows 8 Pro 10.6 inch only By Microsoft $129.99	See at Amazon
	PRO Wireless V5 Bluetooth Earbuds Works for Microsoft Surface RT Mini with Charging case for in Ear Headphones. (V5.0 Pro White) By Works for Microsoft Surface RT by Cellet $44.99	See at Amazon

Display	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
Size	10.6 Inches	10.6 Inches
Info	Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (2M Pixels) Density: 208 PPI ClearType Full HDDisplay Aspect ratio: 16:9 Touch: 10 point multi-touch Surface Pen support (1st Gen)	Resolution: 1366 x 768 (1M Pixels) Density: 148 PPI Aspect ratio: 16:9 ClearType HD Display Touch: 5 points multi-touch

Exterior	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
Size Comparison
Dimensions	10.81” x 6.81” x 0.53” (275 mm x 173 mm x 13.46 mm) Width: 10.81” (275 mm) Height: 6.81” (173 mm) Thickness: 0.53” (13.46 mm)	10.81” x 6.77” x 0.37” (275 mm x 172 mm x 9.4 mm) Width: 10.81” (275 mm) Height: 6.77” (172 mm) Thickness: 0.37” (9.4 mm)
Weight	2 lbs (910 g)	1.5 lbs (680 g)
Colors	Dark Titanium	Dark Titanium
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. Trackpad: Two-finger multitouch gesture 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. Trackpad: Two-finger multitouch gesture trackpad.
Ports	1 x Full-size USB 3.0 1 x Mini DisplayPort 1 x Surface Charging Port 1 x Headset jack 1 x microSD™ card reader 1 x Type Cover port	1 x Full-size USB 2.0 1 x microSD™ card reader 1 x Surface Charging Port 1 x Headset jack 1 x Micro HDMI video out port 1 x Cover port

Internal Specs	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
Processor	Intel® Core™ i5-3317U 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.70 → 2.60 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 17W	NVIDIA Tegra 3 4 cores, 1.30 → 1.40 GHz, 1MB Cache,
Integrated Graphics	Intel® Core™ i5-3317U Intel® HD Graphics 4000 16 Execution Units, 350 → 1.05 MHz	NVIDIA Tegra 3 NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics 12 Graphics Cores,
Memory	4GB Dual Channel Memory	2GB of RAM
Storage	64 GB 128 GB SSD	32GB 64GB Storage

Connectivity	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 4: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible.	Wi-Fi 4: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible.
Bluetooth	Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology	Bluetooth 4.0 low energy technology

Battery	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
Size	42 Wh	31.5 Wh
Battery Life	7-15 days of idle life	Up to 8 hours of video playback
Power Supply	48W proprietary power supply USB-A output: 5W Surface Charger: 43W	24W proprietary power supply

Software	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
OS	Windows 8 Pro Upgradable Windows 10 Pro	Windows RT Upgradeable to Windows RT 8.1 Update
Built-in Apps	Microsoft Office 30-days trial	Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT

Camera & Audio	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
Camera	720p HD LifeCam front-facing camera with TrueColor Technology 720p HD LifeCam rear-facing camera with TrueColor Technology	720p HD LifeCam front-facing camera with TrueColor Technology 720p HD LifeCam rear-facing camera with TrueColor Technology
Audio	Single microphone Stereo speakers	Dual microphones Stereo speakers

Misc	Surface Pro 1	Surface RT
Inking	Supports Surface Pen 1,024 levels of pressure Wacom Active Pen technology Can be attached to charging port Included with purchase
Sensors	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Compass
In the box	Surface Pro (1st Gen) Surface Pro Pen Power supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents	Surface RT Power supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents
Warranty	One-year limited hardware warranty	One-year limited hardware warranty
More	Casing: VaporMg Kickstand: 1 position at 22° Physical buttons: volumes, power	Casing: VaporMg Kickstand: 1 position at 22° Physical buttons: volumes, power

Surface Pro 1 Price
	Microsoft Surface Pro (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB) – Newest Version (Renewed) By Microsoft $1,169.98	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (1 TB SSD, 16 GB RAM, Intel Core i7e) By Microsoft $734.94	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Tablet, 13" QHD Touchscreen, 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135g7 (Up to 4.2GHz), 8GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Win11h, Platinum, Device Only, with MTC Stylus Pen By Microsoft $1,199.99	See at Amazon
Surface RT Price
	Microsoft Surface RT (32GB) By Microsoft $54.16	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Magenta Touch Cover for 10.6 inch Microsoft Surface RT - with Windows RT and for Surface Pro - with Windows 8 Pro 10.6 inch only By Microsoft $129.99	See at Amazon
	PRO Wireless V5 Bluetooth Earbuds Works for Microsoft Surface RT Mini with Charging case for in Ear Headphones. (V5.0 Pro White) By Works for Microsoft Surface RT by Cellet $44.99	See at Amazon