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Surface RT vs. Surface Pro 8 - Detailed Specs Comparison

Here's what you need to know what's different between Surface RT and Surface Pro 8 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

BY Evan Forrest February 21, 2026

Surface RT vs. Surface Pro 8

The 2012 Surface RT features the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 with the boost speed up to 1.40 GHz. While the 2021 Surface Pro 8 features the 28W 11th Generation Intel Tiger Lake UP3 dual-core Intel Core i3-1115G4 up to quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 with the boost speed up to 4.80 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 10.6″ Surface RT (2012) and the 13″ Surface Pro 8 (2021), we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

Surface RT vs. Surface Pro 8: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface RT See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Pro 8 See at Amazon
Key Features
What's new	Windows RT Microsoft's touch-centric OS is explicitly made for ARM-powered tablet devices. Free Microsoft Office 2013 RT It was shipped with the RT version of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook 2013. 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.	New Pro Design It features the new bigger 13” edge-to-edge PixelSense Flow display. Better performance It’s now 2.1x times faster than Surface Pro 7 and 3.5x times faster than Surface Pro (5th Gen). Better specs 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake processors, Intel Iris Xe G7 graphics, up to 32GB of 4267 MHz LPDDR4x memory, WiFi-6, and Bluetooth 5.1. Longer Battery Life It now offers a better battery life with up to 16-hours of typical device usages. 2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 Supports USB 4.0, 40Gbps transfer speed, DisplayPort, Power Delivery, Docking, and external GPU. Removable SSD For better data security and privacy, now the Surface Pro 8 feature a removable SSD. More 10MP rear-facing camera 4K video recording 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
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.	No MicroSDXC card slot No Full-size USB-A port

Availability	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
Released	2012	2021
Release Info	Introduced: June 18, 2012 Not available for pre-ordered Released: October 26, 2012	Introduced: September 22, 2021 Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021 Released: October 5, 2021
Pricing	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	Consumer models Windows 11 Home Intel Core i5-1135G7 $1,099.99 8GB 128GB $1,199.99 8GB 256GB $1,399.99 16GB 256GB $1,399.99 8GB 512GB Intel Core i7-1185G7 $1,599.99 16GB 256GB $1,899.99 16GB 512GB $2,199.99 16GB 1TB $2,599.99 32GB 1TB Business models with WiFi Windows 11 Pro Intel Core i3-1115G4 $1,099.99 8GB 128GB Intel Core i5-1145G7 $1,199.99 8GB 128GB $1,299.99 8GB 256GB $1,499.99 8GB 512GB $1,499.99 16GB 256GB Intel Core i7-1185G7 $1,699.99 16GB 256GB $1,999.99 16GB 512GB $2,299.99 16GB 1TB $2,699.99 32GB 1TB Business models with LTE Windows 11 Pro Intel Core i5-1145G7 $1,349.99 8GB 128GB $1,449.99 8GB 256GB $1,649.99 16GB 256GB Intel Core i7-1185G7 $1,849.99 16GB 256GB
Amazon Deals	$199.00 Microsoft Surface RT (32GB) $99.99 Microsoft Surface 2 (64 GB) $149.99 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	$619.99 Microsoft Surface Pro 8 LTE Unlocked Tablet, Intel Evo i5, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics 13" Touchscreen Windows 11 PRO, Platinum (Renewed) $537.92 Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Tablet, LTE, Intel i5-1145G7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, 13" Touchscreen Display, Windows 11 Pro Laptop Computer, Platinum, EIP-00001 (Renewed) $661.99 Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13 inch Touchscreen Intel i7 16GB RAM 256GB SSD Graphite (Renewed)

Microsoft Surface RT 10.6-inch Price
	Microsoft Surface RT (32GB) By Microsoft $199.00	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface 2 (64 GB) By Microsoft $99.99	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 $149.99	See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Price
	Microsoft Surface Pro 8 LTE Unlocked Tablet, Intel Evo i5, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics 13" Touchscreen Windows 11 PRO, Platinum (Renewed) By Microsoft $619.99	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Tablet, LTE, Intel i5-1145G7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, 13" Touchscreen Display, Windows 11 Pro Laptop Computer, Platinum, EIP-00001 (Renewed) By Microsoft $537.92	See at Amazon
	Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13 inch Touchscreen Intel i7 16GB RAM 256GB SSD Graphite (Renewed) By Microsoft $661.99	See at Amazon

Display	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
Size	10.6 Inches	13 Inches
Info	Resolution: 1366 x 768 (1M Pixels) Density: 148 PPI Aspect ratio: 16:9 ClearType HD Display Touch: 5 points multi-touch	Resolution: 2880 x 1920 5.53M Pixels. Density: 267 PPI Refresh rate: 120Hz 60Hz default. PixelSense™ Flow Display Aspect ratio: 3:2 Inking: GPU Ink Acceleration Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Exterior	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
Size Comparison
Dimensions	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)	11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37” (287 mm x 208 mm x 9.3 mm)
Weight	1.5 lbs (680 g)	1.96 lb (889 g)
Colors	Dark Titanium	Platinum Graphite
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.	Not included. Compatible with Surface Pro Signature Keyboard Surface Pro X Keyboard Type Cover Features: 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 Slim Pen Storage Magnetic dock Automatically wireless charge Surface Slim Pen
Ports	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	2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C interface supports USB 4.0, Power Delivery, DisplayPort, and data transfer up to 40Gbps. 1 x Surface Connect+ Supports charging and docking station. 1 x Surface Pro Type Cover port 1 x Headset jack

Internal Specs	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
Processor	NVIDIA Tegra 3 4 cores, 1.30 → 1.40 GHz, 1MB Cache,	11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4 2 cores, 4 threads, 3.00 → 4.10 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 28W 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.40 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1145G7 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.60 → 4.40 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7 4 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
Integrated Graphics	NVIDIA Tegra 3 NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics 12 Graphics Cores,	11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4 Intel® UHD Graphics 48 Execution Units, 400 → 1250 MHz 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics 80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1145G7 Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics 80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7 Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics 96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Memory	2GB of RAM	8GB 16GB 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Storage	32GB 64GB Storage	128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB Removable SSD.

Connectivity	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 4: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible.	Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0 low energy technology	Bluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology

Battery	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
Size	31.5 Wh	51.5Wh Nominal battery capacity. 50.2Wh Minimum battery capacity.
Battery Life	Up to 8 hours of video playback	Up to 16 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply	24W proprietary power supply	60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total) Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
OS	Windows RT Upgradeable to Windows RT 8.1 Update	Consumer models Windows 11 Home Business models Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro
Built-in Apps	Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT	Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial Preloaded Xbox app Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one month trial

Camera & Audio	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
Camera	720p HD LifeCam front-facing camera with TrueColor Technology 720p HD LifeCam rear-facing camera with TrueColor Technology	Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing) 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video 10.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD and 4K video
Audio	Dual microphones Stereo speakers	Dual far-field Studio Mics 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®

Misc	Surface RT	Surface Pro 8
Inking		Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) 4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel 0.1mm precision magnetic storage Supports Tactile signals with Surface Slim Pen 2
Sensors	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Compass	Ambient light sensor Gyroscope Magnetometer Ambient Color Sensor (brightness and color)
Security		Firmware TPM chip for enterprise-grade security and BitLocker support Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box	Surface RT Power supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents	Surface Pro 8 Power supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents
Warranty	One-year limited hardware warranty	1-year limited hardware warranty
More	Casing: VaporMg Kickstand: 1 position at 22° Physical buttons: volumes, power