Surface Go vs. Surface 3 detailed specs comparison
Surface Go is out now! if you want to know more how the new Surface Go compared to the Surface 3, here we have a detailed specs comparison for you.
A new generation of 10-inch Microsoft Surface has arrived. It’s called Microsoft Surface Go, which looks and feels like a shrunk down version of its big brother, the new Surface Pro. Microsoft has confirmed that it has twice the speed of the Surface 3, including more advanced functionalities and more customizable accessories.
If you are using Surface 3, should you like to upgrade to Surface Go? In this article, we have done a comparison between the Surface Go and Surface 3 to find out whether it’s worth the upgrade or not.
- Surface Go vs Surface 3: Overall Specs Comparison
- Surface Go vs Surface 3: Processor Comparison
- Surface Go vs Surface 3: Graphics Comparison
1Surface Go vs Surface 3: Overall Specs Comparison
Surface Go | Surface 3 | |
| Availability | ||
| Introduced | July 10, 2018 | March 21, 2015 |
| Pre-ordered | July 10, 2018 | March 21, 2015 |
| Released | Auguest 2, 2018 | May 5, 2015 |
| Configurations | Surface Go for Consumer • $399 - 4 GB | 64 GB | W10 S-mode • $549 - 8 GB | 128 GB | W10 S-mode Surface Go for Comercial • $449 - 4 GB | 64 GB | W10 Pro • $599 - 8 GB | 128 GB | W10 Pro | Surface 3 WiFi • $499 - 2 GB | 64 GB • $599 - 4 GB | 128 GB Surface 3 4G LTE • $599 - 2 GB | 64 GB • $699 - 4 GB | 128 GB |
| Software | ||
| Pre-Installed OS | For Consumer Windows 10 in S-mode For Commercial Windows 10 Pro | • Windows 8.1 Pro • Upgradable to Windows 10 Pro |
| Built-in Apps | Microsoft Office 365 Home 30-days trial | 1-Year Microsoft Office 365 Personal |
| Display | ||
| Size | 10 inches | 10.8 inches |
| Resolution | 1800 x 1200 (217 PPI), 2.1M Pixels | 1920 x 1280 (214 PPI), 2.4M Pixels |
| Technology | • PixelSense™ Display • Aspect ratio: 3:2 • Contrast ratio: 1500:1 • Touch: 10 points multi-touch • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | • ClearType Full HD Plus Display • Aspect ratio: 3:2 • Touch: 10 point multi-touch • Surface Pen support |
| Internal Specs | ||
| CPU | 7th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4415Y 2 cores, 4 threads, 2MB SmartCache, 1.60 GHz | Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700 4 cores, 4 threads, 2MB, 1.60 GHz up to 2.40 GHz |
| Graphics | Intel® HD Graphics 615 | Intel® HD Graphics |
| Memory | 4 GB 8 GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM | 2 GB 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM |
| Storage | 64 GB eMMC128GB | 256GB SSD | 64 GB128 GB eMMC |
| Network | • Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology • Optional LTE | • Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology • Optional LTE |
| Battery | ||
| Size | 27 Wh | 27.5 Wh |
| Battery Life | Up to 9 hours of video playback | Up to 10 hours of local video playback |
| Power Supply | 24W power supply | 13W Micro USB power supply |
| Exterior | ||
| Dimensions | 9.6 x 6.9 x 0.33 inches (245 mm x 175 mm x 8.3 mm) | 10.52” x 7.36” x 0.34” (267 mm x 187 mm x 8.7 mm) |
| Weight | Tablet Only 1.15 lbs (522 g) With Keyboard 1.7 lbs (771 g) | Tablet Only 1.37 lbs (621 g) With Keyboard 1.95 lbs (884 g) |
| Casing | • Mechanical features: Magnesium body • Kickstand with full-friction multiposition hinge to 165 degrees • Magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability • Physical buttons: volumes, power | • Magnesium • Kickstand with 3 positions • Physical buttons: volumes, power |
| Colors | Platinum | Silver |
| Keyboard and Trackpad | • Precision trackpad: 101 mm x 56 mm, glass. • Five-finger multitouch gesture • Full-size mechanical backlit keyset with 1 mm of key travel. | • Three-finger multitouch gesture trackpad • Full-size mechanical backlit keyboard. |
| Ports | • 1 x USB type-C (version 3.1 Gen 1 with USB Power Delivery revision 3.0) • 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack • 1 x Surface Connect (Compatible with Surface Dock) • 1 x MicroSDXC card reader (up to 1TB) • 1 x Cover port | • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0 • 1 x microSD™ card reader • 1 x Micro USB charging port • 1 x Headset jack • 1 x Mini DisplayPort • 1 x Cover port • 1 x Nano SIM card slot (Surface 3 with LTE only) |
| Camera & Audio | ||
| Camera | • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing) • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video | • 3.5MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video |
| Audio | • Single microphone • 2W Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium | • Single microphone • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio enhanced sound |
| Misc | ||
| Sensors | • Ambient light sensor • Accelerometer • Gyroscope • Magnetometer | • Ambient light sensor • Proximity sensor • Accelerometer • Gyroscope • Magnetometer • Digital compass |
| Surface Pen | • 4096 levels of pressure • Tilt sensing | • Support Surface Pen • N-trig Active Pen techonolgy • 256 levels of pressure |
| Surface Dial | Compatible with Surface Dial off-screen interaction | Compatible with Surface Dial off-screen interaction |
| Security | • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in | N/A |
| In the box | • Surface Go • Power supply • Quick Start Guide • Safety and warranty documents | • Surface 3 • Power supply • Quick Start Guide • Safety and warranty documents |
| Warranty | One-year limited hardware warranty | One-year limited hardware warranty |
2Surface Go vs Surface 3: Processor Comparison
| Surface Go | Surface 3 | |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Processor | 7th Gen Intel® Pentium® Processor 4415Y | Intel® Cherry Trail Quad Core Atom x7-Z8700 |
| Launch Date | Q2'2017 | Q1'2015 |
| Lithography | 14 nm | |
| Base Frequency | 1.60 GHz | 1.60 GHz |
| Max Turbo Frequency | Not Supported | 2.40 GHz (Burst Technology) |
| TDP | 6 watt | < 4 watt |
| Level 1 Cache | 128 KB | 128 KB |
| Level 2 Cache | 512 KB | 512 KB |
| Level 3 Cache | 2 MB SmartCache | 2 MB |
| # of Cores | 2 | 4 |
| # of Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Bus Speed | 4 GT/s OPI | N/A |
| Max Memory Support | 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Max Memory Bandwidth | 29.8 GB/s | 25.6 GB/s |
| GEEKBENCH | ||
| Single-Core Score | 1,836 | 945 |
| Multi-Core Score | 3,823 | 3,138 |
3Surface Go vs Surface 3: Graphics Comparison
| Surface Go | Surface 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| Graphics | Intel® HD Graphics 615 | Intel® HD Graphics |
| Base Frequency | 300 MHz | 200 MHz |
| Max Dynamic Frequency | 850 MHz | 600 MHz |
| Graphics Max Memory | 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Graphics 4K Support | Yes, at 60Hz | Yes, at 30Hz |
| Graphics DirectX | 12 | 11.2 |
| Graphics OpenGL | 4.4 | |
| # Display Supported | 3 | |
| Graphics Technologies | Intel® Quick Sync Video Intel® Clear Video HD TechnologyIntel® Clear Video Technology | Intel® Wireless Display |
More Surface Go Resources
Make sure to check out our tips and tricks for Microsoft Surface Go here:
- Surface Go Type Cover vs. Surface 3 Type Cover
- How to configure Surface Go UEFI/BIOS settings
- How to manage Surface Go sound effects via Realtek Audio Console app
- How to download the official Surface Go recovery image
- How fast you can charge Surface Go with the original charger
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.
![[Upgraded] Anker 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub, Ultra-Slim Data USB Hub with 2 ft Extended Cable for MacBook, Mac Pro, Mac mini, iMac, Surface Pro, XPS, PC, Flash Drive, Mobile HDD [Charging Not Supported]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31nNQWQUpRL._SL160_.jpg)
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.
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