MacBook 12” 2017 vs. Surface Pro 5: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the MacBook 12” 2017 and Surface Pro 5 models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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MacBook 12” 2017 image

MacBook 12” 2017

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Surface Pro 5

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MacBook 12” 2017 Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of MacBook 12” 2017 over Surface Pro 5.

Surface Pro 5 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 5 is better than MacBook 12” 2017.

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-7660U inside Surface Pro 5 has a 35% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-7Y75 inside MacBook 12” 2017.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Pro 5 - Intel Core i7-7660U
1,992
Surface Pro 5 - Intel Core i5-7300U
1,777
MacBook 12” 2017 - Intel Core i7-7Y75
1,470
MacBook 12” 2017 - Intel Core i5-7Y54
1,457
MacBook 12” 2017 - Intel Core m3-7Y32
1,423
Surface Pro 5 - Intel Core m3-7Y30
1,202
About 17% lighter

Surface Pro 5 weighed 1.69 pounds, 17% lighter than the 2.03 pounds MacBook 12” 2017.

WeightMacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Pound
2.03 lbs.
1.69 lbs.
Kilogram
0.92 kg
0.77 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between MacBook 12” 2017 and Surface Pro 5.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
MacBook 12” 2017
16 GB
Surface Pro 5
16 GB
Uses the same memory type and speed

Both laptops supports the same 1866MHz LPDDR3 RAM.

Memory type and speed
MacBook 12” 2017 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
Surface Pro 5 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

MacBook 12” 2017 Price
2017 Apple Macbook with 1.2GHz Intel Core m3 (12-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
 2017 Apple Macbook with 1.2GHz Intel Core m3 (12-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$353.00
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2017 Apple MacBook Laptop with Intel Core m3, 1.2GHz (MNYH2LL/A, 12in, Retina Display, Dual Core Processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB, Intel HD Graphics, Mac OS) - Silver (Renewed)
 2017 Apple MacBook Laptop with Intel Core m3, 1.2GHz (MNYH2LL/A, 12in, Retina Display, Dual Core Processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB, Intel HD Graphics, Mac OS) - Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$450.00
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Apple MacBook 12in Retina 2017 (Newest Version) 256GB SSD / 8GB RAM - Space Gray (Renewed)
 Apple MacBook 12in Retina 2017 (Newest Version) 256GB SSD / 8GB RAM - Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$699.00
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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)
 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
$319.00
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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)
 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
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Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Tablet 12.3in 2K IPS Touchscreen Surface Laptop w/Backlitkey, Core i5-7300U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Mini DisplayPort, MicroSD XC Card Reader Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Tablet 12.3in 2K IPS Touchscreen Surface Laptop w/Backlitkey, Core i5-7300U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Mini DisplayPort, MicroSD XC Card Reader Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$314.90
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Specs Comparison

Availability

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Released20172017
Release Date
  • Announced on June 5, 2017
  • Available on June 7, 2017
  • Introduced: May 23, 2017
  • Pre-ordered: May 23, 2017
  • Released: June 15, 2017
Pricing
  • $1,299
    Intel Core m3-7Y32 | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,599
    Intel Core m5-7Y54 | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
Starting at 799$
Generations-

Exterior

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Dimensions11.04” x 7.74” x 0.14 - 0.52” (280.5 mm x 196.5 mm x 3.5 - 13.1 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)
WeightStarting at 2.03 pounds (920 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
Silver Space Gray Gold Rose Gold
Platinum
Keyboard and TrackpadFull-size backlit keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) individual LED backlit keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
  • 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.

Display

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Size12 Inches12.3 Inches
InfoRetina display
  • 12-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology
  • 2304-by-1440 resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • 16:10 aspect ratio
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 1440 by 900
    • 1280 by 800
    • 1024 by 640
  • 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

Ports

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
One USB Type-C port with support for:
  • Charging
  • USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps)
  • Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output
  • VGA output using USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (sold separately)
  • HDMI video output using USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter (sold separately)
Surface Pro 5 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking Station
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Type Cover port
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x microSD card slot

Internal Specs

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Processor
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-7Y32
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.00 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
  2. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7Y54
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.20 → 3.20 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7Y75
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.30 → 3.60 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-7Y30
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.00 → 2.60 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W
  2. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7660U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 4.00 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-7Y32
    Intel® HD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  2. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7Y54
    Intel® HD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7Y75
    Intel® HD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-7Y30
    Intel® HD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  2. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  3. 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
Configurable to 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
4GB 8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage
256GB 512GB
PCIe-based onboard SSD.
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe NVMe SSD

Connectivity

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
BluetoothBluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology

Battery

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Size41.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery45 Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 10 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
Up to 13.5 hours of video playback
Power Supply29W USB-C Power Adapter
  • 44W power supply
    • USB-A output: 5W
    • Surface Connect: 39W

Software

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
OSShipped with macOS High SierraWindows 10 Pro (Creators Update)
Built-in Apps
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview iTunes Books App Store Time Machine
Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Camera480p FaceTime HD 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
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • Dual microphones
  • 1.6W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
Inking-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
Security-
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • MacBook
  • 29W USB-C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
  • Surface Pro (5th Gen)
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
WarrantyLimited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer’s purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts. For more information, visit Apple Support or call 800-823-2275. 
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
MoreVideo Support
  • Intel HD Graphics 615
  • Dual display and video mirroring: simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors
  • 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

Key Features

MacBook 12” 2017Surface Pro 5
At Glance
Released in Mid
2017
16:10 QHD
12”
1440p 60Hz
Weight
2.03 lb
0.92 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-7Y75
2C/4T, 1.30 → 3.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
714
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,470
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 615
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Released in Mid
2017
3:2 2.7K
12.3”
1824p 60Hz
Weight
1.69 lb
0.77 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-7660U
2C/4T, 2.50 → 4.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
877
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,992
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 640
48 Execution Units with 64 MB eDRAM side cache, 300 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Pro 5 Ports

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