MacBook Air 13” 2017 vs. Surface Go 2: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between MacBook Air 13” 2017 and Surface Go 2 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

MacBook Air 13” 2017 Pros

Reasons that MacBook Air 13” 2017 is better than Surface Go 2.

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-5650U inside MacBook Air 13” 2017 has a 17% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core M3-8100Y inside Surface Go 2.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
MacBook Air 13” 2017 - Intel Core i7-5650U
1,538
MacBook Air 13” 2017 - Intel Core i5-5350U
1,350
Surface Go 2 - Intel Core M3-8100Y
1,313
Surface Go 2 - Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y
922
26% larger display

MacBook Air 13” 2017 has a 13.3-inch screen size 26% larger than the 10.5-inch Surface Go 2.

Display size
MacBook Air 13” 2017
13.3-inch
Surface Go 2
10.5-inch

Surface Go 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface Go 2 is better than MacBook Air 13” 2017.

Significantly newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2017

Supports faster memory

Surface Go 2 supports a faster memory speed than the MacBook Air 13” 2017. It supports up to 1866MHz versus 1600MHz of system memory on the MacBook Air 13” 2017.

Memory type and speed
Surface Go 2 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
MacBook Air 13” 2017 - LPDDR3
1,600 MHz
About 60% lighter

Surface Go 2 weighed 1.2 pounds, 60% lighter than the 2.96 pounds MacBook Air 13” 2017.

WeightMacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Pound
2.96 lbs.
1.2 lbs.
Kilogram
1.34 kg
0.54 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between MacBook Air 13” 2017 and Surface Go 2.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 8GB

Both laptops supports up to 8GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
MacBook Air 13” 2017
8 GB
Surface Go 2
8 GB

Prices

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

MacBook Air 13” 2017 Price
Apple 13in MacBook Air (2017 Newest Version) 1.8GHz Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD (Renewed)
Apple 13in MacBook Air (2017 Newest Version) 1.8GHz Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD (Renewed)
By Apple
$238.99
$255.00 6% OFF
2017 Apple Macbook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Silver (Renewed)
2017 Apple Macbook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$244.99
$289.99 16% OFF
Mid 2017 Apple MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
Mid 2017 Apple MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$274.68
$290.00 5% OFF
Surface Go 2 Price
New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 64GB - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model)
New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 64GB - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$282.03
Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum (Latest Model) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum (Latest Model) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$279.00
Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$165.00

Availability

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Released20172020
Release Date
  • Available on June 6, 2017
  • Introduced: May 6, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020
  • Released: May 12, 2020
Pricing
  • $999
    Intel Core i5 5350U | 8GB RAM | 128GB SSD
  • $1,199
    Intel Core i5 5350U | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
Surface Go 2 for Consumer
  • $399 - Intel Pentium | 4 GB | 64 GB | WiFi
  • $549 - Intel Pentium | 8 GB | 128 GB | WiFi
  • $629 - Intel Core M3 | 8 GB | 128 GB | WiFi
  • $729 - Intel Core M3 | 8 GB | 128 GB | LTE
Surface Go 2 for Commercial
  • $449 - Intel Pentium | 4 GB | 64 GB | WiFi
  • $599 - Intel Pentium | 8 GB | 128 GB | WiFi
  • $679 - Intel Core M3 | 8 GB | 128 GB | WiFi
  • $779 - Intel Core M3 | 8 GB | 128 GB | LTE
Generations

Exterior

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Dimensions12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33” (245 mm x 175  mm x 8.3 mm)
Width: 9.65” (245 mm)
Height: 6.9” (175 mm)
Thickness: 0.33” (8.3 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
  • Surface Go 2: 1.2 lbs (544 g)
  • Surface Go 2 with LTE: 1.22 lbs. (553 g)
  • Surface Go 2 Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 g)
Colors
Silver
Platinum
Keyboard and TrackpadFull-size backlit keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor
  • Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
  • Surface Go Type Cover
    • Not included
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size mechanical backlit keyset with 1 mm of key travel.
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 101 mm x 56 mm
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Size13.3 Inches10.5 Inches
Info
  • Widescreen display
  • 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
  • Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio and 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1280 (2.45M Pixels)
  • Density: 220 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Contrast ratio: 1500:1
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3

Ports

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 2 port
    Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps.
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
    Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps.
  • 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • 1 x SDXC card reader
  • 1 x MagSafe 2 power port
Surface Go 2 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Go Type Cover Connector
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x microSD card slot

Internal Specs

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Processor
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.80 → 2.90 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4425Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.70 GHz, 2MB, 6W
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ M3-8100Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 5W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4425Y
    Intel® UHD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 850 MHz
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ M3-8100Y
    Intel® UHD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
Memory
4GB 8GB
 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
4GB 8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage
128GB 256GB
Configurable to 512GB flash storage.
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128GB 256GB
    SSD

Connectivity

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
  • Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
BluetoothBluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
More-Optional LTE
  • Nano SIM Tray
  • 4G LTE Advanced (22 Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66)
  • GPS/GLONASS: Standalone and Assiste
  • GNSS, accuracy up to 3 meters

Battery

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Size54 Wh lithium‑polymer battery26.81 Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 12 hours wireless web
  • Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback
  • Up to 30 days standby time
  • WiFi: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage
  • LTE Advanced: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.
  • 24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply

Software

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
OSShipped with macOS Mojave
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home in S-mode
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
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
  • For Consumer
    Microsoft 365 Family one month trial
  • For Commercial
    1 month trial for new Microsoft Office 365 customers

Camera & Audio

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Camera720p 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
  • Headphone port
  • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone
  • Dual Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™

Misc

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
magnetic storage
Sensors-
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • NFC
Security-
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • MacBook Air 13″
  • Power adapter
  • AC wall plug
  • Power cord
  • Surface Go 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
WarrantyLimited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook Air 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 800-823-2775.
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
MoreVideo Support
  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors
    • Thunderbolt digital video output
    • Native Mini DisplayPort output
    • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and dual-link DVI output using adapters (sold separately)
  • 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
  • Casing: Magnesium

Key Features

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2
At Glance
Released in Mid
2017
16:10 WXGA+
13.3”
900p 60Hz
Weight
2.96 lb
1.34 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-5650U
2C/4T, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz
Geekbench 5
737
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,538
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 6000
48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Up to
8GB
1600 MHz LPDDR3
Released in Mid
2020
3:2 FHD+
10.5”
1280p 60Hz
Weight
1.2 lb
0.54 kg
Up to
Intel Core M3-8100Y
2C/4T, 1.10 → 3.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
660
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,313
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 615
24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
Configurable up to
8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Go 2 Ports

Comparison Summary

MacBook Air 13” 2017 vs. Surface Go 2

Apple has released the MacBook Air 13” 2017, a 13.3-inch machine, in mid-2017. It is powered by up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-5650U with a boost clock speed up to 3.10 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® HD Graphics 6000 (48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 10.5-inch Surface Go 2 was introduced by Microsoft about three years later in mid-2020. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core M3-8100Y with a boost clock speed up to 3.40 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics 615 (24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

MacBook Air 13” 20171
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U65488.74%
2
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U737100.00%
Surface Go 21
8th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4425Y38452.10%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ M3-8100Y66089.55%
0737

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

MacBook Air 13” 20171
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U1,35087.78%
2
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U1,538100.00%
Surface Go 21
8th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4425Y92259.95%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ M3-8100Y1,31385.37%
01,538

The MacBook Air 13” 2017 has a 13.3-inch display which is considerably larger than the 10.5-inch Surface Go 2. In addition, the MacBook Air 13” 2017 weighs 2.96 lbs. about 146% heavier than the 1.2 lbs. Surface Go 2. Moreover, measured at 12.8” x 8.94” x 0.68”, the MacBook Air 13” 2017 is much bulkier than the Surface Go 2 at 9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33”.

MacBook Air 13” 2017Surface Go 2

Moving over to upgradability, you can't make any upgrades on both devices. All major components including memory and storage are soldered on to the motherboard. So make sure you get the specs that work best for your current and future workload.

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