Surface 2 vs. Surface 3: Which is better?
Here is a side by side comparison between Surface 2 and Surface 3 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.
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Surface 2 Pros
Reasons that Surface 2 is better than Surface 3.
Surface 2 weighed 1.15 pounds, 17% lighter than the 1.37 pounds Surface 3.
Weight | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
---|---|---|
Pound | 1.15 lbs. | 1.37 lbs. |
Kilogram | 0.52 kg | 0.62 kg |
Surface 3 Pros
Reasons that Surface 3 is better than Surface 2.
2015 vs. 2013
Surface 3 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface 2. It supports up to 4GB versus 2GB of system memory on the Surface 2.
Prices
Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.
Surface 2 Price | ||
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New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 64GB - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model) By Microsoft $282.03 | ||
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - Platinum (Renewed) By Microsoft $248.95 $304.99 18% OFF | ||
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 (2023) - 14.4" Touchscreen - Intel Core i7, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, Windows 11, Platinum Color Copilot By Microsoft $3,169.99 $3,699.99 14% OFF | ||
Surface 3 Price | ||
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive (PKX-00003) Matte Black (Renewed) By Microsoft $299.00 $319.00 6% OFF | ||
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model) By Microsoft $518.03 $629.99 18% OFF | ||
Microsoft Surface 3 128GB WiFi Tablet 10.8" Intel Atom - Silver (Renewed) By Microsoft $199.94 $215.93 7% OFF |
Availability | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
Released | 2013 | 2015 |
Release Date |
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Pricing | Surface 2 Wi-Fi
| Surface 3 Wi-Fi
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Generations |
Exterior | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
Dimensions | 10.81” x 6.79” x 0.35” (275 mm x 172 mm x 8.9 mm) Width: 10.81” (275 mm) Height: 6.79” (172 mm) Thickness: 0.35” (8.9 mm) | 10.52” x 7.36” x 0.34” (267 mm x 187 mm x 8.7 mm) Width: 10.52” (267 mm) Height: 7.36” (187 mm) Thickness: 0.34” (8.7 mm) |
Weight |
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Colors | Silver | Silver |
Keyboard and Trackpad |
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Display | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
Size | 10.6 Inches | 10.8 Inches |
Info |
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Ports | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
| Right (4)
Bottom (1)
Under Kickstand (2)
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Internal Specs | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
Processor |
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Integrated Graphics |
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Memory | 2GB of RAM | 2GB 4GB 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM. |
Storage |
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Connectivity | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
Wi-Fi |
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Bluetooth |
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More | Optional LTE
| Optional LTE
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Battery | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
Size | 31.5 Wh | 27.5 Wh |
Battery Life | Up to 10 hours of video playback | Up to 10 hours of video playback |
Power Supply |
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Software | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
OS |
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Built-in Apps | Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT with Outlook | 1-Year Microsoft Office 365 Personal |
Camera & Audio | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
Camera |
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Audio |
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Misc | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
Inking | - | Supports Surface Pen 256 levels of pressure N-trig Active Pen technology |
Sensors |
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In the box |
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Warranty |
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More |
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Key Features | Surface 2 | Surface 3 |
At Glance |
Comparison Summary
Microsoft has released the Surface 2, a 10.6-inch machine, in late-2013. It is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40 with a boost clock speed up to 1.90 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics (72 Graphics Cores, 672 MHz).
On the other hand, we have the 10.8-inch Surface 3 was introduced by Microsoft about two years later in early-2015. It comes with a quad-core Intel Atom x7-Z8700 with a boost clock speed up to 2.40 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® HD Graphics (16 Execution Units, 20 → 600 MHz).
Geekbench 5 Single Core
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
The Surface 2 has a 10.6-inch display which is quite similar size to the 10.8-inch Surface 3. In addition, The Surface 2 weighs 1.15 lbs. about 19% lighter than the 1.37 lbs. Surface 3. Moreover, measured at 10.81” x 6.79” x 0.35”, the Surface 2 is just as portable as the Surface 3 at 10.52” x 7.36” x 0.34”.
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.
Comments
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