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.

Surface 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface 2 is better than Surface 3.

About 17% lighter

Surface 2 weighed 1.15 pounds, 17% lighter than the 1.37 pounds Surface 3.

WeightSurface 2Surface 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.

Newer manufacturing

2015 vs. 2013

Supports larger memory

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.

Max system memory size
Surface 3
4 GB
Surface 2
2 GB

Prices

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

Surface 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 Laptop 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
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
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)
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)
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)
Microsoft Surface 3 128GB WiFi Tablet 10.8" Intel Atom - Silver (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$199.94
$215.93 7% OFF

Availability

Surface 2Surface 3
Released20132015
Release Date
  • Introduced: September 23, 2013
  • Pre-ordered: September 24, 2013
  • Released: October 22, 2013
  • Introduced: March 21, 2015
  • Pre-ordered: March 21, 2015
  • Released: May 5, 2015
PricingSurface 2 Wi-Fi
  • $449 - 2 GB | 32 GB
  • $549 - 2 GB | 64 GB
Surface 2 4G LTE
  • $679 - 2 GB | 64 GB
Surface 3 Wi-Fi
  • $499 - 2 GB | 64 GB
  • $599 - 4 GB | 128 GB
Surface 3 4G LTE
  • $599 - 2 GB | 64 GB
  • $699 - 4 GB | 128 GB
Generations

Exterior

Surface 2Surface 3
Dimensions10.81” 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
  • Surface 2: 1.15 lbs (522 g)
  • Surface 2 with Keyboard: 1.7 lbs (771 g)
  • Surface 3: 1.37 lbs (621 g)
  • Surface 3 with Keyboard: 1.95 lbs (884 g)
Colors
Silver
Silver
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.
    • LED backlighting.
  • Trackpad:
    • Two-finger multitouch gesture 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;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Supports up to three-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Surface 2Surface 3
Size10.6 Inches10.8 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (2M Pixels)
  • Density: 208 PPI
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • ClearType Full HD Display
  • Touch: 5 points multi-touch
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1280 (2.4M Pixels)
  • Density: 214 PPI
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: supports Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

Surface 2Surface 3
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 1 x microSD™ card reader
  • 1 x Surface Charging Port
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x Cover port
  • 1 x Nano SIM card slot (Surface 2 with LTE only)
Surface 3 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Right (4)
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x Micro USB
    Charging Port
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Type Cover
Under Kickstand (2)
  • 1 x microSD card slot
  • 1 x nanoSIM card slot
    Surface 3 with LTE only, Optional

Internal Specs

Surface 2Surface 3
Processor
  1. NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40
    4 cores, 1.70 → 1.90 GHz, 2MB Cache,
  1. Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700
    4 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 2.40 GHz, 2MB Cache, 2W
Integrated Graphics
  1. NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40
    NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics
    72 Graphics Cores, 672 MHz
  1. Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700
    Intel® HD Graphics
    16 Execution Units, 20 → 600 MHz
Memory2GB of RAM
2GB 4GB
1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM.
Storage
  • 32GB 64GB
    eMMC
  • 64GB 128GB
    eMMC

Connectivity

Surface 2Surface 3
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 4: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible.
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 4.0 low energy technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology
MoreOptional LTE
  • Nano SIM Tray
  • 2G GSM (Quadband: 850/900/1800/1900)
  • 3G UMTS (Bands 1, 2, 5)
  • 4G LTE (Bands 4, 7, 17)
Optional LTE
  • Nano SIM Tray
  • GPS
  • Assisted GPS
  • GLONASS

Battery

Surface 2Surface 3
Size31.5 Wh27.5 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 10 hours of video playbackUp to 10 hours of video playback
Power Supply
  • 24W proprietary power supply
  • 13W Micro USB power supply

Software

Surface 2Surface 3
OS
  • Windows RT 8.1
  • Windows 8.1 Pro
  • Upgradable to Windows 10 Pro
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT with Outlook1-Year Microsoft Office 365 Personal

Camera & Audio

Surface 2Surface 3
Camera
  • 3.5MP 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
  • Dual microphones
  • Stereo speakers with digitally enhanced for fuller sound
  • Single microphone
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio enhanced sound

Misc

Surface 2Surface 3
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
256 levels of pressure
N-trig Active Pen technology
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Digital compass
In the box
  • Surface 2
  • 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
More
  • Casing: Magnesium
  • Kickstand: 2 positions
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power
  • Casing: Magnesium
  • Kickstand: 3 positions
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power

Key Features

Surface 2Surface 3
At Glance
Released in Late
2013
16:9 FHD
10.6”
1080p 60Hz
Weight
1.15 lb
0.52 kg
Powered By
NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40
4C/1.70 → 1.90 GHz
With integrated
NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics
72 Graphics Cores, 672 MHz
2GB
DDR3L Memory
Released in Early
2015
3:2 FHD+
10.8”
1280p 60Hz
Weight
1.37 lb
0.62 kg
Powered By
Intel Atom x7-Z8700
4C/4T, 1.60 → 2.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
224
Single Core
Geekbench 5
776
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics
16 Execution Units, 20 → 600 MHz
Configurable up to
4GB
1600 MHz DDR3
Surface 3 Ports

Comparison Summary

Surface 2 vs. Surface 3

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

Surface 2Surface 31
Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700224100.00%
0224

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface 2Surface 31
Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700776100.00%
0776

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”.

Surface 2Surface 3

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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