Surface 3 vs. Surface 2: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Surface 3 and Surface 2 models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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

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 3Surface 2
Pound
1.37 lbs.
1.15 lbs.
Kilogram
0.62 kg
0.52 kg

Prices

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

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
$297.00
$319.00 7% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (128 GB, Intel Core i5) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (128 GB, Intel Core i5) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$185.00
$199.89 7% 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
$185.06
$199.94 7% OFF
Surface 2 Price
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
$3,199.99
$3,699.99 14% OFF
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
$249.00
$304.99 18% OFF
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
$349.00

Availability

Surface 3Surface 2
Released20152013
Release Date
  • Introduced: March 21, 2015
  • Pre-ordered: March 21, 2015
  • Released: May 5, 2015
  • Introduced: September 23, 2013
  • Pre-ordered: September 24, 2013
  • Released: October 22, 2013
PricingSurface 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
Surface 2 Wi-Fi
  • $449 - 2 GB | 32 GB
  • $549 - 2 GB | 64 GB
Surface 2 4G LTE
  • $679 - 2 GB | 64 GB
Generations

Exterior

Surface 3Surface 2
Dimensions10.52” 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)
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)
Weight
  • Surface 3: 1.37 lbs (621 g)
  • Surface 3 with Keyboard: 1.95 lbs (884 g)
  • Surface 2: 1.15 lbs (522 g)
  • Surface 2 with Keyboard: 1.7 lbs (771 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:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Supports up to three-finger multitouch gesture.
  • 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.

Display

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

Ports

Surface 3Surface 2
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
  • 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)

Internal Specs

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

Connectivity

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

Battery

Surface 3Surface 2
Size27.5 Wh31.5 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 10 hours of video playbackUp to 10 hours of video playback
Power Supply
  • 13W Micro USB power supply
  • 24W proprietary power supply

Software

Surface 3Surface 2
OS
  • Windows 8.1 Pro
  • Upgradable to Windows 10 Pro
  • Windows RT 8.1
Built-in Apps1-Year Microsoft Office 365 PersonalMicrosoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT with Outlook

Camera & Audio

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

Misc

Surface 3Surface 2
InkingSupports Surface Pen
256 levels of pressure
N-trig Active Pen technology
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Digital compass
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
In the box
  • Surface 3
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
More
  • Casing: Magnesium
  • Kickstand: 3 positions
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power
  • Casing: Magnesium
  • Kickstand: 2 positions
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power

Key Features

Surface 3Surface 2
At Glance
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
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

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