Surface 3 vs. Surface Go 2: Which is better?
Here is a side by side comparison between Surface 3 and Surface Go 2 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.
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Surface 3 Pros
Reasons that Surface 3 is better than Surface Go 2.
Surface 3 has more ports and slots count than the Surface Go 2. It has seven versus five amount of ports and slots on the Surface Go 2.
Ports | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
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headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
microSD card slot | Yes | Yes |
Micro USB | Yes | No |
Mini DisplayPort | Yes | No |
nanoSIM card slot | Yes | No |
Surface Connect | No | Yes |
Surface Go Type Cover Connector | No | Yes |
Type Cover | Yes | No |
USB-A | Yes | No |
USB-C | No | Yes |
Total | 7 | 5 |
Surface 3 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Go 2. It has four versus three commonly used ports and slots on the Surface Go 2.
Ports | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
---|---|---|
headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
microSD card slot | Yes | Yes |
Mini DisplayPort | Yes | No |
USB-A | Yes | No |
USB-C | No | Yes |
Surface Go 2 Pros
Reasons that Surface Go 2 is better than Surface 3.
2020 vs. 2015
Intel Core M3-8100Y inside Surface Go 2 has a 69% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Atom x7-Z8700 inside Surface 3.
Surface Go 2 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface 3. It supports up to 8GB versus 4GB of system memory on the Surface 3.
Surface Go 2 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface 3. It supports up to 1866MHz versus 1600MHz of system memory on the Surface 3.
Surface Go 2 weighed 1.2 pounds, 13% lighter than the 1.37 pounds Surface 3.
Weight | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
---|---|---|
Pound | 1.37 lbs. | 1.2 lbs. |
Kilogram | 0.62 kg | 0.54 kg |
Prices
Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.
Surface 3 Price | ||
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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 | ||
Surface Go 2 Price | ||
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) By Microsoft $279.00 | ||
Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed) By Microsoft $165.00 |
Availability | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Released | 2015 | 2020 |
Release Date |
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Pricing | Surface 3 Wi-Fi
| Surface Go 2 for Consumer
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Generations |
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Exterior | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Dimensions | 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) | 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) |
Weight |
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Colors | Silver | Platinum |
Keyboard and Trackpad |
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Display | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Size | 10.8 Inches | 10.5 Inches |
Info |
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Ports | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Right (4)
Bottom (1)
Under Kickstand (2)
| Right (3)
Bottom (1)
Under Kickstand (1)
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Internal Specs | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Processor |
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Integrated Graphics |
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Memory | 2GB 4GB 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM. | 4GB 8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM |
Storage |
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Connectivity | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Wi-Fi |
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Bluetooth |
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More | Optional LTE
| Optional LTE
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Battery | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Size | 27.5 Wh | 26.81 Wh |
Battery Life | Up to 10 hours of video playback |
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Power Supply |
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Software | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
OS |
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Built-in Apps | 1-Year Microsoft Office 365 Personal |
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Camera & Audio | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Camera |
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Audio |
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Misc | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
Inking | Supports Surface Pen 256 levels of pressure N-trig Active Pen technology | Supports Surface Pen 4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel magnetic storage |
Sensors |
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Security | - |
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In the box |
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Warranty |
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More |
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Key Features | Surface 3 | Surface Go 2 |
At Glance |
Comparison Summary
Microsoft has released the Surface 3, a 10.8-inch machine, in early-2015. It is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom x7-Z8700 with a boost clock speed up to 2.40 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® HD Graphics (16 Execution Units, 20 → 600 MHz).
On the other hand, we have the 10.5-inch Surface Go 2 was introduced by Microsoft about five 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
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
The Surface 3 has a 10.8-inch display which is quite similar size to the 10.5-inch Surface Go 2. In addition, the Surface 3 weighs 1.37 lbs. about 14% heavier than the 1.2 lbs. Surface Go 2. Moreover, measured at 10.52” x 7.36” x 0.34”, the Surface 3 is slightly bulkier than the Surface Go 2 at 9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33”.
There are a toal number of 7 ports and slots available on Surface 3. That includes a USB-A port, a Mini DisplayPort, a Micro USB, a headphone jack, a Type Cover, a microSD card slot, and a nanoSIM card slot. With that said, it has two ports and slots more than the Surface Go 2 that has a USB-C port, a Surface Connect, a headphone jack, a Surface Go Type Cover Connector, and a microSD card slot.
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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