Surface Book 2 13.5” vs. Surface Pro 8: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Book 2 13.5” and Surface Pro 8 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Book 2 13.5” Pros

Reasons that Surface Book 2 13.5” is better than Surface Pro 8.

Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 4GB GDDR5 vs. integrated

Surface Pro 8 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 8 is better than Surface Book 2 13.5”.

Significantly newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2017

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Pro 8 has a 25% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-8650U inside Surface Book 2 13.5”.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i7-1185G7
4,864
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i5-1135G7
3,980
Surface Book 2 13.5” - Intel Core i7-8650U
3,879
Surface Book 2 13.5” - Intel Core i5-8350U
2,982
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i3-1115G4
2,445
Surface Book 2 13.5” - Intel Core i5-7300U
1,777
Supports larger memory

Surface Pro 8 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Book 2 13.5”. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Book 2 13.5”.

Max system memory size
Surface Pro 8
32 GB
Surface Book 2 13.5”
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Pro 8 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Book 2 13.5”. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Book 2 13.5”.

Memory type and speed
Surface Pro 8 - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Surface Book 2 13.5” - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
About 43% lighter

Surface Pro 8 weighed 1.96 pounds, 43% lighter than the 3.38 pounds Surface Book 2 13.5”.

WeightSurface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Pound
3.38 lbs.
1.96 lbs.
Kilogram
1.53 kg
0.89 kg

Prices

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

Surface Book 2 13.5” Price
Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5"(Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256 GB), silver
Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5"(Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256 GB), silver
By Microsoft
$339.00
$612.99 45% OFF
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15" (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512 GB) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15" (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512 GB) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$564.69
$719.99 22% OFF
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$339.94
$378.00 10% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Price
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$719.99
$1,099.99 35% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i7-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i7-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$954.99
$1,050.01 9% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Graphite (Latest Model) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Graphite (Latest Model) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$694.99

Availability

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Released20172021
Release Date
  • Introduced: October 17, 2017
  • Pre-ordered: November 9, 2017
  • Released: November 16, 2017
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 5, 2021
PricingStarting at 1,149$
  • $1,099.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 128GB
    Platinum only.
  • $1,199.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 256GB
  • $1,399.99 
    i5-1135G7 16GB 256GB
  • $1,399.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 512GB
  • $1,599.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 256GB
  • $1,899.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 512GB
  • $2,199.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 1TB
    Platinum only.
  • $2,599.99 
    i7-1185G7 32GB 1TB
    Platinum only.
Generations

Exterior

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Dimensions
  • Surface Book with Intel Core i5:
    12.3” x 9.1” x 0.51”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 13 mm-23 mm).
  • Surface Book with Intel Core i7
    12.3” x 9.14” x 0.59”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 15 mm-23 mm).
11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37” (287 mm x 208 mm x 9.3 mm)
Weight
  • Surface Book with Intel Core i5:
    • Total: 3.38 lbs (1,533 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Surface Book with Intel Core i7
    • Total: 3.62 lbs (1,642 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
1.96 lb (889 g)
Colors
Platinum
Matte Black Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size mechanical backlit keyset with 1.55mm travel.
    • Mechanical friction attaches the Clipboard to the keyboard.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 105 mm x 70 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Not included.
  • Compatible with 
    Surface Pro Signature Keyboard Surface Pro X Keyboard
  • Type Cover Features:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm)
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Surface Slim Pen Storage
    • Magnetic dock
    • Automatically wireless charge Surface Slim Pen

Display

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Size13.5 Inches13 Inches
Info
  • Display Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (6M Pixels)
  • Display Density: 267 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1600:1
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Resolution: 2880 x 1920
    5.53M Pixels.
  • Density: 267 PPI
  • Refresh rate: 120Hz
    60Hz default.
  • PixelSense™ Flow Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: GPU Ink Acceleration
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Surface Book 2 13.5” Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 2 x Full-size USB 3.1 Gen 1
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 2 x Surface Connect™
    1 in tablet, 1 in keyboard base, both supports charging and docking.
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Full-size SDXC card reader
    UHS-II Performance
Surface Pro 8 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Type Cover
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x SSD slot
    M.2 2230 NVMe slot

Internal Specs

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Processor
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.70 → 3.60 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.90 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
    2 cores, 4 threads, 3.00 → 4.10 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 28W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.40 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  3. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    48 Execution Units, 400 → 1250 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
8GB 16GB 32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050
    Pascal Architecture, 2GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1354 → 1493 MHz, 640 CUDA Cores.
-
Storage
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
1 x M.2 2280 PCIe SSD
128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB
Removable SSD.

Connectivity

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
Bluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology

Battery

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Size
  • Surface Book with Intel Core i5:
    Total: 69Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 51Wh
  • Surface Book with Intel Core i7:
    Total: 75.3Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 57.3Wh
  • 51.5Wh
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 50.2Wh
    Minimum battery capacity.
Battery Life
  • Up to 17 hours of video playback
  • Up to 5 hours in tablet mode
Up to 16 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply
  • Surface Book with Intel Core i5:
    44W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book with Intel Core i7
    100W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
OSWindows 10 Pro (Creators Update)
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Windows 11 Home
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial
  • Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps
  • Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial
  • Preloaded Xbox app
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one month trial

Camera & Audio

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 10.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD and 4K video
Audio
  • Dual microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Support for Windows Sonic for Headphones
  • Support for Dolby® Atmos for Headphones
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®

Misc

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
  • Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)
    4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel 0.1mm precision magnetic storage
  • Supports Tactile signals with Surface Slim Pen 2
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient Color Sensor (brightness and color)
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Firmware TPM chip for enterprise-grade security and BitLocker support
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • Surface Book 2 13.5”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Pro 8
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
WarrantyOne-year limited hardware warranty1-year limited hardware warranty
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports both on-screen and off-screen interaction.
-

Key Features

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8
At Glance
Released in Late
2017
3:2 3K
13.5”
2000p 60Hz
Weight
3.38 lb
1.53 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-8650U
4C/8T, 1.90 → 4.20 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,106
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,879
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 620
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Book 2 13.5” Ports
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 1050
4GB GDDR5
Released in Late
2021
3:2 2.8K
13”
1920p 60~120Hz
Weight
1.96 lb
0.89 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1185G7
4C/8T, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,404
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,864
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Pro 8 Ports

Comparison Summary

Surface Book 2 13.5” vs. Surface Pro 8

Microsoft has released the Surface Book 2 13.5”, a 13.5-inch machine, in late-2017. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U with a boost clock speed up to 4.20 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5.

On the other hand, we have the 13-inch Surface Pro 8 was introduced by Microsoft about four years later in late-2021. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.80 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Book 2 13.5”1
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U81558.05%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U86261.40%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U1,10678.77%
Surface Pro 81
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G41,16382.83%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G71,19585.11%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G71,404100.00%
01,404

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Book 2 13.5”1
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U1,77736.53%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U2,98261.31%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U3,87979.75%
Surface Pro 81
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G42,44550.27%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G73,98081.83%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G74,864100.00%
04,864

The Surface Book 2 13.5” has a 13.5-inch display which is slightly larger than the 13-inch Surface Pro 8. In addition, the Surface Book 2 13.5” weighs 3.38 lbs. about 72% heavier than the 1.96 lbs. Surface Pro 8. Moreover, measured at 12.3” x 9.14” x 0.9”, the Surface Book 2 13.5” is much bulkier than the Surface Pro 8 at 11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37”.

Surface Book 2 13.5”Surface Pro 8

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Book 2 13.5” supports up to 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Surface Pro 8, it supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. Like Surface Book 2 13.5”, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed.

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