Surface Book 3 13.5” vs. Surface Book: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Book 3 13.5” and Surface Book specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Book 3 13.5” Pros

Reasons that Surface Book 3 13.5” is better than Surface Book.

Much newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2015

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1065G7 inside Surface Book 3 13.5” has a 134% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-6600U inside Surface Book.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Book 3 13.5” - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Book 3 13.5” - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Surface Book - Intel Core i7-6600U
1,584
Surface Book - Intel Core i5-6300U
1,319
Supports larger memory

Surface Book 3 13.5” supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Book. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Book.

Max system memory size
Surface Book 3 13.5”
32 GB
Surface Book
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Book 3 13.5” supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Book. It supports up to 3733MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Book.

Memory type and speed
Surface Book 3 13.5” - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
Surface Book - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz

Surface Book Pros

Reasons that Surface Book is better than Surface Book 3 13.5”.

About 53% lighter

Surface Book weighed 1.6 pounds, 53% lighter than the 3.38 pounds Surface Book 3 13.5”.

WeightSurface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
Pound
3.38 lbs.
1.6 lbs.
Kilogram
1.53 kg
0.73 kg

Prices

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

Surface Book 3 13.5” Price
Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$1,026.03
New Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
New Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$577.99
Microsoft Surface Book 3-15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7-32GB Memory - 512GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Book 3-15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7-32GB Memory - 512GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$2,464.99
Surface Book Price
Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$838.99
New Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
New Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$577.99
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

Availability

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
Released20202015
Release Date
  • Introduced: May 6, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020
  • Released: May 12, 2020
  • Introduced: October 7, 2015
  • Pre-ordered: October 7, 2015
  • Released: October 26, 2015
PricingFor Consumer
  • $1,599 - i5 | 8GB | 256GB | Iris Plus
  • $1,999 - i7 | 16GB | 256GB | GTX 1650
  • $2,499 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | GTX 1650
  • $2,699 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | GTX 1650
For Commercial
  • $1,699 - i5 | 8GB | 256GB | Iris Plus
  • $2,099 - i7 | 16GB | 256GB | GTX 1650
  • $2,599 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | GTX 1650
  • $2,799 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | GTX 1650
Starting at 1,499$
Generations

Exterior

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
Dimensions
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    12.3” x 9.14” x 0.51”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 13 mm-23 mm)
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i7)
    12.3” x 9.14” x 0.59”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 15 mm-23 mm)
12.3” x 9.14” x 0.51”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 13 mm-23 mm)
Weight
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i5)
    • Total: 3.38 lbs (1,534 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i7)
    • Total: 3.62 lbs (1,642 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Tablet Only: 1.6 lbs (726 g)
  • Surface Book: 3.34 lbs (1,515 g)
  • Surface Book with dGPU: 3.48 lbs (1,578 g)
Colors
Platinum
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.
  • 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.

Display

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
Size13.5 Inches13.5 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
  • Display Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (6M Pixels)
  • Display Density: 267 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1700:1
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
Surface Book 3 13.5” Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (3)
  • 2 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
    UHS-II performance
Right (3)
  • 1 x power port
    Charging, Docking
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone, On the tablet
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x power port
    Charging, Docking, On the tablet
Surface Book Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 2 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 2 x Surface Connect™
    1 in tablet, 1 in keyboard base, both supports charging and docking.
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Full-size SDXC card reader (UHS-II performance)

Internal Specs

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
Processor
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.20 → 3.70 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.40 → 3.00 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB 32GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4x
8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 with Max-Q
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1020 → 1245 MHz, 1024 CUDA Cores.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GPU
    Maxwell Architecture, 1GB GDDR5 128-bit, 954 - 993 MHz, 384 CUDA Cores.
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD
128GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD

Connectivity

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology

Battery

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
Size
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i5)
    Total: 69Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 51Wh
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i7)
    Total: 75.3Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 57.3Wh
  • Total: 69Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 51Wh
Battery Life
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    • Up to 15.5 hours of typical device usage
  • Up to 12 hours of video playback
Power Supply
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i5)
    65W Surface Power Supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i7)
    102W Surface Power Supply with USB-A (7W) charging port.
  • Surface Book
    36W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book with dGPU
    65W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.

Software

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Windows 10 Pro
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trialMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
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 HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
    • Support for Windows Sonic for Headphones
    • Support for Dolby® Atmos for Headphones
  • Dual microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
Supports Surface Pen
1024 levels of pressure
Magnetic storage
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • HW TPM chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Book
  • Surface Pen
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
WarrantyOne-year limited hardware warrantyOne-year limited hardware warranty
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports both on-screen and off-screen interaction.
Supports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only.

Key Features

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book
At Glance
Released in Mid
2020
3:2 3K
13.5”
2000p 60Hz
Weight
3.38 lb
1.53 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1065G7
4C/8T, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,088
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,722
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Book 3 13.5” Ports
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 1650
4GB GDDR6 with Max-Q
Released in Late
2015
3:2 3K
13.5”
2000p 60Hz
Weight
1.6 lb
0.73 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-6600U
2C/4T, 2.60 → 3.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
745
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,584
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 520
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Book Ports
NVIDIA
GeForce® GPU
1GB GDDR5 384 CUDA

Comparison Summary

Surface Book 3 13.5” vs. Surface Book

Microsoft has released the Surface Book 3 13.5”, a 13.5-inch machine, in mid-2020. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1065G7 with a boost clock speed up to 3.90 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB GDDR6 with Max-Q.

On the other hand, we have the 13.5-inch Surface Book was introduced by Microsoft about five years earlier in late-2015. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-6600U with a boost clock speed up to 3.40 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to NVIDIA GeForce® GPU with 1GB GDDR5 384 CUDA.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Book 3 13.5”1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G71,00292.10%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G71,088100.00%
Surface Book1
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U58653.86%
2
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U74568.47%
01,088

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Book 3 13.5”1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G73,69199.17%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G73,722100.00%
Surface Book1
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U1,31935.44%
2
6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U1,58442.56%
03,722

Both Surface Book 3 13.5” and Surface Book have the same 13.5-inch display size. In addition, the Surface Book 3 13.5” weighs 3.38 lbs. about 111% heavier than the 1.6 lbs. Surface Book. Moreover, measured at 12.3” x 9.14” x 0.9”, the Surface Book 3 13.5” share the same chassis as the Surface Book.

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Book

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Book 3 13.5” supports up to 32GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users.

For Surface Book, it supports up to 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Like Surface Book 3 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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