Surface Book 3 13.5” vs. Surface Pro 8: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Book 3 13.5” and Surface Pro 8 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 Pro 8.

Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6 with Max-Q vs. integrated

Has one more port and slot

Surface Book 3 13.5” has more ports and slots count than the Surface Pro 8. It has seven versus six amount of ports and slots on the Surface Pro 8.

PortsSurface Book 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
full-size SD card slotYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
power portYes x2No
SSD slotNoYes
Surface ConnectNoYes
Surface Type CoverNoYes
Thunderbolt 4NoYes x2
USB-AYes x2No
USB-CYesNo
Total76
More versatile connectivity

Surface Book 3 13.5” has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Pro 8. It has five versus two commonly used ports and slots on the Surface Pro 8.

PortsSurface Book 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
headphone jackYesYes
full-size SD card slotYesNo
power portYesNo
Thunderbolt 4NoYes
USB-AYesNo
USB-CYesNo

Surface Pro 8 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 8 is better than Surface Book 3 13.5”.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2020

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Pro 8 has a 30% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-1065G7 inside Surface Book 3 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 3 13.5” - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Book 3 13.5” - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i3-1115G4
2,445
Supports faster memory

Surface Pro 8 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Book 3 13.5”. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 3733MHz of system memory on the Surface Book 3 13.5”.

Memory type and speed
Surface Pro 8 - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Surface Book 3 13.5” - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
About 43% lighter

Surface Pro 8 weighed 1.96 pounds, 43% lighter than the 3.38 pounds Surface Book 3 13.5”.

WeightSurface Book 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Pound
3.38 lbs.
1.96 lbs.
Kilogram
1.53 kg
0.89 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Surface Book 3 13.5” and Surface Pro 8.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 32GB

Both laptops supports up to 32GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Surface Book 3 13.5”
32 GB
Surface Pro 8
32 GB

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
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
$710.99
$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
$957.99
$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
$698.00

Availability

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Released20202021
Release Date
  • Introduced: May 6, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020
  • Released: May 12, 2020
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 5, 2021
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
  • $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 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
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)
11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37” (287 mm x 208 mm x 9.3 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)
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 3 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 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
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 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 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
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. 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. 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. 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 32GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4x
8GB 16GB 32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 with Max-Q
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1020 → 1245 MHz, 1024 CUDA Cores.
-
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD
128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB
Removable SSD.

Connectivity

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
Bluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology

Battery

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
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
  • 51.5Wh
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 50.2Wh
    Minimum battery capacity.
Battery Life
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    • Up to 15.5 hours of typical device usage
Up to 16 hours of typical device usage
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.
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
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 3 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 far-field Studio Mics
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
    • 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 3 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 3 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 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8
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
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 3 13.5” vs. Surface Pro 8

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-inch Surface Pro 8 was introduced by Microsoft about a year 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 3 13.5”1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G71,00271.37%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G71,08877.49%
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 3 13.5”1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G73,69175.88%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G73,72276.52%
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 3 13.5” has a 13.5-inch display which is slightly larger than the 13-inch Surface Pro 8. In addition, the Surface Book 3 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 3 13.5” is much bulkier than the Surface Pro 8 at 11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37”.

Surface Book 3 13.5”Surface Pro 8

There are a toal number of 7 ports and slots available on Surface Book 3 13.5”. That includes a USB-A port, a full-size SD card slot, two power port, a USB-C port, and a headphone jack. With that said, it has a port or slot more than the Surface Pro 8 that has a headphone jack, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a Surface Connect, a Surface Type Cover, and an SSD slot.

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 Pro 8, it supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X 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.

Comments

Ask questions or share your thought and experience about the comparison between Surface Book 3 13.5” and Surface Pro 8.

Loading Comments...