Surface Book i7 vs. Surface Book 3 15”: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Surface Book i7 and Surface Book 3 15” models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Surface Book i7 Pros

Reasons that Surface Book i7 is better than Surface Book 3 15”.

About 13% lighter

Surface Book i7 weighed 3.68 pounds, 13% lighter than the 4.20 pounds Surface Book 3 15”.

WeightSurface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
Pound
3.68 lbs.
4.20 lbs.
Kilogram
1.67 kg
1.91 kg

Surface Book 3 15” Pros

Reasons that Surface Book 3 15” is better than Surface Book i7.

Significantly newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2016

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1065G7 inside Surface Book 3 15” has a 134% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-6600U inside Surface Book i7.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Book 3 15” - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Book i7 - Intel Core i7-6600U
1,584
Supports larger memory

Surface Book 3 15” supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Book i7. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Book i7.

Max system memory size
Surface Book 3 15”
32 GB
Surface Book i7
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Book 3 15” supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Book i7. It supports up to 3733MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Book i7.

Memory type and speed
Surface Book 3 15” - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
Surface Book i7 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
11% larger display

Surface Book 3 15” has a 15-inch screen size 11% larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Book i7.

Display size
Surface Book 3 15”
15-inch
Surface Book i7
13.5-inch

Prices

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

Surface Book i7 Price
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
$900.00
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$599.93
NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5 Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5 Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$725.00
Surface Book 3 15” Price
NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$1,319.00
Microsoft New Surface Book 3-15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft New Surface Book 3-15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$999.95
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
$1,349.00

Availability

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
Released20162020
Release Date
  • Introduced: October 26, 2016
  • Pre-ordered: October 26, 2016
  • Released: November 10, 2016
  • Introduced: May 6, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020
  • Released: May 12, 2020
PricingStarting at 2,399$For Consumer
  • $2,299 - i7 | 16GB | 256GB | GTX 1660 Ti
  • $2,799 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | GTX 1660 Ti
  • $2,999 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | GTX 1660 Ti
  • $3,399 - i7 | 32GB | 2TB | GTX 1660 Ti
For Commercial
  • $2,399 - i7 | 16GB | 256GB | GTX 1660 Ti
  • $2,899 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | GTX 1660 Ti
  • $3,099 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | GTX 1660 Ti
  • $3,499 - i7 | 32GB | 2TB | GTX 1660 Ti
  • $3,499 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | RTX 3000
  • $3,699 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | RTX 3000
Generations

Exterior

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
Dimensions12.3” x 9.14” x 0.59”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 15 mm-23 mm)13.5” x 9.87” x 0.568-0.90” (343 mm x 251 mm x 15 mm-23 mm)
Weight
  • Tablet only: 1.6 lbs (726 g)
  • Total: 3.68 lbs (1,669 g)
  • Total: 4.20 lbs (1,905 g)
  • Tablet: 1.80 lbs (817 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 i7Surface Book 3 15”
Size13.5 Inches15 Inches
Info
  • 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
 
  • Display Resolution: 3240 x 2160 (7M Pixels)
  • Display Density: 260 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1600:1
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
Surface Book i7 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)
Surface Book 3 15” 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

Internal Specs

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
Processor
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
16GB 32GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4x
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 965m
    Maxwell Architecture, 2GB GDDR5 128-bit, 924/935 - 950/1151 MHz, 1024 CUDA Cores.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q
    Turning Architecture, 6GB GDDR6, 192-bit, 1245 → 1425 MHz, 1536 CUDA Cores.
  • NVIDIA® Quadro® RTX™ 3000 with Max-Q
    Turning Architecture, 6GB GDDR6,  192-bit, 765 → 1305 MHz, 1920 CUDA Cores, 240 Tensor Cores, 30 RT Cores, Real-time ray tracing, AI hardware acceleration, ODE, QNF,
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Soldered PCIe 3.0 SSD
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB
PCIe SSD

Connectivity

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
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 4.0 technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
More-
  • Xbox Wireless built-in

Battery

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
Size
  • Total: 81Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 63Wh
  • Total: 90Wh
    Clipboard: 23Wh
    Base: 67Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 16 hours of video playback
Up to 17.5 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply102W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.127W Surface Power Supply with USB-A (7W) charging port.

Software

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
OSWindows 10 Pro
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trialMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
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 microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
    • Support for Windows Sonic for Headphones
    • Support for Dolby® Atmos for Headphones

Misc

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
InkingSupports Surface Pen
1024 levels of pressure
Magnetic storage
Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • HW TPM chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • Surface Book
  • Surface Pen
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Book 3 15”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
WarrantyOne-year limited hardware warrantyOne-year limited hardware warranty
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only.
Supports Surface Dial
Supports both on-screen and off-screen interaction.

Key Features

Surface Book i7Surface Book 3 15”
At Glance
Released in Late
2016
3:2 3K
13.5”
2000p 60Hz
Weight
3.68 lb
1.67 kg
Powered By
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 i7 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 965M
2GB GDDR5
Released in Mid
2020
3:2 3.2K
15”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
4.20 lb
1.91 kg
Powered By
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 15” Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3000
6GB GDDR6 with Max-Q

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