Surface Go 3 vs. Surface 2: Full specs comparison

The following is a comprehensive comparison of the Surface Go 3 and Surface 2 specifications, including details on CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Surface Go 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Go 3 is better than Surface 2.

Much newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2013

Supports larger memory

Surface Go 3 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface 2. It supports up to 8GB versus 2GB of system memory on the Surface 2.

Max system memory size
Surface Go 3
8 GB
Surface 2
2 GB

Surface 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface 2 is better than Surface Go 3.

About 5% lighter

Surface 2 weighed 1.15 pounds, 5% lighter than the 1.2 pounds Surface Go 3.

WeightSurface Go 3Surface 2
Pound
1.2 lbs.
1.15 lbs.
Kilogram
0.54 kg
0.52 kg

Prices

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

Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5” Price
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$487.00
$629.99 23% OFF
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Pentium® Gold - 4GB Memory - 64GB eMMC - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Pentium® Gold - 4GB Memory - 64GB eMMC - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$404.92
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Black (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Black (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$500.00
$629.99 21% OFF
Surface 2 Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$299.00
New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 64GB - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model)
New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 64GB - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$229.92
$243.01 5% OFF
Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$167.00

Availability

Surface Go 3Surface 2
Released20212013
Release Date
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 5, 2021
  • Introduced: September 23, 2013
  • Pre-ordered: September 24, 2013
  • Released: October 22, 2013
Pricing
  • $399 
    Gold 6500Y 4 GB 64 GB WiFi
  • $549
    Gold 6500Y 8 GB 128 GB WiFi
  • $629
    i3-10100Y 8 GB 128 GB WiFi
Surface 2 Wi-Fi
  • $449 - 2 GB | 32 GB
  • $549 - 2 GB | 64 GB
Surface 2 4G LTE
  • $679 - 2 GB | 64 GB
Generations

Exterior

Surface Go 3Surface 2
Dimensions9.65” 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)
10.81” x 6.79” x 0.35” (275 mm x 172 mm x 8.9 mm)
Width: 10.81” (275 mm)
Height: 6.79” (172 mm)
Thickness: 0.35” (8.9 mm)
Weight
  • Surface Go 3: 1.2 lbs (544 g)
  • Surface Go 3 Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 g)
  • Surface 2: 1.15 lbs (522 g)
  • Surface 2 with Keyboard: 1.7 lbs (771 g)
Colors
Platinum
Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Surface Go Type Cover
    • Not included
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size mechanical backlit keyset with 1 mm of key travel.
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 101 mm x 56 mm
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Surface Type Cover
    • Not included
  • Keyboard:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys.
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12).
    • 4 directional keys; Windows and Media Controls Keys.
    • LED backlighting.
  • Trackpad:
    • Two-finger multitouch gesture trackpad.

Display

Surface Go 3Surface 2
Size10.5 Inches10.6 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1280 (2.45M Pixels)
  • Density: 220 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Contrast ratio: 1500:1
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (2M Pixels)
  • Density: 208 PPI
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • ClearType Full HD Display
  • Touch: 5 points multi-touch

Ports

Surface Go 3Surface 2
Surface Go 3 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Go Type Cover Connector
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x microSD card slot
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 1 x microSD™ card reader
  • 1 x Surface Charging Port
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x Cover port
  • 1 x Nano SIM card slot (Surface 2 with LTE only)

Internal Specs

Surface Go 3Surface 2
Processor
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 5W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 5W
  1. NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40
    4 cores, 1.70 → 1.90 GHz, 2MB Cache,
Integrated Graphics
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y
    Intel® UHD Graphics 615
    23 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y
    Intel® UHD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  1. NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40
    NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics
    72 Graphics Cores, 672 MHz
Memory
4GB 8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
2GB of RAM
Storage
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128GB
    SSD
  • 32GB 64GB
    eMMC

Connectivity

Surface Go 3Surface 2
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
  • Wi-Fi 4: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible.
BluetoothBluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
  • Bluetooth 4.0 low energy technology
MoreLTE version coming soon.Optional LTE
  • Nano SIM Tray
  • 2G GSM (Quadband: 850/900/1800/1900)
  • 3G UMTS (Bands 1, 2, 5)
  • 4G LTE (Bands 4, 7, 17)

Battery

Surface Go 3Surface 2
Size
  • 28Wh 
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 26.8Wh 
    Minimum battery capacity.
31.5 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 11 hours of typical device usageUp to 10 hours of video playback
Power Supply24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply
  • 24W proprietary power supply

Software

Surface Go 3Surface 2
OSWindows 11 Home in S-mode
  • Windows RT 8.1
Built-in Apps
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one month trial
  • Microsoft 365 Family one month trial
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT with Outlook

Camera & Audio

Surface Go 3Surface 2
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD video
  • 3.5MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video
Audio
  • Enhanced dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™
  • Dual microphones
  • Stereo speakers with digitally enhanced for fuller sound

Misc

Surface Go 3Surface 2
InkingSupports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
magnetic storage
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
-
In the box
  • Surface Go 3
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
More
  • Mechanical features: Signature unibody magnesium design with hidden perimeter venting
  • Kickstand with a full-friction multiposition hinge to 165 degrees
  • Magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power
  • Casing: Magnesium
  • Casing: Magnesium
  • Kickstand: 2 positions
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power

Key Features

Surface Go 3Surface 2
At Glance
Released in Late
2021
3:2 FHD+
10.5”
1280p 60Hz
Weight
1.2 lb
0.54 kg
Up to
Intel Core i3-10100Y
2C/4T, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
799
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,570
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 615
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Configurable up to
8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Go 3 Ports
Starting at
$399
Gold 6500Y, 4GB, 64GB eMMC
Supports
Surface Pen
4096 Levels, Tilt sensing, Magnetic Storage.
Up to
11 Hours
Battery Life
Built-in
IR Camera
For Face Unlock
Optional
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 6
Released in Late
2013
16:9 FHD
10.6”
1080p 60Hz
Weight
1.15 lb
0.52 kg
Powered By
NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40
4C/1.70 → 1.90 GHz
With integrated
NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics
72 Graphics Cores, 672 MHz
2GB
DDR3L Memory

Comments

Ask questions or share your thought and experience about the comparison between Surface Go 3 and Surface 2.

Loading Comments...