Surface Go 3 vs. Surface RT: Which is better?

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

Surface Go 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Go 3 is better than Surface RT.

Much newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2012

Supports larger memory

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

Max system memory size
Surface Go 3
8 GB
Surface RT
2 GB
About 21% lighter

Surface Go 3 weighed 1.2 pounds, 21% lighter than the 1.5 pounds Surface RT.

WeightSurface Go 3Surface RT
Pound
1.2 lbs.
1.5 lbs.
Kilogram
0.54 kg
0.68 kg

Surface RT Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of Surface RT over Surface Go 3.

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
$518.03
$629.99 18% OFF
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
$514.89
$629.99 18% 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
$399.03
Surface RT Price
Microsoft Surface RT (32GB)
Microsoft Surface RT (32GB)
By Microsoft
$210.00
Microsoft Surface RT 32GB (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface RT 32GB (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$89.95
Microsoft Surface RT 64GB
Microsoft Surface RT 64GB
By Microsoft
$319.99

Availability

Surface Go 3Surface RT
Released20212012
Release Date
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 5, 2021
  • Introduced: June 18, 2012
  • Not available for pre-ordered
  • Released: October 26, 2012
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 RT
  • $499 - 2 GB | 32 GB
  • $599 - 2 GB | 64 GB
Surface RT with Black Touch Cover
  • $599 - 2 GB | 32 GB
  • $699 - 2 GB | 64 GB
Generations

Exterior

Surface Go 3Surface RT
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 6.77” x 0.37” (275 mm x 172 mm x 9.4 mm)
Width: 10.81” (275 mm)
Height: 6.77” (172 mm)
Thickness: 0.37” (9.4 mm)
Weight
  • Surface Go 3: 1.2 lbs (544 g)
  • Surface Go 3 Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 g)
1.5 lbs (680 g)
Colors
Platinum
Dark Titanium
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.
  • Trackpad:
    • Two-finger multitouch gesture trackpad.

Display

Surface Go 3Surface RT
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: 1366 x 768 (1M Pixels)
  • Density: 148 PPI
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • ClearType HD Display
  • Touch: 5 points multi-touch

Ports

Surface Go 3Surface RT
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 2.0
  • 1 x microSD™ card reader
  • 1 x Surface Charging Port
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Micro HDMI video out port
  • 1 x Cover port

Internal Specs

Surface Go 3Surface RT
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 3
    4 cores, 1.30 → 1.40 GHz, 1MB 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 3
    NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics
    12 Graphics Cores,
Memory
4GB 8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
2GB of RAM
Storage
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128GB
    SSD
  • 32GB 64GB
    Storage

Connectivity

Surface Go 3Surface RT
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.-

Battery

Surface Go 3Surface RT
Size
  • 28Wh 
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 26.8Wh 
    Minimum battery capacity.
31.5 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 11 hours of typical device usageUp to 8 hours of video playback
Power Supply24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply
  • 24W proprietary power supply

Software

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

Camera & Audio

Surface Go 3Surface RT
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
  • 720p HD LifeCam front-facing camera with TrueColor Technology
  • 720p HD LifeCam rear-facing camera with TrueColor Technology
Audio
  • Enhanced dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™
  • Dual microphones
  • Stereo speakers

Misc

Surface Go 3Surface RT
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
  • Compass
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 RT
  • 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: VaporMg
  • Kickstand: 1 position at 22°
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power

Key Features

Surface Go 3Surface RT
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 Mid
2012
16:9 HD
10.6”
768p 60Hz
Weight
1.5 lb
0.68 kg
Powered By
NVIDIA Tegra 3
4C/1.30 → 1.40 GHz
With integrated
NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics
12 Graphics Cores
2GB
DDR3 Memory

Comparison Summary

Surface Go 3 vs. Surface RT

Microsoft has released the Surface Go 3, a 10.5-inch machine, in late-2021. It is powered by up to a dual-core Intel Core i3-10100Y with a boost clock speed up to 3.90 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics 615 (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 10.6-inch Surface RT was introduced by Microsoft about nine years earlier in mid-2012. It comes with a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 with a boost clock speed up to 1.40 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to NVIDIA GeForce ULP graphics (12 Graphics Cores).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Go 31
10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y77897.37%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y799100.00%
Surface RT0799

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Go 31
10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y1,51096.18%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y1,570100.00%
Surface RT01,570

The Surface Go 3 has a 10.5-inch display which is quite similar size to the 10.6-inch Surface RT. In addition, The Surface Go 3 weighs 1.2 lbs. about 25% lighter than the 1.5 lbs. Surface RT. Moreover, measured at 9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33”, the Surface Go 3 is slightly more portable than the Surface RT at 10.71” x 6.77” x 0.37”.

Surface Go 3Surface RT

Moving over to upgradability, you can't make any upgrades on both devices. All major components including memory and storage are soldered on to the motherboard. So make sure you get the specs that work best for your current and future workload.

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