Surface Go vs. Surface 3: Full specs comparison

We thoroughly analyzed technical specifications for Surface Go and Surface 3 models, including CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Surface Go image

Surface Go

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Surface 3 image

Surface 3

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Surface Go Pros

Reasons that Surface Go is better than Surface 3.

Significantly newer manufacturing

2018 vs. 2015

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y inside Surface Go has a 10% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Atom x7-Z8700 inside Surface 3.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Go - Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y
855
Surface 3 - Intel Atom x7-Z8700
776
Supports larger memory

Surface Go supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface 3. It supports up to 8GB versus 4GB of system memory on the Surface 3.

Max system memory size
Surface Go
8 GB
Surface 3
4 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Go supports a faster memory speed than the Surface 3. It supports up to 1866MHz versus 1600MHz of system memory on the Surface 3.

Memory type and speed
Surface Go - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
Surface 3 - DDR3
1,600 MHz
About 17% lighter

Surface Go weighed 1.15 pounds, 17% lighter than the 1.37 pounds Surface 3.

WeightSurface GoSurface 3
Pound
1.15 lbs.
1.37 lbs.
Kilogram
0.52 kg
0.62 kg

Surface 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface 3 is better than Surface Go.

8% larger display

Surface 3 has a 10.8-inch screen size 8% larger than the 10-inch Surface Go.

Display size
Surface 3
10.8-inch
Surface Go
10-inch

Prices

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

Surface Go Price
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
$349.00
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Microsoft Surface Go (Intel Pentium Gold, 8GB RAM, 128GB) (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Go (Intel Pentium Gold, 8GB RAM, 128GB) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$169.00
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Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum (Latest Model) (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum (Latest Model) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$272.80
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Surface 3 Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive (PKX-00003) Matte Black (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive (PKX-00003) Matte Black (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$297.00
$319.00 7% OFF
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Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (128 GB, Intel Core i5) (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (128 GB, Intel Core i5) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$185.00
$199.89 7% OFF
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Microsoft Surface 3 128GB WiFi Tablet 10.8" Intel Atom - Silver (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface 3 128GB WiFi Tablet 10.8" Intel Atom - Silver (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$185.06
$199.94 7% OFF
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Specs Comparison

Availability

Surface GoSurface 3
Released20182015
Release Date
  • Introduced: July 10, 2018
  • Pre-ordered: July 10, 2018
  • Released: August 2, 2018
  • Introduced: March 21, 2015
  • Pre-ordered: March 21, 2015
  • Released: May 5, 2015
PricingSurface Go for Consumer
  • $399 - 4 GB | 64 GB | W10 S-mode
  • $549 - 8 GB | 128 GB | W10 S-mode
Surface go for Commercial
  • $449 - 4 GB | 64 GB | W10 Pro
  • $599 - 8 GB | 128 GB | W10 Pro
Surface 3 Wi-Fi
  • $499 - 2 GB | 64 GB
  • $599 - 4 GB | 128 GB
Surface 3 4G LTE
  • $599 - 2 GB | 64 GB
  • $699 - 4 GB | 128 GB
Generations

Exterior

Surface GoSurface 3
Dimensions9.6” x 6.9” x 0.33” (245 mm x 175  mm x 8.3 mm)
Width: 9.6” (245 mm)
Height: 6.9” (175 mm)
Thickness: 0.33” (8.3 mm)
10.52” x 7.36” x 0.34” (267 mm x 187 mm x 8.7 mm)
Width: 10.52” (267 mm)
Height: 7.36” (187 mm)
Thickness: 0.34” (8.7 mm)
Weight
  • Surface Go: 1.15 lbs (522 g)
  • Surface Go with LTE: 1.17 lbs. (532 g)
  • Surface Go Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 g)
  • Surface 3: 1.37 lbs (621 g)
  • Surface 3 with Keyboard: 1.95 lbs (884 g)
Colors
Platinum
Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Surface 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:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Supports up to three-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Surface GoSurface 3
Size10 Inches10.8 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 1800 x 1200 (2.1M Pixels)
  • Density: 217 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 1280 (2.4M Pixels)
  • Density: 214 PPI
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: supports Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

Surface GoSurface 3
Surface Go Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect™
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x microSD™ card reader
  • 1 x Type Cover port
Surface 3 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Right (4)
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x Micro USB
    Charging Port
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Type Cover
Under Kickstand (2)
  • 1 x microSD card slot
  • 1 x nanoSIM card slot
    Surface 3 with LTE only, Optional

Internal Specs

Surface GoSurface 3
Processor
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4415Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 GHz, 2MB SmartCache, 6W
  1. Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700
    4 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 2.40 GHz, 2MB Cache, 2W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4415Y
    Intel® HD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 850 MHz
  1. Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700
    Intel® HD Graphics
    16 Execution Units, 20 → 600 MHz
Memory
4GB 8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
2GB 4GB
1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM.
Storage
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128GB 256GB
    SSD
  • 64GB 128GB
    eMMC

Connectivity

Surface GoSurface 3
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology
MoreOptional LTE
  • Nano SIM Tray
  • 4G LTE Advanced (22 Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66)
  • GPS/GLONASS: Standalone and Assiste
  • GNSS, accuracy up to 3 meters
Optional LTE
  • Nano SIM Tray
  • GPS
  • Assisted GPS
  • GLONASS

Battery

Surface GoSurface 3
Size26.12 Wh27.5 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 9 hours of video playbackUp to 10 hours of video playback
Power Supply
  • 24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply
  • 13W Micro USB power supply

Software

Surface GoSurface 3
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 in S-mode
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
  • Windows 8.1 Pro
  • Upgradable to Windows 10 Pro
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial1-Year Microsoft Office 365 Personal

Camera & Audio

Surface GoSurface 3
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
  • Single microphone
  • 2W Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Single microphone
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio enhanced sound

Misc

Surface GoSurface 3
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
magnetic storage
Supports Surface Pen
256 levels of pressure
N-trig Active Pen technology
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Digital compass
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
-
In the box
  • Surface Go
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface 3
  • 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
  • Kickstand: 3 positions
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power

Key Features

Surface GoSurface 3
At Glance
Released in Mid
2018
3:2 1.8K
10”
1200p 60Hz
Weight
1.15 lb
0.52 kg
Powered By
Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y
2C/4T, 1.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
356
Single Core
Geekbench 5
855
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 615
24 Execution Units, 300 → 850 MHz
Configurable up to
8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Go Ports
Released in Early
2015
3:2 FHD+
10.8”
1280p 60Hz
Weight
1.37 lb
0.62 kg
Powered By
Intel Atom x7-Z8700
4C/4T, 1.60 → 2.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
224
Single Core
Geekbench 5
776
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics
16 Execution Units, 20 → 600 MHz
Configurable up to
4GB
1600 MHz DDR3
Surface 3 Ports

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