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

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Book 3 13.5” specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Laptop 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 3 is better than Surface Book 3 13.5”.

About 18% lighter

Surface Laptop 3 weighed 2.79 pounds, 18% lighter than the 3.38 pounds Surface Book 3 13.5”.

WeightSurface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
Pound
2.79 lbs.
3.38 lbs.
Kilogram
1.27 kg
1.53 kg

Surface Book 3 13.5” Pros

Reasons that Surface Book 3 13.5” is better than Surface Laptop 3.

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1065G7 inside Surface Book 3 13.5” has a 35% better multi-core CPU performance score than the AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition inside Surface Laptop 3.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Laptop 3 - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Book 3 13.5” - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Laptop 3 - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Surface Book 3 13.5” - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Surface Laptop 3 - AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition
2,741
Surface Laptop 3 - AMD Ryzen 5-3580U Microsoft Surface Edition
2,438
Supports larger memory

Surface Book 3 13.5” supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Laptop 3. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Laptop 3.

Max system memory size
Surface Book 3 13.5”
32 GB
Surface Laptop 3
16 GB
Supports discrete graphics

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

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Book 3 13.5”.

Uses the same memory type and speed

Both laptops supports the same 3733MHz LPDDR4X RAM.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 3 - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
Surface Book 3 13.5” - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz

Prices

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

Surface Laptop 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
$299.00
$319.00 6% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5" Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) – Platinum with Alcantara (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5" Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) – Platinum with Alcantara (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$445.01
$489.99 9% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Platinum Color Copilot
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Platinum Color Copilot
By Microsoft
$653.03
$799.99 18% OFF
Surface Book 3 13.5” Price
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 - 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 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
$798.00

Availability

Surface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
Released20192020
Release Date
  • Introduced: October 2, 2019 (Microsoft October Event)
  • Pre-ordered: October 2, 2019
  • Released: October 22, 2019
  • Introduced: May 6, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020
  • Released: May 12, 2020
Pricing
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”) › Starting at 999$
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”) › Starting at 1,199$
For 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
Generations-

Exterior

Surface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
Dimensions
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    12.1” x 8.8” x 0.57” (308 mm x 223 mm x 14.5 mm).
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57” (339.5 mm x 244 mm x 14.69 mm).
  • 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)
Weight
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • 2.84 lb (1,288 g)
      Sandstone and Matte Black
    • 2.79 lb (1,265 g)
      Cobalt Blue and Platinum
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • 3.40 lb (1,542 g)
  • 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)
Colors
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • Metal
      Matte Black Sandstone
    • Alcantara
      Matte Black Platinum
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • Metal
      Matte Black Platinum
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with the soft-touch feel and full 1.3mm travel.
    • Large palm rest with premium Alcantara® material for maximized typing comfort.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 115 mm x 76.66 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 Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
Size13.5 Inches13.5 Inches
Info
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (3.4M Pixels)
    • Pixel Per Inch: 201
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • Resolution: 2496 x 1664 (4.15M Pixels)
    • Pixel Per Inch: 201
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • 100% sRGB color, individually calibrated
  • 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

Ports

Surface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
Surface Laptop 3 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect™
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Headset jack
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

Internal Specs

Surface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
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
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.10 → 3.70 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4MB L3 Cache, 15W
  4. AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4MB L3 Cache, 15W
  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
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
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    Radeon™ Vega 9 Graphics
    9 Graphics Cores, 1300 MHz
  4. AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics
    11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz
  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
Memory
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • 8GB 16GB
      3733 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • 8GB 16GB
      2400 MHz DDR4 RAM
8GB 16GB 32GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4x
Discrete Graphics-
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 with Max-Q
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1020 → 1245 MHz, 1024 CUDA Cores.
Storage
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD

Connectivity

Surface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
Wi-Fi
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”) Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”) 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 5.0 technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology

Battery

Surface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
Size45.8 Wh
  • 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
Battery LifeUp to 11.5 hours of typical device usage
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    • Up to 15.5 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)
  • 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.

Software

Surface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
  • 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 Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video 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
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic 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 Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 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 Laptop 3
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
One-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 Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”
At Glance
Released in
2019
3:2 2.5K
13.5”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
2.79 lb
1.27 kg
Up to
AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition
4C/8T, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
721
Single Core
Geekbench 5
2,741
Multi-Core
With integrated
Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics
11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Laptop 3 Ports
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

Comparison Summary

Surface Laptop 3 vs. Surface Book 3 13.5”

Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop 3, a 13.5-inch machine, in 2019. It is powered by up to a quad-core AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition with a boost clock speed up to 4.00 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics (11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 13.5” was introduced by Microsoft about a year later in mid-2020. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1065G7 with a boost clock speed up to 3.90 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB GDDR6 with Max-Q.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Laptop 31
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G71,00292.10%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G71,088100.00%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition70364.61%
4
AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition72166.27%
Surface Book 3 13.5”1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G71,00292.10%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G71,088100.00%
01,088

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Laptop 31
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G73,69199.17%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G73,722100.00%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition2,43865.50%
4
AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition2,74173.64%
Surface Book 3 13.5”1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G73,69199.17%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G73,722100.00%
03,722

Both Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Book 3 13.5” have the same 13.5-inch display size. In addition, The Surface Laptop 3 weighs 2.79 lbs. about 21% lighter than the 3.38 lbs. Surface Book 3 13.5”. Moreover, measured at 12.13” x 8.79” x 0.57”, the Surface Laptop 3 is much more portable than the Surface Book 3 13.5” at 12.3” x 9.14” x 0.9”.

Surface Laptop 3Surface Book 3 13.5”

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Laptop 3 supports up to 16GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Surface Book 3 13.5”, it supports up to 32GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X memory. Like Surface Laptop 3, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users.

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