SQ2 Surface Pro X vs. Surface Pro 8: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between SQ2 Surface Pro X and Surface Pro 8 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

SQ2 Surface Pro X Pros

Reasons that SQ2 Surface Pro X is better than Surface Pro 8.

About 14% lighter

SQ2 Surface Pro X weighed 1.70 pounds, 14% lighter than the 1.96 pounds Surface Pro 8.

WeightSQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
Pound
1.70 lbs.
1.96 lbs.
Kilogram
0.77 kg
0.89 kg

Surface Pro 8 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 8 is better than SQ2 Surface Pro X.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2020

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Pro 8 has a 59% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Microsoft SQ2 inside SQ2 Surface Pro X.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i7-1185G7
4,864
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i5-1135G7
3,980
SQ2 Surface Pro X - Microsoft SQ2
3,054
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i3-1115G4
2,445
Supports larger memory

Surface Pro 8 supports a larger memory capacity than the SQ2 Surface Pro X. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the SQ2 Surface Pro X.

Max system memory size
Surface Pro 8
32 GB
SQ2 Surface Pro X
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Pro 8 supports a faster memory speed than the SQ2 Surface Pro X. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 2133MHz of system memory on the SQ2 Surface Pro X.

Memory type and speed
Surface Pro 8 - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
SQ2 Surface Pro X - LPDDR4X
2,133 MHz

Prices

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

SQ2 Surface Pro X Price
Microsoft Surface Pro X 1X8-00001 13" Tablet 512GB WiFi + 4G LTE Fully Unlocked SQ2 1.8GHz, Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro X 1X8-00001 13" Tablet 512GB WiFi + 4G LTE Fully Unlocked SQ2 1.8GHz, Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$539.99
Microsoft Surface Pro X - 13" Touchscreen - Microsoft SQ 2 - 16GB Memory - 512GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Pro X - 13" Touchscreen - Microsoft SQ 2 - 16GB Memory - 512GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$649.97
$1,499.99 57% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro X 1X8-00001 13" Tablet 512GB WiFi + 4G LTE Fully Unlocked SQ2 1.8GHz, Platinum
Microsoft Surface Pro X 1X8-00001 13" Tablet 512GB WiFi + 4G LTE Fully Unlocked SQ2 1.8GHz, Platinum
By Microsoft
$820.00
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Price
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$719.99
$1,099.99 35% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i7-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i7-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$954.99
$1,050.01 9% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Graphite (Latest Model) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Graphite (Latest Model) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$694.99

Availability

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
Released20202021
Release Date
  • Introduced: October 1, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: October 1, 2020
  • Released: October 13, 2020
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 5, 2021
Pricing
  • $1,499.99 - SQ® 2 | 16GB | 256GB SSD
  • $1,799.99 - SQ® 2 | 16GB | 512GB SSD
  • $1,099.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 128GB
    Platinum only.
  • $1,199.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 256GB
  • $1,399.99 
    i5-1135G7 16GB 256GB
  • $1,399.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 512GB
  • $1,599.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 256GB
  • $1,899.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 512GB
  • $2,199.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 1TB
    Platinum only.
  • $2,599.99 
    i7-1185G7 32GB 1TB
    Platinum only.
Generations

Exterior

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
Dimensions11.3” x 8.2” x 0.28” (287 mm x 208 mm x 7.3 mm)
Width: 11.3” (287 mm)
Height: 8.2” (208 mm)
Thickness: 0.28” (7.3 mm)
11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37” (287 mm x 208 mm x 9.3 mm)
Weight1.70 lbs (774 g)1.96 lb (889 g)
Colors
Platinum Matte Black
Matte Black Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Surface Type Cover
    • Not included
    • Weight: 0.68 lb (310 g)
    • Dimension: 11.61 x 8.54 x 0.19 inches (295 mm x 216 mm x 5mm)
  • Keyboard:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm)
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Surface Slim Pen Storage
    • Magnetic dock
    • Automatically wireless charge Surface Slim Pen
  • Not included.
  • Compatible with 
    Surface Pro Signature Keyboard Surface Pro X Keyboard
  • Type Cover Features:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm)
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Surface Slim Pen Storage
    • Magnetic dock
    • Automatically wireless charge Surface Slim Pen

Display

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
Size13 Inches13 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 2880 x 1920 (5.53M Pixels)
  • Density: 267 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display (sRGB + Enchanced Color Profiles)
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • Resolution: 2880 x 1920
    5.53M Pixels.
  • Density: 267 PPI
  • Refresh rate: 120Hz
    60Hz default.
  • PixelSense™ Flow Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: GPU Ink Acceleration
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
SQ2 Surface Pro X Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 2 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect+
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Nano SIM
  • 1 x Surface Pro X Type Cover
Surface Pro 8 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Type Cover
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x SSD slot
    M.2 2230 NVMe slot

Internal Specs

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
Processor
  1. Microsoft® SQ2™
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.15 GHz, 2MB Cache, 7W
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
    2 cores, 4 threads, 3.00 → 4.10 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 28W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.40 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
Integrated Graphics
  1. Microsoft® SQ2™
    Microsoft® SQ2™ Adreno™ 690 GPU
    N/A,
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    48 Execution Units, 400 → 1250 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Memory
16GB
2133MHz LPDDR4X RAM
8GB 16GB 32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Storage
256 GB 512 GB
Removable PCIe SSD
128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB
Removable SSD.

Connectivity

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
Bluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology
MoreQualcomm® Snapdragon™ X24 LTE modem
  • Up to Gigabit LTE Advanced Pro5 with nanoSIM and eSIM support. LTE Bands supported: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66
  • Assisted GPS and GLONASS support
-

Battery

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
Size38.2 Wh
  • 51.5Wh
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 50.2Wh
    Minimum battery capacity.
Battery LifeUp to 15 hours of typical device usageUp to 16 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)
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Windows 11 Home
Built-in AppsMicrosoft 365 Family 30-days trial
  • Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps
  • Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial
  • Preloaded Xbox app
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one month trial

Camera & Audio

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing).
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video.
  • 10.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD video/4K video.
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 10.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD and 4K video
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®

Misc

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
magnetic storage
  • Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)
    4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel 0.1mm precision magnetic storage
  • Supports Tactile signals with Surface Slim Pen 2
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient Color Sensor (brightness and color)
Security
  • Firmware TPM
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Firmware TPM chip for enterprise-grade security and BitLocker support
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • Surface Pro X (2020)
  • Power supply
  • SIM card access tool
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Pro 8
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty
  • 30-day return policy
  • 90 days of free technical phone support
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
1-year limited hardware warranty

Key Features

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8
At Glance
Released in Late
2020
3:2 2.8K
13”
1920p 60Hz
Weight
1.70 lb
0.77 kg
Powered By
Microsoft SQ2
8C/8T, 3.15 GHz
Geekbench 5
773
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,054
Multi-Core
With integrated
Microsoft® SQ2™ Adreno™ 690 GPU
N/A
16GB
2133 MHz LPDDR4X
SQ2 Surface Pro X Ports
Released in Late
2021
3:2 2.8K
13”
1920p 60~120Hz
Weight
1.96 lb
0.89 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1185G7
4C/8T, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,404
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,864
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Pro 8 Ports

Comparison Summary

SQ2 Surface Pro X vs. Surface Pro 8

Microsoft has released the SQ2 Surface Pro X, a 13-inch machine, in late-2020. It is powered by an octa-core Microsoft SQ2. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Microsoft® SQ2™ Adreno™ 690 GPU (N/A).

On the other hand, we have the 13-inch Surface Pro 8 was introduced by Microsoft about a year later in late-2021. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.80 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

SQ2 Surface Pro X1
Microsoft® SQ2™77355.06%
Surface Pro 81
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G41,16382.83%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G71,19585.11%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G71,404100.00%
01,404

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

SQ2 Surface Pro X1
Microsoft® SQ2™3,05462.79%
Surface Pro 81
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G42,44550.27%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G73,98081.83%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G74,864100.00%
04,864

Both SQ2 Surface Pro X and Surface Pro 8 have the same 13-inch display size. In addition, The SQ2 Surface Pro X weighs 1.70 lbs. about 15% lighter than the 1.96 lbs. Surface Pro 8. Moreover, measured at 11.3” x 8.2” x 0.28”, the SQ2 Surface Pro X is considerably more portable than the Surface Pro 8 at 11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37”.

SQ2 Surface Pro XSurface Pro 8

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the SQ2 Surface Pro X supports 16GB 2133 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 Pro 8, it supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. Like SQ2 Surface Pro X, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed.

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