The Microsoft Surface Go and Microsoft Surface Pro are both well-known tablet brands, but their identical names might be perplexing. Both have significant advantages and downsides, as well as extremely varied costs and target markets. We’ll explore specifications and pricing, performance, display, design, and much more throughout this guide. We’ll compare the two laptops and help you determine which Surface is better for you.
Key Takeaways
- Surface Pro offers higher performance and a larger display, making it ideal for professional and creative work.
- Surface Go provides a more affordable option with a smaller, more portable design, suitable for everyday use and basic productivity tasks.
- Both devices run on Windows OS and support various accessories, such as the Surface Pen and Type Cover.
Microsoft Surface Go vs Microsoft Surface Pro
Surface Pro models have more powerful processors, more storage, and higher-quality displays than Surface Go models. The Surface Go line of tablets is a budget-friendly line of tablets that are smaller and lighter than the Surface Pro models and are used for lighter productivity tasks.
Surface Pro has Intel U-series CPU. These processors have a power consumption of 15 watts and benefit from performance and efficiency cores. An Intel Core i7-1255U CPU powers the Surface Pro 9 with 10 cores altogether — two for performance and eight for efficiency. This improves battery life as well as productivity while using it.
Surface Go supports low Pentium or Core i3 CPUs. Although this CPU is dual-core, it lacks performance and efficiency cores. It’s recommended to avoid the Intel Pentium variant of the Surface Go 3 if you intend to do more than simple online browsing and multitasking four or more tabs on your webpage. If you prefer a Surface Go 3, the Core i3 model is the best to get because it is significantly more powerful.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Surface Pro | Surface Go |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $999 | From $399 |
| Battery life | Up to 15.5 hours | Up to 7 hours |
| Display | 13-inch PixelSense Flow 2880×1920 | 10.5-inch PixelSense Display 1920×1280 |
| RAM | 8GB up to 32GB LPDDR 5 | 4GB or 8GB LPDDR3 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7 12th Gen | Intel Core i3 10100Y |
What is Surface Pro?
This autumn, there were two new Surface Pro systems, not one. They have the same appearance and utilize the same accessories, but there are a few significant distinctions between them. The Surface Pro 9 is a minor update over last year’s Surface Pro 8. It switches from an 11th-generation Intel CPU to a newer 12th-generation Intel CPU and to a somewhat quicker kind of RAM. It also includes several additional color possibilities. If you’ve used a Surface Pro in the previous several generations, you’re already familiar with this.
The most affordable Surface Pro is $999. It is exclusively available in simple platinum and comes with a 12th-generation Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive. The slate (and power supply) are the only items included in the box. As always, the necessary keyboard cover and stylus are supplied separately. The cheapest of these is a $139 version left over from the Surface Pro X.
The basic type of cover costs $179 in black, platinum, sapphire, forest, or red and is made of Microsoft’s favoured surface material, soft-but-rugged Alcantara. For $279, you can combine either of these with the superb Slim Pen 2, the official Surface pen. That may seem like a lot, but you’re saving money because the pen alone is normally $129.
What is Surface Go?
The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a 10.5-inch Windows tablet with a keypad and a kickstand that can be detached. It resembles its predecessor, the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (2020), in appearance and feel, with a strong magnesium chassis.
It features a crisp display that becomes bright enough for most uses; nevertheless, its small size makes multitasking difficult, and the backlight flickers until you set the brightness to maximum, which may cause eye strain for certain users. The type of cover keyboard gives an excellent typing experience, and the touchpad tracks well, however it is an attachment that must be purchased separately, just as the Surface Go 2.
Its Intel CPU and GPU can only handle simple activities like web surfing and video playing, making it unsuitable for demanding operations such as gaming or editing software. An Intel Core i3-10100Y CPU powers the Microsoft Surface Go 3, integrated Intel UHD Graphics 615, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. You can obtain a model with an Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y, but it’s slower than the Core i3-10100Y, although if your task is incredibly small, the Core i3 model is the best choice.
Compared to other 2-in-1 notebooks in its cost range, the Microsoft Surface Go 3 stands out for the quality of its design and the performance of its display and camera. Nonetheless, its Intel CPU is weak, and a similarly cost Windows laptop with a considerably more powerful processor is widely available.
Main Differences Between Surface Pro and Surface Go
- One of the main differences is that Surface Go has a 10.5–inch screen, while Surface Pro has a 12.3–inch screen.
- Surface Go has a limited Windows experience, while Surface Pro has a full Windows experience.
- Surface Go supports some sim cards and networks, but Surface Pro supports many more accessories for improving use.
- Surface Pro has removable SSD options up to 1TB, But Surface Go has an SSD driver of 128GB
- Surface Pro weighs 880g, while Surface Go is much lighter with 553g
Last Updated : 28 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
