Surface Book 2 vs. Surface Book 3: Which is a better buy?

Classic Value

Surface Book 2

More Powerful Surface

Surface Book 3

The Surface Book ii is an excellent PC. While it rocks slower graphics, processors, RAM, storage, and Wi-Fi, you've got quite the compelling two-in-1 PC if you're looking for something special on a budget.

$1,150 at Microsoft

Pros

More than affordable
Ameliorate value
Same gorgeous design
Still a solid 2-in-1 PC

Cons

Older Intel CPUs
Slower NVIDIA GPUs
Wi-Fi 5
Less bombardment life

The latest and greatest from Microsoft. Packing tenth Gen Intel CPUs and better NVIDIA GPUs, the newer Surface Volume iii is a vastly more powerful two-in-1 PC.

$i,600 at Microsoft

Pros

Newer Intel CPUs
Better NVIDIA GPUs
Wi-Fi vi
Meliorate battery life

Cons

More expensive
Still no Thunderbolt 3

The choice between Surface Book two and Surface Book 3 primarily comes down to your available budget. The bump in specs is nice for those seeking a new, powerful PC with the latest from Intel and NVIDIA, simply if yous simply demand a decently powered 2-in-one Windows PC from Microsoft, the Surface Volume 2 is still worth considering.

The display remains the same, so practise the ports and webcams. In fact, in that location are more things the same than unlike with the Surface Book 3. But where there are improvements, they're considerable, making it one compelling portable PC.

Surface Book two vs. Surface Book iii specs

	Surface Volume 2 (13.v)	Surface Volume three (thirteen.v)
Processor	7th Gen Intel Core i5-7300U 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8650U	tenth Gen Intel i5-1035G7 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7
RAM	8GB LPDDR3 16GB LPDDR3	8GB LPDDR4x 16GB LPDDR4x 32GB LPDDR4x
Storage	256GB 512GB 1TB	256GB 512GB 1TB
Display size	13.v inches Affect	13.5 inches Touch
Display resolution	3000 x 2000 3:two aspect 267 PPI	3000 ten 2000 3:ii aspect 267 PPI
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 620 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050	Intel Iris Plus GeForce GTX 1650 (Max-Q)
Ports	Two USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen1) One USB Blazon-C westward/ video, power in/out and USB iii.1 (Gen1) data Total-size SDXC card reader (UHS-Ii) Headphone jack (3.5mm) Two Surface Connect ports (1 in tablet, one in keyboard base)	Two USB Blazon-A 3.one (Gen1) Ane USB Type-C w/ video, power in/out and USB three.i (Gen1) data Total-size SDXC carte reader (UHS-II) Headphone jack (3.5mm) 2 Surface Connect ports (1 in tablet, ane in keyboard base)
Connectivity	Marvel Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/1000/northward/air-conditioning Bluetooth iv.i Xbox Wireless	Intel Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.0 Xbox Wireless
Camera	5MP Front end-facing 1080P 8.0MP Rear-facing AF 1080P	5MP Front-facing 1080P viii.0MP Rear-facing AF 1080P
Biometrics	IR camera	IR camera
Battery	70WHr Up to 17 hours	70WHr Up to 17.5 hours
Charger	39W (Core i5) 95W (Core i7)	65W (Core i5) 102W (Core i7)
Dimensions	343 mm ten 251 mm x fifteen-23 mm (50 x W x D) 13.5 in 10 ix.87 in x 0.57 to 0.xc in	343 mm x 251 mm 10 15-23 mm (L x W x D) xiii.five in x 9.87 in x 0.57 to 0.90 in
Weight	Total: 1,905 1000 (4.twenty lbs) Tablet: 817 m (ane.eighty lbs)	Total: one,905 g (iv.20 lbs) Tablet: 817 k (ane.80 lbs)

	Surface Book 2 (15)	Surface Volume 3 (15)
Processor	8th Gen Intel Core i7-8650U	tenth Gen Intel Cadre i7-1065G7
RAM	8GB LPDDR3 16GB LPDDR3	8GB LPDDR4x 16GB LPDDR4x 32GB LPDDR4x
Storage	256GB 512GB 1TB	256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB
Display size	fifteen inches Affect	xv inches Touch
Display resolution	3240 x 2160 3:2 aspect 260 PPI	3240 x 2160 iii:2 aspect 260 PPI
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 620 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060	Intel Iris Plus GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Max-Q) NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000
Ports	Two USB Type-A 3.ane (Gen1) I USB Type-C w/ video, power in/out and USB 3.1 (Gen1) data Full-size SDXC menu reader (UHS-Ii) Headphone jack (iii.5mm) Two Surface Connect ports (1 in tablet, 1 in keyboard base)	Two USB Type-A three.1 (Gen1) One USB Type-C w/ video, ability in/out and USB 3.1 (Gen1) data Full-size SDXC card reader (UHS-II) Headphone jack (3.5mm) 2 Surface Connect ports (one in tablet, one in keyboard base)
Connectivity	Marvel Wi-Fi 802.xi a/b/grand/due north/ac Bluetooth 4.1 Xbox Wireless	Intel Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.0 Xbox Wireless
Photographic camera	5MP Front end-facing 1080P 8.0MP Rear-facing AF 1080P	5MP Front-facing 1080P 8.0MP Rear-facing AF 1080P
Biometrics	IR camera	IR camera
Battery	80WHr Up to 17 hours	80WHr Upward to 17.5 hours
Charger	102W	127W
Dimensions	343 mm x 251 mm x 15-23 mm (Fifty x W x D) xiii.5 in x 9.87 in x 0.57 to 0.90 in	343 mm x 251 mm x fifteen-23 mm (50 10 Westward 10 D) 13.5 in 10 ix.87 in x 0.57 to 0.90 in
Weight	i5 full: i,533g (3.38lbs) i7 full: 1,642g (3.62lbs) Tablet: 719g (1.59lbs)	i5 total: 1,533g (iii.38lbs) i7 full: 1,642g (3.62lbs) Tablet: 719g (1.59lbs)

New internals for the aforementioned first-class Surface Book

Externally, nothing inverse with the movement from Surface Book 2 to Surface Book iii. If yous put 1 of each next, you'd be hard-pressed to tell whatever visual divergence. It'southward all about what's nether the hood, which is where the considerable price difference comes into play.

The newer Surface Book 3 is updated for 2022, though there are some omissions like Thunderbolt 3. For CPUs, we've got the choice of upwardly to a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7, a very capable mobile processor used in many modern Ultrabooks.

GPUs were also given a crash-land with the 15-inch able to take on a GTX 1660 Ti with 6GB GDDR6 RAM. It's powerful, clocking in a 40% performance heave over the Surface Book's GTX 1060. In that location's fifty-fifty an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 GPU selection for creatives and professionals.

Side by side up is Wi-Fi, which is now Wi-Fi half-dozen, and thanks to Microsoft switching to Intel for wireless connectivity, nosotros besides accept Bluetooth 5.0. And, of course, Microsoft included Xbox Wireless. Finally, we take RAM and SSD improvements. Surface Book iii swaps out the slower DDR3 RAM for LPDDR4x. SSD functioning has also been bumped.

Overall, the Surface Book 3 is substantially a Surface Book 2 with everything turned up to 11. If you dig the Surface Book design and don't want information technology to change, this new generation volition delight you. But if you're belongings out for a blueprint refresh, you lot're going to have to look a little longer.

Surface Book 2 is meliorate for tighter budgets

If you but do not accept enough funds to splash out on the Surface Book iii, but still want a Surface Book of your own, the Surface Volume two is nonetheless a skilful purchase. Information technology can be configured with an 8th Gen Intel Cadre-i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and an NVIDIA GTX 1050 GPU.

Classic Value

Surface Book 2

Still a solid 2-in-one

The Surface Book 2 may exist the older PC here, just it nonetheless packs a punch. Certain, yous miss out on all the new stuff, simply at a $500 discount compared to the Surface Book iii, this is quite the deal.

Surface Volume 3 is the star pick with better internal hardware

If yous want the accented best Surface Volume, at that place'southward only one selection. Surface Book iii has better internal components, is newer, and has support for Wi-Fi half-dozen and Bluetooth 5.0. It's merely a shame that Microsoft couldn't evolve the external design a little.

More than Powerful Surface

Surface Book 3

Surface Book iii

The best Surface Book

Microsoft kept the Surface Volume iii looking like a Surface Book but took about of the internal components out for newer, more powerful, and efficient counterparts to be installed.

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