Microsoft Surface Laptop Go vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 Comparison

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Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

12.4 inches | October 2020

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Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

12.4 inches | September 2023

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Microsoft Surface Laptop Go vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 Comparison Overview

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In this review, we will be comparing Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3, two laptops by Microsoft. Microsoft Surface Laptop Go was introduced to market in October 2020 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 was launched in September 2023. As you can see, Surface Laptop Go is 3 years older than Surface Laptop Go 3. Let's see if this age difference between two laptops makes a big difference.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3 are members of Microsoft's Surface Laptop series of laptops. Below you can find the latest models from this series.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Series History

	Release Date	Screen Size	Dimensions	Weight
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8	May 2024	13.8"	301 x 220 x 17.5 mm	1.34 kg (2.95 lbs)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 15	May 2024	15.0"	329 x 239 x 18.29 mm	1.66 kg (3.66 lbs)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5	March 2024	13.5"	308 x 223 x 16.7 mm	1.38 kg (3.04 lbs)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15	March 2024	15.0"	340 x 244 x 16.9 mm	1.68 kg (3.7 lbs)
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2	September 2023	14.4"	323 x 230 x 22 mm	1.98 kg (4.37 lbs)
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3	September 2023	12.4"	278 x 206 x 15.7 mm	1.13 kg (2.49 lbs)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13.5	October 2022	13.5"	308 x 223 x 14.5 mm	1.27 kg (2.8 lbs)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 15	October 2022	15.0"	340 x 244 x 14.7 mm	1.54 kg (3.4 lbs)

Here is a brief look at the main features of Microsoft Surface Laptop Go and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go Key Specs

Launched in October 2020
12.4" TouchScreen - IPS LCD, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 1035G1
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics G1
4GB Ram
278.18 x 205.67 x 15.69 mm (10.95 x 8.1 x 0.62 inches)
Weight: 1.11 kg (2.45 lbs)

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 Key Specs

Launched in September 2023
12.4" Touchscreen - IPS LCD, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 1235U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
8GB Ram
278 x 206 x 15.7 mm (10.94 x 8.11 x 0.62 inches)
Weight: 1.13 kg (2.49 lbs)

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go was replaced by Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Go
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Microsoft Surface Laptop Go over Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

Weight	1.11 kg vs 1.13 kg	0.02 kg lighter
Contrast Rate	1222:1 vs 1000:1	more pleasing colors
USB-A Port Type	3.2 vs 3.1	Faster USB-A

Reasons to choose Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 over Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

Side Bezel Thickness	7.9 mm vs 8 mm	0.1 mm thinner bezels
sRGB Color Space	100% vs 94.4%	Wider sRGB Color Space Coverage
GPU FLOPS	1.41 TFLOPS vs 0.46 TFLOPS	Charges via USB-C type cable
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs No	Flexible cable positions
Charging Port Position	Left, Right vs Right	Faster RAM Type
RAM Type	LPDDR5 vs LPDDR4X	Faster RAM
RAM BUS	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x)	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
Bluetooth	v5.1 vs v5

Common Strengths of Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

Screen Type	Touch Screen vs Touch Screen	Interact with your fingers
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
RAM Type	PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Dolby Atmos Support	Yes vs Yes	3D Surround Sound Support
Wi-Fi Standard	v6 vs v6	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes vs Yes	Easy Login with Fingerprint Sensor
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable

Common Weaknesses of Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

HDR Support	No vs No	No HDR Support
Upgradable RAM	No vs No	No Option to increase the RAM size
HDMI Output	No vs No	Need an adapter to connect to HDMI displays

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3.

Physical Specs
Weight	1.11 kg (2.45 lbs)	1.13 kg (2.49 lbs)
Surface Area	572 cm2 (88.7 inches2)	573 cm2 (88.7 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~80%	~80%
Side Bezel Thickness	~8 mm	~7.9 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.09 kg/inch	0.09 kg/inch
	0.198 lbs/inch	0.198 lbs/inch
Colors	Silver, Gold, Blue	Silver, Blue, Green, Yellow

Comparison of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 External Dimensions

Weight

Surface Laptop Go weighs 1.11 kg (2.45 lbs), whereas the Surface Laptop Go 3 weighs 1.13 kg (2.49 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. The weight difference between the two laptops is not significant.

Weight Comparison

Displays size 12.0-12.9 inches

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 1.11 kg

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 1.13 kg

Min 0.77 kg

Average 1.11 kg

Max 1.30 kg

Thickness Comparison

Displays size 12.0-12.9 inches

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 15.70 mm

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 15.70 mm

Min 8.50 mm

Average 14.24 mm

Max 21.10 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is 0.09 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is 0.09 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2-in-1 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i5 1035G1	Intel Core i5 1235U
Base Frequency	1.0 GHz	1.3 GHz
Turbo Frequency	3.6 GHz	4.4 GHz
Number of Cores	4	10
Number of Threads	8	12
L3 Cache	6 MB	12 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel UHD Graphics G1	Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU)
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	10 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1100	1580
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	2924	6333
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1079	1654
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	4263	6618

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPUs and compare them:

Laptops with: Intel Core i5 1035G1

Laptops with: Intel Core i5 1235U

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Intel UHD Graphics G1	Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
Base Clock Frequency	300 MHz	300 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	900 MHz	1100 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	15 W	15 W
Type	Integrated	Integrated
FLOPS	460.8 GFLOPS	1,408 GFLOPS
Memory Size	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Type	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Bus	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Speed	System Shared	System Shared
Shading Units Cores	256	640
TMUs	16	40
ROPs	8	20

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Microsoft Surface Laptop Go has a FLOPS value of 0.46 TFLOPS whereas the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 ' has a FLOPS value of 1.41 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	4GB 8GB 16GB	8GB 16GB
Memory Bus	2x2 GB	2x4 GB
RAM Clock	1866 MHz	5200 MHz
RAM Type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR5
Upgradable	No	No
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)

The Surface Laptop Go 3 provides a larger RAM capacity of 8 GB, which allows for smoother multitasking and improved performance in memory-demanding tasks compared to the Surface Laptop Go's RAM capacity of 4 GB.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	Microsoft Surface Laptop Go	Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✖ Not supported.	✔ Run smoothly.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	39 Wh	41 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	No	No
USB Power Delivery	No	Yes
Charging Port Position	Right	Left, Right
Charge Power	39 W	39 W
Full Charging Time	1:10 hr	1:30 hr
AC Adapter Weight	218 gramm

On the other hand, the Surface Laptop Go 3 features a higher battery capacity of 41 Wh, delivering longer usage time compared to the Surface Laptop Go's 39 Wh.

Battery Comparison

Displays size 12.0-12.9 inches

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 39 Wh

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 41 Wh

Min 39.00 Wh

Average 43.28 Wh

Max 49.00 Wh

STORAGE
Both laptops, the Surface Laptop Go and the Surface Laptop Go 3 have similar max. storage capacities of 256 GB, allowing for ample space to store files and applications.

Storage Options	64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB	256 GB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Total Slots	1	1
Storage type	eMMC	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Both Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3 screens have the same size of 12.4".The total usable screen area of the Surface Laptop Go is 458cm² / 71inch² whereas the Surface Laptop Go 3's total usable screen area is 458cm² / 71inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Both Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3 feature the same pixel density with 149 pixels per inch (PPI).

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Displays size 12.0-12.9 inches

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 149 ppi

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 149 ppi

Min 137 PPI

Average 199 PPI

Max 267.00 PPI

Refresh Rate
Both Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3 offer the same refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Both laptops offer the same Wi-Fi standard (v6), ensuring fast and reliable wireless connections.

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Both Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3 have USB-A ports. Surface Laptop Go has 1x USB 3.2 USB-A ports, while Surface Laptop Go 3 has 1x USB 3.1 USB-A ports.
Both Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3 feature 1x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Neither Surface Laptop Go nor Surface Laptop Go 3 has Thunderbolt port.

HDMI
Neither Surface Laptop Go nor Surface Laptop Go 3 has an HDMI port for connecting to external monitors. Neither Surface Laptop Go nor Surface Laptop Go 3 has an HDMI port for connecting to external monitors.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Neither Surface Laptop Go nor Surface Laptop Go 3 has an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
Both Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Go 3 are equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, providing seamless connection to headphones and speakers.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6	v6
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5	v5.1
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	1x USB 3.2	1x USB 3.1
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	1x USB 3.2	1x USB 3.2
Thunderbolt (latest: 4)	No	No
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	No	No
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes	Yes
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	No	No
SD CardReader	No	No
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	Yes