Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6: A Dive into the Surface Franchise

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Are you looking to buy a Surface-branded device from Microsoft? This Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6 comparison will come in handy in your decision-making process.

Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6: At First Glance

After a series of rumors and speculations, Microsoft finally announced the release of its Surface Go laptop towards the end of 2018. The basic idea behind the release of this laptop was for it to serve as a less expensive and smaller alternative to the Surface Pro line.

At a starting price of $325.92, the budget-friendly Surface Go draws a lot of inspiration from the Surface Pro line. Hence, the Surface Go should share a lot of similarities with the Surface Pro 6, which is more expensive at $778.00.

However, it shouldn’t go without saying that the Surface Go did not achieve its more enticing price point without undergoing some obvious cost-cutting measures. Specifically, the Surface Go is very inferior to the Surface Pro 6 in terms of hardware specifications.

As a result, comparing both laptops’ specs makes one wonder whether the Surface Go can offer the same functionality and productivity as the Surface Pro. Fortunately, it is one of those things we will review in this article.

Without wasting any more time, let’s get into it!

Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6: Design, Dimension, and Weight

The Surface Go, and Surface Pro 6 are largely the same devices when it comes to design and build. Both laptops are built with magnesium chassis, and they both perfectly depict what an ideal straightforward tablet-form laptop should look like.

In all fairness, no one would blame you if you were to mistake the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6 for each other when looking from a distance. These two laptops look very much alike.

On the lower part of their lids, both laptops feature a shiny Microsoft logo that blends perfectly with their available color options. Speaking of color options, the color of these laptops is one of the few things that differentiate them.

While the Surface Go is only available in platinum silver, the Surface Pro 6 offers a matte-black color option alongside the platinum silver.

Unlike the slightly slippery Surface Go, the matte-black on the Surface Pro 6 makes it easier to grip the laptop because it offers a slightly different texture. However, the Surface Pro 6’s matte-black paint retains smudges and fingerprints easily.

It also scratches more easily than the Surface Go.

Aside from these few downsides, the matte-black color of the Surface Pro 6 adds other interesting factors to the laptop. One of them is the sleek beauty it adds to the Surface Pro 6.

In addition, according to popular hardware analysts, the new black paint also delivers its popular slimming effect on the Surface Pro 6. I can also confirm that the new black paint on the Surface Pro makes it look deceptively slimmer.

Though it looks slimmer, the Surface Pro 6 still has the same dimensions as its predecessor. It is still very portable and light.

To give more detail, the Surface Pro 6 measures 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm.

Its weight, on the other hand, differs depending on the specific hardware configuration you equip the laptop with. With the Intel Core i5 processor, the Surface Pro 6 weighs 770 g.

Meanwhile, it weighs 784 g with the Intel Core i7 processor.

With all of this being said, I can mention for a fact that the Surface Go is the actual pint-size beauty. Though the Surface Pro 6 is compact and light, the Surface Go is an even smaller device.

Thanks to its 245 x 175 x 8.3 mm measurement and 522 g weight, the Surface Go is a perfect device for on the “go” computing activities. If you are a creative who is always on the move, the Surface Go is an ideal companion for you.

For Microsoft, the goal must have been to create a more compact device that offers all the premium experience the Microsoft category-defining Surface Pro offers. The difference is that they made it much more affordable.

To do this, Microsoft took some cost-cutting measures in the hardware configuration of Surface Go but not in the build. If we compare the Surface Go’s hardware configuration options to that of the Surface Pro 6, you will discover how inferior the Surface Go’s options are.

Fortunately, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Microsoft didn’t cut any costs in terms of the Surface Go’s build. In fact, the Surface Go has the same solid magnesium body that the Surface Pro 6 has.

Interestingly, Surface Go has more rounded corners and edges compared to the Surface Pro 6. All that being said, almost everything about the Surface Go pretty much feels like a sweet blend of design and functionality.

To start with, it features the same iconic kickstand on the Surface Pro 6 – the Surface Go’s kickstand is smaller though.

In addition, the Surface Go also features the Type Cover and Stylus pen, which are slightly smaller too.

Thanks to these features, the Surface Go is flexible enough to be used in either tablet or laptop mode, just like the Surface Pro 6. Both laptops can bend nearly 180 degrees, making them ideal workstations for digital drawing and note-taking.

As for the Type Covers, the one on the Surface Go is a slightly miniaturized version of the one on the Surface Pro 6. Despite the smaller amount of space on the Surface Go’s Type Cover, Microsoft still managed to fit it with full-sized keys.

Also, the keys on the Surface Go’s Type Cover have more pronounced curves. This structuring is probably meant to aid a comfortable typing experience – and it does.

The Surface Go’s Type Cover feels just as snappy as the Surface Pro 6’s, except for the fact that it feels obviously smaller.

On the bright side, it is easy to quickly forget the Surface Go’s small keyboard size when you are typing. This is because it doesn’t feel too cramped up when you start typing, but you will need to get used to the slightly tighter typing experience on the keyboard.

The keys on the Surface Go’s Type Cover are spaced more closely together than the ones on the Surface Pro 6. As a result, typing on the keyboard alters the way you would naturally rest your fingers on a keyboard.

It’s a good thing that the typing experience on the Surface Go’s Type Cover still remains comfortable. One thing you should take note of is that typing with this laptop on a desk is much more comfortable than typing on your lap – the same thing applies to the Surface Pro 6.

By the time you get familiar with the Surface Go’s tighter keyboard layout, you will fully appreciate the 0.9 mm key travel it offers. Though it’s not better than the 1.3 mm key travel the Surface Pro 6 offers, it makes typing more comfortable.

Except for the higher typing accuracy, the Surface Pro 6 can help you to achieve this, the Surface Go is equally capable of enhancing fast typing. On the 10Fastfingers typing test, an average typist should be able to type at least 70 words per minute on each of the two laptops.

Overall, the keys on both laptops’ keyboards are incredibly responsive and comfortable for typing. Likewise, the trackpad below both laptops’ keyboards is very responsive and accurate at inputting commands.

Scrolling is incredibly smooth, and both laptops’ trackpads are also precise at carrying out Windows 10 gestures like three-finger swipes.

The other input device Microsoft offers with the two laptops is the Stylus Pen. Note, however, that just like the Type Covers, you also have to purchase the Stylus Pen separately from the laptops themselves.

If I were to consider buying either of these laptops, I would also buy the Stylus Pen. With this pen, you can markup and annotate documents and websites.

It will also make taking notes and making sketches in a number of apps extremely easy. Thanks to its 4,096 levels of sensitivity, this pen will also come in handy for inputting electronic signatures.

As for the outputs on both laptops, the Surface Go features a 10-inch display with an FHD resolution of 1800 x 1200. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 comes with a bigger 12.3-inch screen and a better 2K screen resolution of 2736 x 1824.

Though the Surface Pro 6’s display is sharper, the Surface Go’s display is as colorful and vibrant as the Surface Pro 6’s. Due to the extremely accurate colors, both laptops are capable of offering movies and photos that look amazing.

Both laptops can also get very bright, but the Surface Go can get brighter. While the Surface Pro 6 can offer a maximum brightness of 408 nits, the Surface Go can offer a higher maximum brightness of 415 nits.

Sadly, one of the biggest Surface issues remains unsolved in both laptops’ displays. The bezels around both laptops’ displays are still quite thick.

In a world where PC makers have begun to embrace slim bezels, both the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6’s bezels don’t look good.

Fortunately, the thick bezels on both bezels serve some good purpose. Firstly, if you want to use either of the laptops in tablet mode, you can easily grab them from any side without unintentionally triggering anything on the screen.

The thickness also allows both laptops’ Type Covers to connect to their bottom bezels via magnet for a better typing angle.

Still on the bezels, Microsoft positioned both the Surface Go and Surface Pro speakers within their side bezels. Surprisingly, the two tiny front-firing speakers on both laptops deliver loud and clear audio.

In terms of ports, there isn’t much room for ports on both laptops. In fact, the port selection on the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6 is very limited.

The Surface Go only offers 1 USB Type-C port and a headphone jack. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 offers 1 x Full-size USB 3.0 and a headphone jack.

If you want to expand the storage on both laptops, you can make use of the microSD card slot situated underneath their kickstands.

In conclusion, both the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6 are almost completely identical. Take away the Surface Pro 6’s black color option and the Surface Go’s smaller size; you will have two completely identical laptops.

That said, choosing the laptop with the better design entirely comes down to one’s preference.

Though the Surface Go is more compact, the Surface Pro is not too bulky, either. For this reason, Surface Pro 6 wins this design comparison section.

Therefore, in this design review comparison section, the Surface Pro 6 scores an eight while the Surface Go scores a seven.

Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6: Processor (CPU) Performance

This is one of those aspects where the cost-cutting measures Microsoft took on the Surface Go becomes very obvious. To an informed individual, comparing both laptops’ processor specifications clearly shows which is superior.

Ordinarily, a device that features an 8th-generation processor will offer better performance compared to a device with a Pentium processor. To give more detail, I will highlight the processor configurations Microsoft offers for both laptops.

As for the Surface Go, you get a dual-core Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4415Y. This processor has a base and maximum frequency of 1.60 GHz.

Meanwhile, Microsoft offers two quad-core processor configuration options for the Surface Pro 6. You can either buy your Surface Pro 6 with the Intel Core i5-8250U processor or the Intel Core i7-8650U5 processor.

The performance of your Surface Pro 6 will slightly differ depending on which of these configuration options you equip it with. One of the reasons for this is that the processors have different speeds at which they can perform.

To give you a clearer understanding, the Intel Core i5-8250U processor has a base frequency of 1.60 GHz and a boost frequency of 3.40 GHz. Meanwhile, the Intel Core i7-8650U5 has a base frequency of 1.90 GHz and a boost frequency of 4.20 GHz.

In comparison with the Surface Go, the Surface Pro 6 will offer a better processor performance with either one of its processor configuration options. However, to be as clear as possible, I would like you to take note that our Surface Pro 6 review unit features the Core i5-8250U processor.

With its Intel Pentium Gold processor, the Surface Go is efficient at handling basic computing operations. It can easily handle basic browser-based workloads, like word processing and content management.

However, it cannot handle operations like high-resolution image or video editing and rendering.

The Surface Pro 6, on the other hand, is more efficient and powerful. Since the laptop is majorly targeted at creatives, you can expect it to carry out more intensive computing operations.

Still, there’s a reasonable limit to the amount of demanding tasks this laptop can tackle. Though it can handle basic image and video editing tasks, the Surface Pro 6 will begin to show signs of a disturbance if you attempt to carry out large media rendering and encoding.

Nevertheless, the Surface Pro 6 has the capability to offer a better processor performance than the Surface Go. I further confirmed this claim with their benchmark results.

The gap in the benchmark performance results was convincing enough to clearly show which of the two laptops is undoubtedly the better performer. To give you more detail, the benchmark test result I used to compare both laptops’ processor performance is known as the Cinebench R15 benchmark test.

The Cinebench benchmark is a widely acclaimed benchmark that tests the processor performance capability of a laptop. It checks how well a laptop’s CPU can handle processor-specific workload when only one of its cores is put to use – the single-core test.

This test also checks when more than one of a processor’s cores is put to use – the multi-core test.

On the single-core test, the Surface Go scored 65 points. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 had a better score of 143 points.

The gap between both laptops’ performance got even wider in the multi-core aspect. While the Surface Go scored a measly 164 points, the Surface Pro 6 scored an impressive 585 points.

Evidently, when it comes to processor performance, the Surface Go and Surface Pro sit in different categories. While the Surface Go is only good for casual computing workloads, the Surface Pro 6 can do more of the heavy lifting.

For this reason, the Surface Pro 6 is my preferred choice as far as processor performance is concerned. Hence, it scores a nine in this Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6 processor review comparison.

Meanwhile, the Surface Go scores a seven.

Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6: Memory (RAM) Performance

Microsoft equips both the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6 with the same memory types – LPDDR3 RAM. The only difference is that the RAM on the Surface Pro 6 is a dual-channel type.

Both laptops also feature only one non-removable RAM slot. Hence, there is no way for you to upgrade their RAM size after purchasing either of the two laptops.

So, I strongly recommend that you buy a laptop that meets your RAM requirements. Bear in mind that the higher the RAM size on a laptop, the faster it can carry out tasks – all other factors being equal.

Moving on, you can buy the Surface Go with either 4 GB or 8 GB RAM.

Meanwhile, Microsoft allows its customers to buy the Surface Pro 6 with either 8 GB or 16 GB RAM. For this review, we considered a 4 GB RAM size for the Surface Go and an 8 GB RAM size for the Surface Pro 6.

In use, both the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6 offered encouraging RAM performances. They both did an admirable job of handling the typical RAM-specific workload we usually consider.

To be specific, the Surface Go can handle up to 15 Chrome browser tabs opened with a few local apps running while you stream music on Spotify. Unfortunately, you may begin to notice a bit of lag when you start switching between the Chrome browser tabs.

On the other hand, the Surface Pro 6 can handle up to 26 Chrome browser tabs with several local apps running while you stream movies or music.

So, unlike the Surface Go, the Surface Pro 6 can deliver smooth performance with more running multiple tabs and simultaneous operations.

Therefore, it is no surprise that on the PCMark 8 benchmark test, the Surface Pro 6 still delivered a much better performance compared to the Surface Go. For those that don’t know what the PCMark benchmark is, I will explain.

The PCMark benchmark is a benchmark test that checks how efficient a laptop is at carrying out memory-intensive operations. It carries out tests by subjecting a laptop to office-centric and productivity-oriented tests.

On this test, the Surface Go’s couldn’t hold a candle to the Surface Pro 6’s impressive score. While the Surface Go was only able to score 741 points, the Surface Pro 6 had a much better score of 3088 points.

Due to the results in the benchmark test and the real-life tests, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Surface Pro 6 beats the Surface Go in this aspect, also. Compared to the Surface Go, the Surface Pro 6 is more capable of handling intensive workflows.

As a result, the Surface Pro 6 scores an eight in this Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6 memory performance comparison. Meanwhile, the Surface Go scores a seven.

Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6: Storage Options and Performance

In terms of storage, the Surface Go, and Surface Pro share a few similarities and differences. First of all, you can equip the Surface Go with either one of two different storage types.

Meanwhile, you can only equip the Surface Pro with just one type.

Technically, the only configuration Microsoft offers for the Surface Pro 6 is much better than each of the two they offer for the Surface Go. Why is that so?

I will give more details on this.

First, let’s get to know the options Microsoft offers for the two laptops. With the Surface Pro 6, you get 1 TB of SSD storage.

Meanwhile, you can choose to equip your Surface Go with either 128 eMMC storage or a 128 GB SSD. The 1TB SSD on the Surface Pro 6 is much better than the eMMC storage type the Surface Go offers.

Also, even though the second storage option for the Surface Go is also an SSD, it is not as big as 1TB. Specifically, Surface Go’s 128 GB size makes it inferior to the 1TB on the Surface Pro 6.

The test results I’ve gathered on both laptops back up the theory I’ve been laying out so far. On a file copy test, the Surface Go was able to copy a 4.97 GB file in 31 seconds at a rate of 154.2 MBps (lower is better).

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 took 22 seconds to copy the 4.9GB file. It copied this file at a rate of 231 MBps.

Comparatively, the Surface Pro 6 showed the same blistering speed in the CrystalDiskMark test that checks for storage drive speeds. If you’re wondering, the CrystalDiskMark is a graphical user software used to test the read and write performance of SSD storage devices.

It’s important to explain that on a computer, a typical storage “read” occurs when you open a file. On the other hand, an example of a “write” is when you save a file.

On this benchmark test, the Surface Pro 6 offered an impressive read and write speed of 748.1 MBps and 127.6 MBps, respectively.

The Surface Go, on the other hand, offered much slower sequential read and write speeds of 259.6 MBps and 122.4 MBps. For this reason, Surface Go scores a seven in this Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6 storage performance comparison.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 scores a nine for its much faster storage speed.

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Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6: Graphics Card Performance

The graphics card on both the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6 are not so strong, but they both adequately handle all things graphics on both laptops. Also, both laptop do not come with dedicated VRAMs to aid their graphic performance.

To give more detail, the Surface Go comes with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU. This graphics card runs at a base GPU frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 850 MHz.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 features Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated GPU. This GPU runs at a base frequency of 300 MHz and is capable of reaching a boost frequency of 1150 MHz.

Performance-wise, the Surface Go’s integrated GPU is too slow to run demanding AAA title games smoothly. So if you are an intensive gamer, you may want to look further away from this laptop.

However, if you are satisfied with playing less intensive browser games, you will be okay with the Surface Go’s performance.

The Surface Pro 6, on the other hand, can run most AAA title games smoothly at medium to high game settings.

To make the difference in the Surface Pro and Surface Go’s graphics performance clearer, I will highlight a few gaming test results. At low graphics settings, the Surface Go was able to run BioShock Infinite at 38.3 frames per second.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 offered frame rates of 70.2 frames per second playing the same game. As a result, the gaming experience on the Surface Pro 6 will be much more enjoyable.

When I checked how well both laptops could handle Rise of the Tomb Raider, I discovered that the Surface Go could barely run the game. At frame rates of 10 frames per second, you will barely enjoy playing the game on the Surface Go.

The Surface Pro couldn’t also run the game smoothly. With frame rates of 14.1 frames per second, it was only able to offer slightly better performance compared to the Surface Go.

Overall, the gaming performance of both laptops offers shows that they are not suitable for intensive gaming. Nonetheless, the Surface Pro 6 can at least handle a few intensive games.

To verify this claim, I moved on to obtain specific benchmark test results. Since the 3DMark 11 benchmark is a trustworthy benchmark for accessing the capabilities of a laptop’s graphics card, I obtained both laptops’ results on the test.

This benchmark checks how capable a laptop’s graphics card is at handling graphically intensive tasks such as gaming or video and image rendering.

On the 3DMark benchmark test, the Surface Go scored 1257 points. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 achieved a better score of 1881 points.

From my research and review so far, I can deduce that compared to the Surface Go, the Surface Pro 6 offers a better graphics performance.

Therefore, Surface Pro 6 scores an eight in this Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6 graphics performance comparison. Meanwhile, the Surface Go scores a seven.

Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6: Battery Life and Performance

Both the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6 feature the same Lithium-ion battery type.

However, their capacity differs. While the Surface Go’s battery capacity is 26.12 Wh, the Surface Pro 6 has a battery capacity of 45 Wh.

According to Microsoft, the Surface Go should be able to last up to 9 hours, while the Surface Pro 6 should be able to last up to 13.5 hours. However, the test results of both laptops’ battery runtimes say something else.

Based on our regular continuous web surfing test under medium screen brightness, the Surface Go came 1 hour 32 minutes short of the promised runtime. Also, the Surface Pro 6 couldn’t offer the same runtime Microsoft promised.

It lasted for just 9 hours and 5 minutes.

On the idle test, where we check how long laptops last when they are not running any operation, the Surface Go lasted for 12 hours and 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 ran for 17 hours and 46 minutes before it went off.

Overall, the Surface Pro 6 offers a better runtime compared to the Surface Go despite its more intensive working power. As a result, the Surface Pro 6 scores an eight in this Surface Go vs Surface Pro 6 battery performance comparison.

The Surface Go, on the other hand, scores a seven.

Our Rating Summary

Rating Areas	Surface Go	Surface Pro 6	Notes/Comments
Design	7	8	Both the Surface Go and Surface Pro 6 are almost completely identical. Apart from the black color option and the difference in size, you have two completely identical laptops. That said, choosing the laptop with the better design entirely comes down to one’s preference. Though the Surface Go is more compact, the Surface Pro is not too bulky, either. For me, the Surface Pro 6 wins this round.
Processor (CPU)	7	9	When it comes to processor performance, the Surface Go and Surface Pro sit in different categories. While the Surface Go is only good for casual computing workloads, the Surface Pro 6 can do more of the heavy lifting.
Memory (RAM)	7	8	Based on the results I obtained across the various tests I considered, the Suface Pro 6 bests the Surface Go in this aspect also. Compared to the Surface Go, the Surface Pro 6 is more capable of handling intensive workflows.
Storage	7	9	The Surface Pro 6 offers a larger storage size, and its storage disk also operates much faster than the Surface Go’s.
Graphics Card	7	8	From my research and review, I can deduce that the Surface Pro 6 offers a better graphics performance. Compared to the Surface Go, the Surface Pro offered better performance in real-world gaming activities as well as in the benchmark test.
Battery Life	7	8	The Surface Pro 6 offers a better runtime compared to the Surface Go despite its more intensive working power.
Our Average Rating	7	8.3	On average, the Surface Pro 6 is a better laptop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The bottom line is that the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Go are two very similar yet different laptops. With an almost entirely identical design, the Surface Go is just a baby version of the Surface Pro 6.

If you are looking for a compact laptop for carrying out light computing tasks, the Surface Go is an ideal option.

As for us, we recommend the Surface Pro 6 if its price doesn’t exceed your budget. Even though it’s a bit bigger than the Surface Go, its big size offers a few good benefits, such as a bigger display, a larger keyboard, and longer battery life.

If you will be carrying out intensive computing operations, the Surface Pro 6 is definitely the right choice. For a less expensive option, the Surface Go is not a bad choice either.

However, if you won’t be carrying out highly intensive tasks and you want to spend less, then you can consider the Surface Go.

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