Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7: Which is the Better Processor?

Are you planning to get a Surface Pro 6 pro but not sure which processor model to purchase? I’ve written this Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7 article to help you discover which configuration will suit your needs.

Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7: At First Glance

The Surface Pro line changed a lot of things when it came into the laptop scene in 2013. To this day, the Surface Pro 6 maintains the Surface Pro legacy by sticking to its idea of a laptop-tablet hybrid that runs on the Windows operating system.

In the course of seeing through with their goal, they’ve made it possible to buy the laptop with either one of a set of configuration options. Of course, depending on your configuration choice, you will have to spend a lesser or more.

To make it clearer to you, as of March 2022, you will need $779 to get the Core i5 Surface Pro 6. Meanwhile, the Core i7 model costs about $1,249.

With that being said, the Core i7 model should have something more to offer to justify its price tag. I guess that the question in your mind may be: What exactly will I be missing out on if I go for the Core i5 variant instead of the Core i7 variant?

Let’s proceed to find out.

Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7: Design, Dimension, and Weight

As I stated earlier, both the Surface Pro 6 i5 and i7 versions share the same design, so there’s little difference to compare here. For this reason, I will be analyzing this aspect as though I’m talking about one laptop – technically speaking, I am.

That aside, you are probably familiar with the design of the Surface Pro 6 already. If you have ever set your eyes on any Surface Pro device before, then the Surface Pro 6 doesn’t hold any surprise for you in terms of design.

The only notable aesthetic that has changed about the Surface Pro 6’s design is its new matte-black finish option. Aside from that, every other design element remains the same.

Considering how well-made the previous Surface Pro was, Microsoft’s decision to keep this laptop’s design the same is not bad.

New or a follower of the Surface series design? You’ll find my detailed analysis of the Surface Pro 6 design in the subsequent paragraphs immensely enlightening.

The Surface Pro 6 features the regular magnesium chassis surrounded by smoothly curved edges and corners.

With the usual platinum silver finish, it is possible you will find it difficult to differentiate the Surface Pro 6 from its predecessor. As I mentioned earlier, the only design element with which you can differentiate it from its predecessor is its new black paint.

This black color blends thoroughly with the laptop’s entire chassis. It perfectly heightens the sleek, premium feel the laptop offers.

In addition, the black color also contrasts nicely with the reflective Microsoft logo on the kickstand.

That stand, by the way, is still a major element in the overall design and build of the Surface Pro 6’s. As usual, you can adjust it to several positions depending on how you want to view the laptop’s display.

All you need to do to achieve your preferred position is to apply a little pull or press on the kickstand.

Despite being very flexible, this kickstand is still as sturdy as the other parts of the Surface Pro 6’s body. Hence, it allows you to enjoy a good view of the laptop’s display regardless of the way you choose to position it.

Speaking of the display, the Surface Pro’s display hasn’t changed much Pro 6. However, this time around, the 12.3-inch PixelSense display comes in a 3:2 aspect ratio that makes it different from the regular 16:9 displays.

As a result, the Surface Pro 6’s display offers an unusual 2K resolution of 2736 x 1824. This screen resolution translates into a decent pixel resolution of 267 ppi which makes images and videos appear crispy and sharp on the Surface Pro 6.

In addition to how sharp the Surface Pro 6’s display is, it is also bright and colorful.

However, there’s something you need to note here. The i5 and the i7 Surface Pro 6 variants offer different values in terms of brightness and contrast ratio.

For specifics, while the Core i5 variant can offer a maximum brightness of 463 nits, the Core i7 variant offers a maximum brightness of 484 nits. As for their contrast ratios, both models offer good contrast ratios, but the Core i7 model offers a better one.

In case you don’t understand what contrast ratio is, I will explain. The contrast ratio of a display is the ratio of the white colors to the black colors it can produce.

This property determines how well your screen will be able to display dark images or dark scenes in movies. Generally, contrast ratio is regarded as one of the most important criteria for a good display.

On the Core i5 variant of the Surface Pro 6, you will get a display contrast ratio of 1,447:1. Meanwhile, the Core i7 variant has a contrast ratio of 1,467:1.

Though the Core i7 variant has a slightly better display feature, the Core i5 variant’s display is also excellent. The only issue I have with their display is the slightly thick bezels surrounding them.

Microsoft could have reduced the bezels on the Surface Pro 6 to improve the visual experience.

Still, if you think about the slightly thick bezels from another angle, they aren’t a complete nuisance. After all, the thickness of the bezels has allowed Microsoft to conveniently place a 5MP front-facing camera above the display.

Another thing to consider is that you can also use the Surface Pro 6 in tablet mode. Having slightly thick bezels will help to prevent unintentional inputs when you are using the device in tablet mode.

Since you can use the Surface Pro 6 as a tablet, it is, of course, a touchscreen device. In use, the Surface Pro 6’s display is super sensitive.

It also works excellently with the Surface Pen. In fact, it makes the extra money you pay for the Surface Pen worth it.

The Surface Pen itself is an awesome piece of technology. It offers 4,096 levels of sensitivity, making it very sensitive and lag-free.

This pen will come in handy for making sketches or taking down notes.

While you could still enjoy the Surface Pro 6 without the Surface Pen, the Surface Type Cover is a necessity. If you want to fully enjoy the flexibility of the Surface Pro 6’s design, you will need to buy the Surface Type Cover.

Without this Surface Type Cover, the Surface Pro 6 would just be a nice-looking tablet.

For its price, the Surface Type Cover is really good. Despite how thin it is, it offers a very comfortable typing experience with good key travel.

For those that aren’t familiar with what key travel means, I will explain. Key travel is the distance a key travels from its resting position to its actuation point, where it registers inputs.

The Surface Pro 6’s Type Cover offers key travel of 1.3 mm. This is fairly reasonable, considering how thin it is.

Moreover, this laptop’s key travel is better compared to the 1 mm key travel the iPad Pro offers.

Aside from the good key travel the Surface Pro 6’s Type Cover offers, it also comes with a backlighting feature to aid typing in dark places. Another thing worth mentioning is the Alcantara fabric covering the wrist rest area of the Type Cover’s keyboard.

This fabric provides a soft touch experience that makes your wrist move comfortably and swiftly as you type on the keyboard.

Keyboard aside, the smooth glass touchpad on this laptop’s Type Cover is also excellent. It registers inputs as precisely as ever.

Scrolling, swiping, and executing multi-touch gestures like three fingers switching or pinching all work excellently. The only issue is that you will sometimes hear loud noises when you attempt to make clicks with the touchpad.

This indicates a level of fragility in the Type Cover, but you will only notice it when you press down heavily on the touchpad or keyboard. Just like the other parts of the laptop, the Type Cover is quite solid.

Since there’s nothing new about the design of the Surface Pro 6, you may be wondering if it still has the same dimension. Yes, it does.

Like its previous version, the Surface Pro 6 measures 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm (W x D x H). This dimension is equally the same for the Core i5 and i7 variants.

However, there’s a distinction in terms of their weight. While the Core i5 variant weighs 770 g, the Core i7 variant weighs more, at 784 g.

As for ports, both variants feature the same limited selection of ports. You only get a Full-size USB 3.0 port on both variants.

To round off, both variants are closely tied in terms of design and build. They share almost entirely the same design characteristics.

Nonetheless, there are little things that differentiate them. Their display features, for instance, indicate that the Core i7 version is better.

The only other aspect where they also differ is in terms of weight, where it is clear that the Core i5 variant is slightly lighter.

With all of this in mind, I’ve decided to conclude this section in a tie. Both variants score an eight in this Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7 design comparison.

Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7: Processor (CPU) Performance

As you already know, we are comparing the Core i5 variant of the Surface Pro 6 with its Core i7 variant. Therefore, it goes without saying that the processor configuration on each variant is different.

To give more detail, the Core i5 variant comes with a quad-core Intel Core i5-8250U processor. Meanwhile, the Core i7 variant features a quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U5.

As you may have already imagined, these processor configurations have different characteristics. Consequently, these characteristics influence the performance capability each variant’s processor can offer.

The major characteristic we will quickly consider here is their frequency. Generally, a processor’s frequency is usually categorized into two – the base and maximum frequencies.

To help you understand better, I will explain what these frequencies mean. The base frequency indicates the minimum speed at which the processor can run while executing processor-intensive tasks.

Meanwhile, the maximum frequency indicates the maximum speed the processor can attain when it has to execute more intensive tasks.

With the Intel Core i5-8250U processor, the Surface Pro 6 runs at a base frequency of 1.60 GHz. When there is the need to, this processor can run at a maximum frequency of 3.40 GHz.

On the other hand, the Core i7 (Intel Core i7-8650U5) variant’s processor has a base frequency of 1.90 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.20 GHz.

Performance-wise, there’s barely any huge gap between the amount of processing power both variants offer. Both processor variants of the Surface Pro 6 deliver good performance levels.

You can execute all your regular computing operations without any hassle. For example, the i5 and i7 variants can easily handle basic computing operations like web browsing, document editing, and sending emails.

They can also execute more intensive operations like photo or video editing.

Due to the level of performance, they put on display in terms of real-world performance, the gap in their performance is not very obvious. For this reason, we will also consider the benchmark performance of the i5 and i7 variants of the Surface Pro 6.

For the record, the benchmark we will be making use of is the Cinebench R15. This benchmark basically tests for the processor performance a laptop can offer.

Its test process is always divided into two sections. One is the single-core aspect which tests the laptop for when only one of the processor cores is made to run under a computing workload.

Meanwhile, in the multi-core aspect, it tests for when more than one of the processor cores is made to run under a more intensive workload.

On this test, the Core i5 variant of the Surface Pro 6 achieved a single-core score of 143 points. Meanwhile, the Core i7 variant outscored the Core i5 variant with a score of 163 points.

The Core i7 variant continued to outscore the Core i5 variant in the multi-core aspect as well. While the Core i7 variant of the Surface Pro 6 achieved a score of 639 points, the Core i5 variant got a lower score of 585 points.

Even though the gap in their performance is not significantly wide, the Core i7 variant seems to be the superior one here. Since it was able to outscore the Core i5 variant in both aspects of the tests we considered, the Core i7 variant wins this round.

Thus, the Core i7 variant scores an eight in this Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7 processor performance comparison. Meanwhile, the Core i5 version scores a seven.

Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7: Memory (RAM) Performance

The i5 and i7 variants of the Surface Pro 6 feature the same memory types. The difference between them is that the size of their memory capacity isn’t the same.

While the Core i5 variant comes with 8 GB LPDDR3 RAM, the Core i7 variant comes with 16 GB LPDDR3 RAM. Since they both feature the same memory types, the gap between both variants’ performance isn’t excessively wide.

Of course, the Core i7 variant has the edge over the Core i5 variant because of its larger RAM size. Hence, you can expect a slightly superior performance from the Core i7 variant of the Surface Pro 6.

In terms of real-world performance, both variants can handle your regular multitasking operations. To give you an idea, they can handle your computing processes that involve the simultaneous operation of dozens of browser tabs, document editing, and a few other processes.

For instance, both variants should be able to run 26 Chrome tabs while a document editing process was going on in Google Docs. While these tasks were running, they also played music on Spotify while they juggled several conversations on Slack.

Their benchmark performance is also a good indication of their impressive memory performance capabilities. In case you are wondering, we made use of the PCMark 10 to determine both variants’ memory performances.

Basically, the PCMark benchmark is a common tool that computer enthusiasts use to measure a laptop’s memory performance. This benchmark tests for memory efficiency by simulating productivity, web-based, and work-related tasks.

Some of these tasks include web browsing, document editing, video-conferencing, sending emails, and more.

On this test, the Core i5 variant of Surface Pro 6 scored 3076 points. Meanwhile, the Core i7 variant scored 3448 points.

As the results of the benchmark test indicate, even though both variants can offer good memory performance, the Core i7 variant is superior. For this reason, the Core i7 variant of the Surface Pro 6 wins in this section.

So, the Core i7 Surface Pro 6 scores a nine in this Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7 memory performance comparison. Meanwhile, the Core i5 variant scores an eight.

Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7: Storage Options and Performance

Just like in the memory section, both processor variants of the Surface Pro 6 come with the same storage types but different capacities. The primary or basic configurations of both laptops’ storage are lesser than 1 TB, and they also differ from each other.

To give more detail, Microsoft equips the Core i5 variant with 128 GB SSD storage. Meanwhile, the Core i7 comes with 512 GB SSD storage. Though it is possible for you to get the same storage size of 1 TB in both variants, it will cost you more.

What they do have in common, regardless of the configuration you choose, is that they both offer extra external storage options. Specifically, Microsoft equips both variants with a MicroSDXC card reader for storage expansion.

Despite the addition of this external storage option, the storage capacities of these variants are still quite small.

Fortunately, even though both variants’ storage capacities are not very large, they are quite reliable in terms of storage speeds. In fact, their storage drives are speedy enough to help enhance their overall processing speeds.

In a real-world file transfer test, both variants performed quite well, considering the type of storage drive configuration they feature.

Surprisingly, both variants finished the real-world test within the same time frame. For specifics, the i5 and the i7 variants of Surface Pro 6 were able to copy a 4.97 GB file in 22 seconds.

This translates to a copy rate of 231 MBps.

Benchmark tests, on the other hand, yielded different results. Their results on the test showed that the Core i7 variant is capable of operating at faster speeds compared to the Core i5 version.

Before I give more information about both variants’ results in the benchmark test, you should know that I used the popular CrystalDiskMark benchmark.

This benchmark is used to test a storage drive’s read and write speeds. For better understanding, I will explain what a drive’s read and write speeds mean.

A storage drive’s read speed is a measurement of how fast it can open a file from its file location source. Meanwhile, a storage drive’s write speed is a measurement of how long it takes for the drive to save a file in its storage.

Now that we have cleared that techy stuff, let’s see the results of the storage performances of both processor variants of Surface Pro 6.

The Core i5 version of the Surface Pro 6 turned in sequential read and write speeds of 705.3 MBps and 133.8 MBps, respectively. Meanwhile, the Core i7 displayed read and write speeds of 899.7 MBps and 636.4 MBps.

Clearly, the Core i7 variant of the Surface Pro 6 can offer better storage speeds compared to the Core i5 variant. For this reason, the Core i7 variant gets the win over the Core i5 variant in this Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7 storage performance comparison.

While the Core i5 variant scores a seven, the Core i7 scores an eight.

Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7: Graphics Card Performance

Regardless of the Surface Pro 6 variant you purchase, you get an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics card. This graphics card handles graphical operations on both the Core i5 and Core i7 variants of the Surface Pro 6.

However, while it is true that this graphics card handles graphical operations on both laptops, their graphics performance tends to differ. The reason for this is that a few other hardware components also have an influence on graphics performance.

Two of these components are the memory and processor configuration. Depending on how big and fast a laptop’s memory configuration is, the laptop’s graphics card may be able to offer better graphics performance.

The same argument is true for a computer’s processor. The better a computer’s processor, the faster the graphics may likely perform.

Let me give you a simple and brief explanation of this theory. Basically, the faster a laptop’s RAM is, the faster it will be able to transfer data to the CPU.

The CPU is then able to transfer data to the GPU at a faster rate. This confirms that a slow RAM can disrupt the flow and harmony of the data that goes to your GPU, ultimately lowering the frame rates you get.

From this brief explanation, we can deduce that the CPU also has a relative influence on a laptop’s graphics performance.

Before I proceed, I’ll like to clarify that my explanation above may not apply to a GPU with a dedicated VRAM (Video RAM).

With all of that being said, we can guess that the Core i7 variant of the Surface Pro 6 should be able to offer better graphics performance. After all, we have confirmed that it is capable of offering a better CPU and RAM performance compared to the Core i5.

Nonetheless, we will not jump to conclusions without evaluating their performance results in both real-world and benchmark tests.

To begin with, the Core i7 variant was able to outperform the Core i5 variant in every game I considered for the real-world test. To give you some specific examples, the Core i5 variant was able to play BioShock Infinite at frame rates of 70.2 frames per second.

The Core i7 variant, on the other hand, did better with frame rates of 78.1 frames per second.

When both laptops ran Civilization VI, the Core i7 still performed better than the Core i5 variant. While the Core i5 variant offered frame rates of 38.8 frames per second, the Core i7 offered frame rates of 45.3 frames per second.

With some real-world gaming examples of the Surface Pro 6 variants out of the way, let’s dig deeper into their graphics performance with a GPU benchmark test.

The Core i5 variant of the Surface Pro 6 didn’t stand a chance in the benchmark test, well. It still couldn’t outperform the Core i7 variant.

Before I continue to give you the details, you should be aware that the benchmark I consulted for this test is the 3DMark 11 benchmark. This benchmark is a tool for evaluating and assessing the graphical performance capabilities of a laptop.

It subjects laptops to graphical tests by simulating graphically intensive tasks like picture and video editing. After the test, it indicates the laptop’s graphical efficiency with a score.

The higher the laptop scores, the better its graphics performance.

As I hinted earlier, the Core i7 variant of the Surface Pro 6 performed better in this test. While it achieved a score of 2202 points, the Core i5 variant had a score of 2048 points.

Hence, the Core i7 variant scores an eight in this Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7 graphics performance comparison. Meanwhile, the Core i5 variant of the Surface Pro 6 scores a seven.

Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7: Battery Life and Performance

So far, the Intel Core i7 processor of the Surface Pro 6 has outperformed the i5 processor variant in all aspects compared so far. If you’re like me, you may already be rooting for the i7 variant to take this battery comparison section as well.

Well, you won’t have to wait for too long to find out!

Before I reveal the battery performances of the two processor variants of the Surface Pro 6, let me quickly share their battery specs.

Microsoft equips both variants of the Surface Pro 6 with the same 45 Wh Lithium-ion battery. Though both variants feature the same battery configuration, their battery runtimes differ.

On the continuous web surfing test, the Core i5 variant was able to outlast the Core i7 variant. Surprise, surprise?

Not really. I am not so surprised because a higher processor spec most times may translate to higher battery consumption.

Moving on, for those that are not familiar with the continuous web surfing test, I will explain.

In the continuous web surfing test, a laptop’s battery is put to the test by subjecting it to a continuous web surfing session. The laptop is made to run under this operation at medium screen brightness with Wi-Fi until it runs out of battery power.

On this test, the Core i5 variant of the Surface Pro 6 was able to last for 9 hours and 5 minutes. It outlasted the Core i7 variant that was unable to last for more than 8 hours and 29 minutes.

These results show that the Core i5 has a better battery runtime than the Core i7 variant. For this reason, the Core i5 variant wins this Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7 battery life comparison.

It scores an eight, while the Core i7 variant scores a seven.

In case you are wondering, like I mentioned earlier, one of the major reasons behind the Core i7’s shorter battery life is its power.

The Core i7 variant obviously offers more power compared to the Core i5 variant. Once again, as I already hinted earlier, this makes its battery drain slightly faster compared to the Core i5’s battery.

Our Rating Summary

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Surface Pro 6 is a good premium 2-in-1 laptop that offers a premium level performance regardless of its configuration type – Core i5 or i7. You will get your money’s worth if you buy the laptop with either of its processor configurations.

However, if you must get one with the best performance, the Core i7 variant has more to offer. With the Core i7 variant of the Surface Pro, you will not only get the brilliant design both laptops offer, but you will also get better overall performance.

Specifically, you will get a better processor, memory, storage, and graphics performance. If you have the extra cash to spare, the Core i7 variant is the one to get for better performance.

Hence, based on our comprehensive comparison of the Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7, we recommend the Core i7 variant.

However, if you want a good performance but longer battery runtime is your priority, then you should get the Core i5 variant.

I hope you found this Surface Pro 6 i5 vs i7 comparison review helpful.  If you found the review helpful, we would love to hear from you.

Kindly spare two minutes to share your thoughts with our community using the comments form below.

Alternatively, simply respond to the “Was this page helpful” question below and provide us with your feedback.

Finally, for more laptop comparison reviews, visit our Laptop Comparison Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.