Microsoft Reveals Surface Go 3, Adds Cheaper Surface Pro X

Surface Pro X Wi-Fi — (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Along with a new Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio Microsoft is also making some minor adjustments to two existing devices, the company said on a stream today. It announced the Surface Go 3, which will receive a bump up to 10th Gen Intel processors, as well as a Wi-Fi-only version of the Surface Pro X with a new lower price.

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Header Cell - Column 0	Microsoft Surface Go 3	Microsoft Surface Pro X
CPU	Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y or Intel Core i3-10100Y	Microsoft SQ1 or SQ2
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 615	SQ1: Adreno 685
		SQ2: Adreno 690
Display	10.5-inch PixelSense, 1920 x 1280, 3:2, touch	13-inch PixelSense, 2880 x 1920, 3:2, touch
Storage	64GB eMMC, 128GB SSD (consumer), 256GB (commercial)	Up to 512GB SSD
RAM	4GB of 8GB RAM	8GB or 16GB LPDDR4x
Webcam	5MP 1080p with Windows Hello, 10MP rear-facing	5MP 1080p with Windows Hello, 10MP rear-facing
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, optional Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 LTE modem	Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, optional Qualcomm Snapdragon X24 LTE
Ports	USB Type-C, 3.5 mm headphone jack, Surface Connect, microSD Card reader, Nano SIM (LTE only)	2x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, Surface Connect port, Nano SIM (LTE only)
Release Date	October 5, 2021	October 5, 2021
Starting Price:	$399.99	$899.99

The Surface Go 3 hasn't seen any physical changes from its predecessor. The big difference here are the new processors: either a dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y or Intel Core i3-10100Y. You're still getting up to 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage, and the connectors haven't changed either. It's still a 1.2-pound, 10.5-inch device. This time around, however, it will come with Windows 11 in S Mode for consumers, while businesses can pick between Windows 11 Pro or Windows 10 Pro. It will start at $399.99 and is available for pre-order now.

The Surface Pro X has a new base model. None of the parts are changing: There are still two Microsoft-branded processors based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors, and you still get a thin design with minimal bezels. The new version without LTE and works only on Wi-Fi, bringing the cost down to $899.99 before accessories. It will ship with Windows 11 Home on ARM.

In fact, for the Pro X, the bigger details are based around Windows 11, which will offer both 32-bit and 64-bit emulation, which means it should support far more software than when the Surface Pro X came out with only the former. However, it still won't handle some games, third-party drivers and antivirus. Office, too, is getting a 64-bit version for ARM.

In fact, with a Wi-Fi-only version of the Surface Pro X, the device effectively becomes an ARM version of the new Surface Pro 8, which has a similar design, but requires a fan to cool its 11th Gen Intel processor options.