The Surface Pro 3 looks a lot like the big brother of the Surface 2. There are a few similarities and a lot of differences. Since the previous Surface Pros were shaped about the same as the Surface RT devices except for the increased thickness and heft, we kind of expected that from the Surface Pro 3. Surprisingly, that is not the case. The Surface Pro 3 (running full high-end 64 bit Windows 8 hardware) feels just as light as the Surface 2 (running an ARM processor and the limited Windows RT).

The specifications differences are monumental though. The Surface Pro 3 is available in configurations with a top-of-the-line Core i7 processor, 512Gb solid state drive, and 8Gb of RAM, while the Surface 2’s maximum configuration is an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor with 64Gb of storage and only 2Gb of RAM. Both devices still get about 9-10 hours of battery life though. Both also have 5 megapixel cameras on the back. While the Surface 2 has a 3.5 megapixel front facing camera, the Surface Pro 3 has another 5 megapixel camera on the front.

The most obvious difference is the screen size. The Surface 2 has a 10.6″ 1080p HD screen, while the Surface Pro 3 has a 12″ screen with a 2160 x 1440 pixel resolution. That extra resolution gives you a lot more room for those great desktop programs that won’t run on the Surface 2. The other big difference is the kickstand. The Surface 2 has a two step kickstand so that you can set it up on a table at two different viewing angles. The Surface Pro 3 steps it up big time with a fully adjustable kickstand that supports a much wider range of viewing angles.

Honestly, when comparing the Surface Pro 3 with the Surface 2, the most impressive difference is the thickness and weight. The Surface 2 is 8.9mm thick while the Surface Pro 3 is 9.1mm thick. That’s 2 tenths of a millimeter difference! It’s kind of amazing that Microsoft packed so much more horsepower into such a thin body. It’s light too! The Surface Pro 3 weighs 800 grams vs. the Surface 2’s 676 grams. It’s pretty impressive that such a small 124 gram difference makes such a huge difference in performance and capabilities.