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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Build Quality
    3. Hinge
    4. Portability
    5. Serviceability
    6. In The Box
  5. Display
    1. Screen Specs
    2. Refresh Rate
    3. Contrast
    4. Brightness
    5. Reflections
    6. Black Uniformity
    7. Horizontal Viewing Angle
    8. Vertical Viewing Angle
    9. Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
    10. Color Gamut
    11. Flicker
  6. Interface
    1. Keyboard
    2. Touchpad
    3. Speakers
    4. Webcam & Microphone
  7. Connectivity
    1. Ports
    2. Wireless Communication
  8. Configuration
    1. CPU
    2. GPU
    3. RAM
    4. Storage
  9. Performance
    1. Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
    2. Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
    3. Blender (3D Rendering)
    4. Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
    5. Storage Drive Performance
    6. Battery
    7. Borderlands 3
    8. Civilization VI
    9. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
    10. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
    11. Thermals And Noise
    12. Performance Over Time
  10. Additional Features And Software
    1. Software
    2. Extra Features
  11. Comments

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Google Pixelbook Go (2019)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019)

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Feb 22, 2023 03:40 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jan 12, 2024 04:04 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Picture
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Picture

Variants

  • Pixelbook Go (‎GA00526-US) (Just Black - 4K/i7/16GB/256GB)
  • Pixelbook Go (GA00523-US) (Just Black - FHD/i5-8200Y/16GB/128GB)
  • Pixelbook Go (‎GA00521-US) (Just Black - FHD/i5-8200Y/8GB/128GB)
  • Pixelbook Go (‎GA00519-US) (Just Black - FHD/m3/8GB/64GB)
  • Surface Laptop 3 15 (V9R-00022) (Matte Black - Ryzen 5/16GB/256GB)
  • Surface Laptop 3 15 (‎VGZ-00022) (Matte Black - Ryzen 5/8GB/256GB)
  • Surface Laptop 3 15 (‎VFL-00022) (Matte Black - Ryzen 7/16GB/512GB)
  • Surface Laptop 3 15 (V9R-00001) (Platinum - Ryzen 5/16GB/256GB)
  • Surface Laptop 3 15 (V4G-0001) (Platinum - Ryzen 5/8GB/128GB)
  • Surface Laptop 3 15 (‎VGZ-00001) (Platinum - Ryzen 5/8GB/256GB)
  • Surface Laptop 3 15 (‎VFL-00001) (Platinum - Ryzen 7/16GB/512GB)

Our Verdict

Google Pixelbook Go (2019)

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019)

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) and the Google Pixelbook Go (2019) are thin and light ultraportable laptops. However, they're quite different because the Surface Laptop 3 runs Windows, while the Pixelbook Go runs Chrome OS. This means that the Surface Laptop 3 can run full x86 applications like Adobe Premiere, whereas the Pixelbook Go is limited to web apps, Android apps, and Linux apps. The Surface Laptop 3 has a larger display and a better keyboard, but its battery life is significantly shorter than the Pixelbook Go's.

0 

Main Differences for
School

Threshold 

0.10

School 

8.0
7.5

Battery 
 

9.3
6.1

Portability 
 

9.2
8.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Style Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Style Photo

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.0
9.5

Build Quality Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Build Quality Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Build Quality Photo
Show Text 

Hinge 
 

9.1
9.1

Hinge Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Hinge Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Hinge Photo

Range 
 

135°
140°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.2
8.5

Dimensions Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Dimensions Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Dimensions Photo

Size 
 

13.3"
15"

Thickness 
 

0.5" (1.2 cm)
0.6" (1.5 cm)

Width 
 

12.3" (31.2 cm)
13.4" (34.0 cm)

Depth 
 

8.1" (20.7 cm)
9.6" (24.4 cm)

Volume 
 

47.3 in³ (775.0 cm³)
74.3 in³ (1,216.9 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.4 lbs (1.1 kg)
3.4 lbs (1.5 kg)

Charger Size 
 

6.2 in³ (100.9 cm³)
6.9 in³ (112.5 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.6 lbs (0.3 kg)
Show Text 

Serviceability 
 

3.3
4.3

Internals Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Internals Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Internals Photo

Ease Of Access 
 

6.5
4.5

RAM Slots 
 

0
0

Storage Slots 
 

0
1

Replaceable Battery 
 

No
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

No
No
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) In The Box Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Display Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Display Photo

Resolution 
 

1920 x 1080
2496 x 1664

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:9
3:2

Pixel Density 
 

165 PPI
199 PPI

Panel Type 
 

IPS
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

Yes
Yes

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

79%
81%
Show Text 

Refresh Rate 
 

5.9
6.9

Motion Blur  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Motion Blur
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

60 Hz
60 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

No
FreeSync
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

8.3
7.7

Contrast Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Contrast Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Contrast Photo

Native Contrast 
 

2,000 : 1
1,589 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness  
 

7.5
8.0

Maximum Brightness 
 

345 cd/m²
401 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

2 cd/m²
4 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

6.3
6.2

Reflections Photo Off  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Reflections Photo Off
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Reflections Photo Max
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Glossy

Total Reflections 
 

5.64%
5.9%

Indirect Reflections 
 

0.14%
0.572%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

5.5%
5.33%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

7.0
7.5

Black Uniformity Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Black Uniformity Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

1.279%
1.022%
Show Text 

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

6.6
6.4

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Horizontal Chroma Picture
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Horizontal Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Left 
 

26°
26°

Color Washout From Right 
 

27°
29°

Horizontal Hue Picture  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Horizontal Hue Picture
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Horizontal Hue Picture

Color Shift From Left 
 

37°
24°

Color Shift From Right 
 

41°
31°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Horizontal Lightness Picture
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Horizontal Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Left 
 

27°
33°

Brightness Loss From Right 
 

27°
31°

Black Level Raise From Left 
 

60°
60°

Black Level Raise From Right 
 

60°
60°

Gamma Shift From Left 
 

30°
19°

Gamma Shift From Right 
 

30°
28°
Show Text 

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.5
6.1

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Vertical Chroma Picture
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Vertical Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Below 
 

25°
25°

Color Washout From Above 
 

25°
22°

Vertical Hue Picture  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Vertical Hue Picture
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Vertical Hue Picture

Color Shift From Below 
 

41°
24°

Color Shift From Above 
 

38°
25°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Vertical Lightness Picture
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Vertical Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

28°
28°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

27°
24°

Black Level Raise From Below 
 

45°
45°

Black Level Raise From Above 
 

45°
45°

Gamma Shift From Below 
 

26°
22°

Gamma Shift From Above 
 

26°
19°
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

8.6
9.9

White Balance Screencap  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) White Balance Screencap
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Gamma Curve Screencap
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Color Screencap
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

2.09
1.53

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.24
2.18

Avg. Color dE 
 

2.53
0.72

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

6,575 K
6,613 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

8.3
8.3

Gamut SDR  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Gamut SDR
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Gamut SDR

sRGB xy 
 

98.18%
99.6%

sRGB uv 
 

96.82%
99.08%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

75.13%
74.38%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

84.01%
85.14%

Gamut HDR  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Gamut HDR
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Gamut HDR

DCI P3 xy 
 

76.51%
74.16%

DCI P3 uv 
 

81.84%
79.51%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

54.99%
53.22%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

60.13%
57.96%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

10
10

Flicker Graph  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Flicker Graph
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Flicker Graph

Flicker-Free 
 

Yes
Yes

Flicker Frequency 
 

No Flicker
No Flicker

Flicker Active Below 
 

0%
0%
Show Text 
Interface

Keyboard 
 

7.2
8.1

Keyboard Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Keyboard Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Keyboard Photo

Typing Quality 
 

7.0
8.0

Numpad 
 

No
No

Backlighting 
 

Adjustable
Adjustable

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

62 gf
64 gf

Actuation Force 
 

34 gf
38 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

0.66 mm
0.92 mm

Total Travel 
 

1.02 mm
1.42 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

8.5
8.7

Touchpad Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Touchpad Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Touchpad Photo

Tracking Quality 
 

9.0
9.0

Size 
 

11.6 in² (74.9 cm²)
13.7 in² (88.6 cm²)

Material 
 

Glass
Glass

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Speakers 
 

8.4
6.9

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

79 dB SPL
70 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

5.1 dB
5.5 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

1.7
1.4

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

298 Hz
250 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

17 kHz
14 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

1.6 dB
3.2 dB
Show Text 

Webcam & Microphone 
 

8.2
8.7

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

8.5
9.0

Resolution 
 

1080p
720p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Ports 
 

3.0
4.5

Ports Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Ports Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

0
1

USB-C Ports 
 

2
1

Thunderbolt 
 

No
No

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

No
No

DisplayPort 
 

No
No

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

No
No

Proprietary Port 
 

No
Surface Connect

Security Lock 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)

Bluetooth 
 

4.2
5.0
Show Text 
Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

Intel
AMD

Model 
 

Core m3-8100Y
Ryzen 5 3580U

Core Count 
 

2
4

Thread Count 
 

4
8
Show Text 

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

Intel
AMD

Model 
 

UHD Graphics 615
Radeon Vega 9 Graphics

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Integrated
Integrated

VRAM Size 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

8 GB
8 GB

Modules 
 

2 (Soldered)
2 (Soldered)

Type 
 

LP-DDR3
DDR4

Speed 
 

1,866 MHz
2,400 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

64 GB
128 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

48 GB
74 GB

Drive 1 
 

hC8ap
SK Hynix HFM128GDGTNG-87A0A

Drive 1 Type  

eMMC
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Show Text 
Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics) 
 

4.7
4.9

Geekbench Image  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Geekbench Image
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

718 points
478 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

1,554 points
3,073 points

GPU Compute 
 

N/A
11,953 points
Show Text 

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

0.0
6.9

Cinebench R23 Photo  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Cinebench R23 Photo
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread 
 

N/A
945 points

Multi-Thread 
 

N/A
3,905 points
Show Text 

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

0.0
4.4

Blender Image  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Blender Image
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Blender Image

CPU Render Time 
 

21.9 min
9.4 min

GPU Render Time 
 

N/A
11.2 min

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

1.9
3.9

Basemark Image  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Basemark Image
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Basemark Image

Overall Score 
 

4,203
9,566
Show Text 

Storage Drive Performance 
 

4.9
8.2

Storage Performance Image  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Storage Performance Image
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed 
 

86.8 MB/s
409.3 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

316.0 MB/s
1,156.1 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

2.8 MB/s
49.9 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

17.8 MB/s
31.6 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

9.3
6.1

Capacity 
 

47 Wh
46 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

13.7 hrs
6.6 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

12.9 hrs
5.8 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

3.9 hrs
2.7 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.5 hrs
2.3 hrs
Show Text 

Borderlands 3 
 

0.0
1.4

Borderlands 3 Graph  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Borderlands 3 Graph
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

N/A
9 fps

1% Low 
 

N/A
4 fps

0.1% Low 
 

N/A
2 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
140 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
334 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

N/A
48 fps
Show Text 

Civilization VI 
 

0.0
3.7

Civilization VI Graph  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Civilization VI Graph
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

N/A
19 fps

1% Low 
 

N/A
10 fps

0.1% Low 
 

N/A
6 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
50 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
117 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

N/A
76 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

N/A
9.21 s
Show Text 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
 

0.0
5.5

CS:GO graph  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) CS:GO graph
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

N/A
52 fps

1% Low 
 

N/A
26 fps

0.1% Low  
 

N/A
20 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
19 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
31 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

N/A
99 fps
Show Text 

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

0.0
1.9

SOTTR Graph  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) SOTTR Graph
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

N/A
12 fps

1% Low 
 

N/A
3 fps

0.1% Low 
 

N/A
1 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
313 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
928 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

N/A
23 fps
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

7.9
7.3

Keyboard Temps Picture  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Keyboard Temps Picture
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

26 °C (79 °F)
32 °C (89 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

51 °C (124 °F)
45 °C (113 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

N/A
25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

N/A
46.0 dBA

Power & Fan Control App 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

0.0
6.3

Performance Over Time Image  

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) Performance Over Time Image
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) Performance Over Time Image

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

N/A
66 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

N/A
10% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

N/A
61 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

N/A
12% loss
Show Text 
Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

Chrome OS
Windows 10

Additional Software 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

RGB Illumination 
 

No
No

Touch Pen 
 

No
No

Secondary Display 
 

No
No

Biometrics 
 

No
Face Recognition
Show Text 

Google Pixelbook Go (2019)

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019)

Comments

  1. Comparison

Google Pixelbook Go (2019) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019): Main Discussion

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