Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 vs. Surface Laptop 2: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively compared the specifications for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 and Surface Laptop 2 models. The report includes detailed information regarding both models' CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 image

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5

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Surface Laptop 2

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 is better than Surface Laptop 2.

About 10% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 weighed 2.49 pounds, 10% lighter than the 2.76 pounds Surface Laptop 2.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Pound
2.49 lbs.
2.76 lbs.
Kilogram
1.13 kg
1.25 kg

Surface Laptop 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 2 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Newer manufacturing

2018 vs. 2017

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-8650U inside Surface Laptop 2 has a 106% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-7600U inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Laptop 2 - Intel Core i7-8650U
3,879
Surface Laptop 2 - Intel Core i5-8350U
2,982
Surface Laptop 2 - Intel Core i5-8250U
1,971
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-7600U
1,883
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-7300U
1,777
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-7500U
1,744
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-7200U
1,611
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-6500U
1,500
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-6200U
1,333

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 and Surface Laptop 2.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
16 GB
Surface Laptop 2
16 GB
Uses the same memory type and speed

Both laptops supports the same 1866MHz LPDDR3 RAM.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
Surface Laptop 2 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 Price
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 21HM002DUS Black Laptop, i7-1355U, 16GB, 512GB PCIe SSD, 14.0" IPS Touch Wide UXGA (1920x1200), Intel Iris Xe, Windows 11 Pro
 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 21HM002DUS Black Laptop, i7-1355U, 16GB, 512GB PCIe SSD, 14.0" IPS Touch Wide UXGA (1920x1200), Intel Iris Xe, Windows 11 Pro
By Lenovo
$1,379.99
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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) 14-inch Laptop Computer, Intel Core i7-7600U 2.80GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Type-C, Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) 14-inch Laptop Computer, Intel Core i7-7600U 2.80GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Type-C, Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$399.95
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Lenovo Gen 11 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop with Intel Core i7-1365U vPro Processor, 14" WUXGA 100% sRGB Anti-Glare Touchscreen, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, 1TB Gen4 Performance SSD, Thunderbolt, and Windows 11 Pro
 Lenovo Gen 11 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop with Intel Core i7-1365U vPro Processor, 14" WUXGA 100% sRGB Anti-Glare Touchscreen, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, 1TB Gen4 Performance SSD, Thunderbolt, and Windows 11 Pro
By Lenovo
$1,777.95
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Surface Laptop 2 Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$249.00
$304.99 18% OFF
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Tablet 13.5" (2256x1504) Touchscreen Laptop Intel Core i5-8350U 1.7GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Wi-Fi, Camera, Silver, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Tablet 13.5" (2256x1504) Touchscreen Laptop Intel Core i5-8350U 1.7GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Wi-Fi, Camera, Silver, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$316.90
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 2, 13.5" (2256 x 1504) Touchscreen, Intel Core i7-8650U Up to 4.2GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 Home (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 2, 13.5" (2256 x 1504) Touchscreen, Intel Core i7-8650U Up to 4.2GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 Home (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$375.25
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Released20172018
Release Date-
  • Introduced: October 2, 2018
  • Pre-ordered: October 2, 2018
  • Released: October 16 2018
Pricing-Starting at 999$
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Dimensions12.73” x 8.54” x 0.62” (323.5 x 217.1 x 15.95 mm)
Width: 12.73” (323.5 mm)
Depth: 8.54” (217.1 mm)
Height: 0.62” (15.95 mm)
12.13” x 8.79” x 0.39-0.57” (308.02 mm x 223.2 mm x 9.93 mm-14.47 mm)
Width: 12.13” (308.02 mm)
Depth: 8.79” (223.2 mm)
Height: 0.39 - 0.57” (9.93 - 14.47 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.49 lbs (1.13 kg)
  • Intel Core i5 › 2.76 lbs (1.26 kg)
  • Intel Core i7 › 2.83 lbs (1.28 kg)
Colors
Black Silver
Black Platinum Burgundy Cobalt Blue
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with the soft-touch feel and full 1.5mm travel.
    • Large palm rest with premium Alcantara® material for maximized typing comfort.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 105 mm x 70 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Size14 Inches13.5 Inches
Info
  • 14” FHD
    1920 x 1080, IPS, 60Hz, anti-glare, non-touch.
  • 14” WQHD
    2560 x 1440, IPS, 60Hz, anti-glare, non-touch.
  • Display Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (3.4M Pixels)
  • Display Density: 201 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • 100% sRGB color, individually calibrated

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports Power Delivery & DisplayPort.
  • 1 x USB 3.0
    Full-size USB-A ports.
  • 1 x Native Network RJ45
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x Headphone / mic combo
  • 1 x MicroSD card reader
  • 1 x Micro SIM slot
  • 1 x Power button
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot
Surface Laptop 2 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 1 x Surface Connect™
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x Headset jack

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Processor
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6200U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.30 → 2.80 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6500U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 3.10 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  4. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  5. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7500U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.70 → 3.50 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  6. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7600U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.80 → 3.90 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.60 → 3.40 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.70 → 3.60 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.90 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6200U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6500U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  4. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  5. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7500U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  6. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7600U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  3. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB 16GB
    1866 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Soldered BGA PCIe SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Wi-Fi
  • Intel® Dual-Band Wireless-AC(2x2) 8265
    Up to 867 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Intel® Dual-Band Wireless-AC(2x2) 8260
    Up to 867 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 4.1
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
Ethernet
  • RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet port (10/100/1000)
-
More
  • WWAN: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X7 LTE-A
-

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Size
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 57 Wh
45.2 Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 15 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014		Up to 14.5 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.
  • 44W proprietary power supply
    USB-A output: 5W
    Surface Connect output: 39W

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps-Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
Audio
  • Dolby Audio™ Premium
  •  Microphones
  • Dual microphones
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Sensors
  • Optional dedicated Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader.​​
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
Security
  • Fingerprint Reader
  • dTPM 2.0 chip
  • Kensington lock slot
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box-
  • Surface Laptop 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty-
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
More-Supports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5Surface Laptop 2
At Glance
Released in
2017
16:9 WQHD
14”
1440p 60Hz
Weight
2.49 lb
1.13 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-7600U
2C/4T, 2.80 → 3.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
885
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,883
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 620
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Released in Late
2018
3:2 2.2K
13.5”
1504p 60Hz
Weight
2.76 lb
1.25 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-8650U
4C/8T, 1.90 → 4.20 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,106
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,879
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 620
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Laptop 2 Ports

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