Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 vs. Surface Book 3: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively compared the specifications for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 and Surface Book 3 models. The report includes detailed information regarding both models' CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is better than Surface Book 3.

About 29% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 weighed 2.40 pounds, 29% lighter than the 3.38 pounds Surface Book 3.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Pound
2.40 lbs.
3.38 lbs.
Kilogram
1.09 kg
1.53 kg

Surface Book 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Book 3 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1065G7 inside Surface Book 3 has a 22% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-10610U inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Book 3 - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Book 3 - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i7-10610U
3,042
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i5-10310U
2,992
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i7-10510U
2,942
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i5-10210U
2,933
Supports larger memory

Surface Book 3 supports a larger memory capacity than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Max system memory size
Surface Book 3
32 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Book 3 supports a faster memory speed than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. It supports up to 3733MHz versus 2133MHz of system memory on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Memory type and speed
Surface Book 3 - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 6GB GDDR6 with Max-Q vs. integrated

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Price
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14 Inch FHD 1080P Laptop, 8th Gen Intel 4-Core i7-8550U up to 4.0GHz, Intel UHD 620, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, Windows 10 (Renewed)
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14 Inch FHD 1080P Laptop, 8th Gen Intel 4-Core i7-8550U up to 4.0GHz, Intel UHD 620, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, Windows 10 (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$363.59
$390.54 7% OFF
Lenovo Latest Gen 8 ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14" FHD Ultrabook (400 nits) with 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U Processor up to 4.90 GHz, 1 TB PCIe SSD, 16GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro
Lenovo Latest Gen 8 ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14" FHD Ultrabook (400 nits) with 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U Processor up to 4.90 GHz, 1 TB PCIe SSD, 16GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro
By Lenovo
$1,010.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 Carbon Touchscreen 14" WUXGA Ultrabook - Intel Core i7-1365U vPro, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM 1TB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Thunderbolt, Windows 11 Pro
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 Carbon Touchscreen 14" WUXGA Ultrabook - Intel Core i7-1365U vPro, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM 1TB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Thunderbolt, Windows 11 Pro
By Lenovo
$1,769.00
Surface Book 3 Price
Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$755.99
$821.38 8% OFF
New Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
New Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$539.00
$590.06 9% OFF
Microsoft Surface Book 3-15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7-32GB Memory - 512GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Book 3-15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7-32GB Memory - 512GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$1,373.64

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Released20202020
Release Date
  • Announced at CES 2020
  • Introduced: May 6, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020
  • Released: May 12, 2020
PricingStarting at $1,553.30For Consumer
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    • $1,600 - i5 | 8GB | 256GB | Iris Plus
    • $2,000 - i7 | 16GB | 256GB | GTX 1650
    • $2,500 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | GTX 1650
    • $2,700 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | GTX 1650
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    • $2,300 - i7 | 16GB | 256GB | GTX 1660 Ti
    • $2,800 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | GTX 1660 Ti
    • $3,000 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | GTX 1660 Ti
    • $3,400 - i7 | 32GB | 2TB | GTX 1660 Ti
For Commercial
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    • $1,700 - i5 | 8GB | 256GB | Iris Plus
    • $2,100 - i7 | 16GB | 256GB | GTX 1650
    • $2,600 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | GTX 1650
    • $2,800 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | GTX 1650
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    • $2,400 - i7 | 16GB | 256GB | GTX 1660 Ti
    • $2,900 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | GTX 1660 Ti
    • $3,100 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | GTX 1660 Ti
    • $3,500 - i7 | 32GB | 2TB | GTX 1660 Ti
    • $3,500 - i7 | 32GB | 512GB | RTX 3000
    • $3,700 - i7 | 32GB | 1TB | RTX 3000

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Dimensions12.71” x 8.54” x 0.59” (323 x 217 x 14.95 mm)
Width: 12.71” (323 mm)
Depth: 8.54” (217 mm)
Height: 0.59” (14.95 mm)
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i5)
    12.3” x 9.14” x 0.51”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 13 mm-23 mm)
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i7)
    12.3” x 9.14” x 0.59”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 15 mm-23 mm)
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    13.5” x 9.87” x 0.568-0.90” (343 mm x 251 mm x 15 mm-23 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.40 lbs (1.09 kg)
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i5)
    • Total: 3.38 lbs (1,534 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i7)
    • Total: 3.62 lbs (1,642 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    • Total: 4.20 lbs (1,905 g)
    • Tablet: 1.80 lbs (817 g)
Colors
  • Black
  • Black with Woven Top Cover
    Available only on UHD displays.
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • New FN row F9-F11
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size mechanical backlit keyset with 1.55mm travel.
    • Mechanical friction attaches the Clipboard to the keyboard.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 105 mm x 70 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Size14 Inches13.5 Inches
Info
  • 14” UHD (3840 x 2160)
    IPS, glossy, Dolby Vision™ HDR 400, 500 nits.
  • 14” WQHD (2560 x 1440)
    IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, PrivacyGuard, anti-glare, 500 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, anti-glare, low power, touchscreen, 400 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, anti-glare, 400 nits.
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    • Display Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (6M Pixels)
    • Display Density: 267 PPI
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    • Display Resolution: 3240 x 2160 (7M Pixels)
    • Display Density: 260 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1600:1
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports Power Delivery & DisplayPort.
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
    Full-size USB-A ports (1 port is always on).
  • 1 x Network extension for Ethernet/side mechanical docking
  • 1 x HDMI 1.4
  • 1 x Headphone / mic combo
  • 1 x WWAN slot
  • 1 x Power button
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot
Surface Book 3 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 2 x Full-size USB 3.1 Gen 2
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 2 x Surface Connect™
    1 in tablet, 1 in keyboard base, both supports charging and docking.
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Full-size SDXC card reader
    UHS-II Performance

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Processor
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.60 → 4.20 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.80 → 4.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.70 → 4.40 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.80 → 4.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.20 → 3.70 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB 16GB
    2133 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    8GB 16GB 32GB
    3733 MHz LPDDR4x
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    16GB 32GB
    3733 MHz LPDDR4x
Discrete Graphics-
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 with Max-Q
      Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5, 128-bit, 1020 → 1245 MHz, 1024 CUDA Cores.
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q
      Turning Architecture, 6GB GDDR6, 192-bit, 1245 → 1425 MHz, 1536 CUDA Cores.
    • NVIDIA® Quadro® RTX™ 3000 with Max-Q
      Turning Architecture, 6GB GDDR6,  192-bit, 765 → 1305 MHz, 1920 CUDA Cores, 240 Tensor Cores, 30 RT Cores, Real-time ray tracing, AI hardware acceleration, ODE, QNF,
Storage
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB
PCIe SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Wi-Fi
  • Intel® Wi-Fi 6™ AX201 802.11AX (2 x 2)
    Up to 2400 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
  • Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
MoreOptional WWAN: Integrated Global Mobile Broadband 4G LTE-A
  • Surface Book 3 15” Only: Xbox Wireless built-in

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Size
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 51 Wh
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i5)
    Total: 69Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 51Wh
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i7)
    Total: 75.3Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 57.3Wh
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    Total: 90Wh
    Clipboard: 23Wh
    Base: 67Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 19.5 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
  • Surface Book 3 13.5”
    • Up to 15.5 hours of typical device usage
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    • Up to 17.5 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i5)
    65W Surface Power Supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book 3 13.5” (Core i7)
    102W Surface Power Supply with USB-A (7W) charging port.
  • Surface Book 3 15”
    127W Surface Power Supply with USB-A (7W) charging port.

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Lenovo Vantage
Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Camera
  • Front-facing camera with ThinkShutter privacy cover
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • Optional: Hybrid Infrared (IR) & HD 720p with ThinkShutter
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video
Audio
  • Dolby Atmos™ Speaker System
  • 4 x 360-degree far-field microphones
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
    • Support for Windows Sonic for Headphones
    • Support for Dolby® Atmos for Headphones

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
Sensors
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader on the palm rest
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • Fast Identity Online (FIDO) authentication capabilities
  • Match-on-Chip Fingerprint Reader
  • dTPM 2.0 chip
  • ThinkShutter camera cover
  • Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyGuard
  • Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyAlert*
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Kensington lock slot
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
  • 65W AC adapter
  • 4 Cell 51Wh Internal battery
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Surface Book 3
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty1-year Depot or Carry-inOne-year limited hardware warranty
More-Supports Surface Dial
Supports both on-screen and off-screen interaction.

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Book 3
At Glance
Released in
2020
16:9 4K UHD
14”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
2.40 lb
1.09 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-10610U
4C/8T, 1.80 → 4.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
968
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,042
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
2133 MHz LPDDR3
Released in
2020
3:2 3.2K
13.5”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
3.38 lb
1.53 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1065G7
4C/8T, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,088
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,722
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Book 3 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3000
6GB GDDR6 with Max-Q

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