Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 vs. Surface Go 2: Full specs comparison

We thoroughly analyzed technical specifications for Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 and Surface Go 2 models, including CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 image

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8

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Surface Go 2

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is better than Surface Go 2.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-10610U inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 has a 131% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core M3-8100Y inside Surface Go 2.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
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
Surface Go 2 - Intel Core M3-8100Y
1,313
Surface Go 2 - Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y
922
Supports larger memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Go 2. It supports up to 16GB versus 8GB of system memory on the Surface Go 2.

Max system memory size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
16 GB
Surface Go 2
8 GB
Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Go 2. It supports up to 2133MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Go 2.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
Surface Go 2 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
Upgradable storage

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that you can replace and upgrade in the future.

SlotsLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
M.2
Yes x1
Onboard
33% larger display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 has a 14-inch screen size 33% larger than the 10.5-inch Surface Go 2.

Display size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
14-inch
Surface Go 2
10.5-inch

Surface Go 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface Go 2 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

About 50% lighter

Surface Go 2 weighed 1.2 pounds, 50% lighter than the 2.40 pounds Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
Pound
2.40 lbs.
1.2 lbs.
Kilogram
1.09 kg
0.54 kg

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
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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
$1,009.99
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LENOVO ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 14" 16GB 256GB SSD Core i5-10310U 1.9GHz Win10P, Black (Renewed)
 LENOVO ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 14" 16GB 256GB SSD Core i5-10310U 1.9GHz Win10P, Black (Renewed)
By LENOVO
$495.98
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Surface Go 2 Price
Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum (Latest Model) (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Go 2-10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - WiFi - Platinum (Latest Model) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$272.80
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New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 64GB - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model)
 New Microsoft Surface Go 2 - 10.5" Touch-Screen - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 64GB - Wifi - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$349.00
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Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches Touch-Screen Intel Pentium 4GB RAM, 64gb STV-00001 (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$167.00
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Specs Comparison

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
Released20202020
Release Date
  • Announced at CES 2020
  • Introduced: May 6, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: May 6, 2020
  • Released: May 12, 2020
PricingStarting at $1,553.30Surface Go 2 for Consumer
  • $399 - Intel Pentium | 4 GB | 64 GB | WiFi
  • $549 - Intel Pentium | 8 GB | 128 GB | WiFi
  • $629 - Intel Core M3 | 8 GB | 128 GB | WiFi
  • $729 - Intel Core M3 | 8 GB | 128 GB | LTE
Surface Go 2 for Commercial
  • $449 - Intel Pentium | 4 GB | 64 GB | WiFi
  • $599 - Intel Pentium | 8 GB | 128 GB | WiFi
  • $679 - Intel Core M3 | 8 GB | 128 GB | WiFi
  • $779 - Intel Core M3 | 8 GB | 128 GB | LTE
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
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)
9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33” (245 mm x 175  mm x 8.3 mm)
Width: 9.65” (245 mm)
Height: 6.9” (175 mm)
Thickness: 0.33” (8.3 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.40 lbs (1.09 kg)
  • Surface Go 2: 1.2 lbs (544 g)
  • Surface Go 2 with LTE: 1.22 lbs. (553 g)
  • Surface Go 2 Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 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.
  • Surface Go Type Cover
    • Not included
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size mechanical backlit keyset with 1 mm of key travel.
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 101 mm x 56 mm
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
Size14 Inches10.5 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.
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1280 (2.45M Pixels)
  • Density: 220 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Contrast ratio: 1500:1
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
  • 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 Go 2 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Go Type Cover Connector
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x microSD card slot

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
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. 8th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4425Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.70 GHz, 2MB, 6W
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ M3-8100Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 5W
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. 8th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 4425Y
    Intel® UHD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 850 MHz
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ M3-8100Y
    Intel® UHD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB 16GB
    2133 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
4GB 8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128GB 256GB
    SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
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-AOptional LTE
  • Nano SIM Tray
  • 4G LTE Advanced (22 Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66)
  • GPS/GLONASS: Standalone and Assiste
  • GNSS, accuracy up to 3 meters

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
Size
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 51 Wh
26.81 Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 19.5 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
  • WiFi: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage
  • LTE Advanced: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.
  • 24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home in S-mode
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Lenovo Vantage
  • For Consumer
    Microsoft 365 Family one month trial
  • For Commercial
    1 month trial for new Microsoft Office 365 customers

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
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 Skype HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD video
Audio
  • Dolby Atmos™ Speaker System
  • 4 x 360-degree far-field microphones
  • Dual Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
magnetic storage
Sensors
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader on the palm rest
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • NFC
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 Go 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty1-year Depot or Carry-in
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
More-
  • Mechanical features: Signature unibody magnesium design with hidden perimeter venting
  • Kickstand with a full-friction multiposition hinge to 165 degrees
  • Magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power
  • Casing: Magnesium

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Go 2
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 Mid
2020
3:2 FHD+
10.5”
1280p 60Hz
Weight
1.2 lb
0.54 kg
Up to
Intel Core M3-8100Y
2C/4T, 1.10 → 3.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
660
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,313
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 615
24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
Configurable up to
8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Go 2 Ports

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