Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 vs. Surface Laptop 4 15”: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 and Surface Laptop 4 15” specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is better than Surface Laptop 4 15”.

About 30% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 weighed 2.40 pounds, 30% lighter than the 3.40 pounds Surface Laptop 4 15”.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
Pound
2.40 lbs.
3.40 lbs.
Kilogram
1.09 kg
1.54 kg

Surface Laptop 4 15” Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 4 15” is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2020

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Laptop 4 15” has a 59% 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 Laptop 4 15” - AMD Ryzen 7-4980U Microsoft Surface Edition
6,365
Surface Laptop 4 15” - Intel Core i7-1185G7
4,864
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 Laptop 4 15” 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 Laptop 4 15”
32 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop 4 15” supports a faster memory speed than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 2133MHz of system memory on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 4 15” - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
7% larger display

Surface Laptop 4 15” has a 15-inch screen size 7% larger than the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Display size
Surface Laptop 4 15”
15-inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
14-inch

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Price
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
$1,019.99
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
$459.97
Lenovo 2022 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Ultrabook,14.0" FHD IPS 500 nits Touch,i7-10610U,16GB RAM,512G PCIe SSD,Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, USB-C,Win 10 Pro| 3 Yrs Warranty
Lenovo 2022 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Ultrabook,14.0" FHD IPS 500 nits Touch,i7-10610U,16GB RAM,512G PCIe SSD,Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, USB-C,Win 10 Pro| 3 Yrs Warranty
By Lenovo
$1,175.00
Surface Laptop 4 15” Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 32GB - 1TB Solid State Drive - Matte Black
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 32GB - 1TB Solid State Drive - Matte Black
By Microsoft
$979.99
$1,099.00 11% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15-inch Touchscreen 256GB SSD AMD Ryzen 7 (8GB RAM, Windows 10 Home, Latest Model) - Platinum, 5UI-00001
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15-inch Touchscreen 256GB SSD AMD Ryzen 7 (8GB RAM, Windows 10 Home, Latest Model) - Platinum, 5UI-00001
By Microsoft
$541.01
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 – 16GB - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) - Matte Black (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 – 16GB - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) - Matte Black (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$747.00

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
Released20202021
Release Date
  • Announced at CES 2020
  • Introduced: April 13, 2021
  • Released: April 13, 2021
PricingStarting at $1,553.30
  • $1,299.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 8GB 256GB Platium Only
  • $1,499.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 8GB 512GB
  • $1,699.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 16GB 512GB
  • $1,799.99
    Intel Core i7 16GB 512GB Matte Black Only
  • $2,399.99
    Intel Core i7 32GB 1TB Matte Black Only
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
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)
13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57” (339.5 mm x 244 mm x 14.69 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.40 lbs (1.09 kg)3.40 lb (1,542 g)
Colors
  • Black
  • Black with Woven Top Cover
    Available only on UHD displays.
Metal
Matte Black Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • New FN row F9-F11
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with a soft-touch feel and full 1.3mm travel.
    • Large palm rest with premium Alcantara® material for maximized typing comfort.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 115 mm x 76.66 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
Size14 Inches15 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: 2496 x 1664 (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 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
  • 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 Laptop 4 15” Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.2. Gen 2
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect™ +
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Headset jack

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
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. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.00 → 4.40 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 15W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
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. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    8 Graphics Cores,
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB 16GB
    2133 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
8GB 16GB 32GB
4266 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Storage
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
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-

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
Size
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 51 Wh
45.8 Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 19.5 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
  • Up to 17.5 hours of typical device usage
    AMD™ Ryzen™ 7 models.
  • Up to 16.5 hours of typical device usage
    Intel® Core™ i7 models.
Power Supply65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
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
  • Lenovo Vantage
Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
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)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
Audio
  • Dolby Atmos™ Speaker System
  • 4 x 360-degree far-field microphones
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Sensors
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader on the palm rest
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
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
  • Secured-Core PC
    For Surface Laptop 4 powered by AMD RyzenTM Microsoft Surface Edition
  • Windows enhanced hardware security
    For Surface Laptop 4 powered by 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors
In the box
  • ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
  • 65W AC adapter
  • 4 Cell 51Wh Internal battery
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Surface Laptop 4 15”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty1-year Depot or Carry-in
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Surface for Business customers: Includes Advanced Exchange, an expedited replacement service, at no additional cost
More-Supports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”
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 Early
2021
3:2 2.5K
15”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
3.40 lb
1.54 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1185G7
4C/8T, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,404
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,864
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Laptop 4 15” Ports

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 vs. Surface Laptop 4 15”

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8, a 14-inch machine, in 2020. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-10610U with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 15” was introduced by Microsoft about a year later in early-2021. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.80 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 81
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U94467.24%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U95768.16%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™94667.38%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™96868.95%
Surface Laptop 4 15”1
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition1,09077.64%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G71,404100.00%
01,404

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 81
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U2,93346.08%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U2,94246.22%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™2,99247.01%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™3,04247.79%
Surface Laptop 4 15”1
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition6,365100.00%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G74,86476.42%
06,365

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 has a 14-inch display which is slightly smaller than the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 15”. In addition, The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 weighs 2.40 lbs. about 41% lighter than the 3.40 lbs. Surface Laptop 4 15”. Moreover, measured at 12.71” x 8.54” x 0.59”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is considerably more portable than the Surface Laptop 4 15” at 13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Surface Laptop 4 15”

Moving over to upgradability, Lenovo claims that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 supports up to 16GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Surface Laptop 4 15”, it supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. Like Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed.

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