Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 vs. Surface Book 2: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 and Surface Book 2 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 is better than Surface Book 2.

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-8850H inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 has a 15% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-8650U inside Surface Book 2.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 - Intel Core i7-8850H
4,497
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 - Intel Core i7-8750H
4,470
Surface Book 2 - Intel Core i7-8650U
3,879
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 - Intel Core i5-8400H
3,470
Surface Book 2 - Intel Core i5-8350U
2,982
Surface Book 2 - Intel Core i5-7300U
1,777
Supports larger memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Book 2. It supports up to 64GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Book 2.

Max system memory size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1
64 GB
Surface Book 2
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Book 2. It supports up to 2666MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Book 2.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 - DDR4
2,666 MHz
Surface Book 2 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
15% larger display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 has a 15.6-inch screen size 15% larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2.

Display size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1
15.6-inch
Surface Book 2
13.5-inch

Surface Book 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface Book 2 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1.

Newer manufacturing

2017 vs. 2018

About 11% lighter

Surface Book 2 weighed 3.38 pounds, 11% lighter than the 3.76 pounds Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Pound
3.76 lbs.
3.38 lbs.
Kilogram
1.71 kg
1.53 kg

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 Price
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 Business Laptop, 16" WUXGA IPS Display, Core i7-12700H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, Wi-Fi 6E, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard, TD
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 Business Laptop, 16" WUXGA IPS Display, Core i7-12700H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, Wi-Fi 6E, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard, TD
By Lenovo
$1,885.77
$2,029.00 7% OFF
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 16" 2K QHD (Intel Core i7-11800H, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Geforce RTX 3050 Ti) Business & Mobile Workstation Laptop, Backlit, FP, 3-Yr WRT, IST Cable, Win 11 Pro, Black
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 16" 2K QHD (Intel Core i7-11800H, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Geforce RTX 3050 Ti) Business & Mobile Workstation Laptop, Backlit, FP, 3-Yr WRT, IST Cable, Win 11 Pro, Black
By Lenovo
$1,749.99
Lenovo Newest ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 15.6” FHD IPS Display Business Laptop, Intel Hexa Core i7-10750H, 32GB RAM 1TB SSD, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, Fingerprint, Windows 10 Pro | 32GB Tela USB Card
Lenovo Newest ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 15.6” FHD IPS Display Business Laptop, Intel Hexa Core i7-10750H, 32GB RAM 1TB SSD, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, Fingerprint, Windows 10 Pro | 32GB Tela USB Card
By Lenovo
$1,655.00
Surface Book 2 Price
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$495.94
$574.95 14% OFF
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15" (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512 GB), Silver
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15" (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512 GB), Silver
By Microsoft
$799.99
$899.99 11% OFF
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15" (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512 GB) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15" (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512 GB) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$564.69
$719.99 22% OFF

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Released20182017
Release Date-
  • Introduced: October 17, 2017
  • Pre-ordered: November 9, 2017
  • Released: November 16, 2017
Pricing-
  • Surface Book 2 13.5”: Starting at 1,149$
  • Surface Book 2 15”: Starting at 1,999$

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Dimensions
  • FHD non-touch: 14.24” x 9.67” x .72” / 361.8 x 245.7 x 18.4 (mm)
  • 4K UHD touchscreen: 14.24” x 9.67” x .74” / 361.8 x 245.7 x 18.7 (mm)
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    12.3” x 9.1” x 0.51”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 13 mm-23 mm).
  • Surface Book 2 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 2 15”
    13.5” x 9.87” x 0.57”-0.90” (343 mm x 251 mm x 15 mm-23 mm).
Weight
  • FHD non-touch: 3.76 lbs (1.7 kg)
  • 4K UHD touchscreen: 4.06 lbs (1.8 kg)
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    • Total: 3.38 lbs (1,533 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i7)
    • Total: 3.62 lbs (1,642 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    • Total: 4.20 lbs (1,905 g)
    • Tablet: 1.80 lbs (817 g)
Colors
Black
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device
  • Multitouch glass touchpad
  • 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 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Size15.6 Inches13.5 Inches
Info
  • 15.6” FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, 300nits, 72% color gamut.
  • 15.6” 4K UHD HDR (3840 x 2160) IPS multi-touch, anti-reflective, anti-smudge, 400 nits, 100% Adobe 8+2 color depth with Dolby Vision™.
  • Surface Book 2 13.5”
    • Display Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (6M Pixels)
    • Display Density: 267 PPI
  • Surface Book 2 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 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports DisplayPort and data transfer.
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
    Full-size USB-A ports (1 port always on).
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0
  • 1 x Headphone / mic combo
  • 1 x 4-in-1 SD card reader
  • 1 x Network extension
  • 1 x AC power in
  • 1 x Kensington slot
Surface Book 2 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 2 x Full-size USB 3.1 Gen 1
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1
    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 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Processor
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8400H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.20 → 4.10 GHz, 9MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8850H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.30 GHz, 9MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 3MB 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. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8400H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  3. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8850H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  1. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    Intel® HD 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 32GB 64GB
    2666 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050Ti with Max-Q (Optional)
    Pascal Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1291 → 1418 MHz, 768 CUDA Cores.
  • Surface Book 2 13.5”
    • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050
      Pascal Architecture, 2GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1354 → 1493 MHz, 640 CUDA Cores.
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060
      Pascal Architecture, 6GB GDDR5 192-bit, 1404 → 1670 MHz, 1280 CUDA Cores.
Storage
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).
  • Up to 2 SSDs (2 x M.2 2280 PCIe TLC & SATA) up to 2TB max
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Wi-Fi
  • Intel® Dual Band 9560 Wireless AC (2 x 2)
    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 5.0
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
More-
  • Surface Book 2 15” Only: Xbox Wireless built-in

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Size
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 80 Wh
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    Total: 69Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 51Wh
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i7)
    Total: 75.3Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 57.3Wh
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    Total: 90Wh
    Clipboard: 23Wh
    Base: 67Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 15 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
  • Up to 17 hours of video playback
  • Up to 5 hours in tablet mode
Power Supply
  • 135 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
    Supports Rapid Charge.
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    44W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i7)
    100W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    102W power supply with USB-A 7.5W) charging port.

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Windows 10 Pro (Creators Update)
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps-Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    720p HD with ThinkShutter privacy cover.
  • 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 Audio™ Premium
  • Dolby Atmos® for headset
  • Noise-cancelling dual-array far-field microphones
  • Dual microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Support for Windows Sonic for Headphones
  • Support for Dolby® Atmos for Headphones

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Fingerprint Reader
  • Infrared (IR) Camera (optional; required for use with Windows Hello & doesn’t include ThinkShutter)
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • Fast Online Identity (FIDO) authentication capabilities
  • dTPM 2.0
  • Match-on-Chip touch fingerprint reader
  • Windows Hello with facial recognition software (requires IR camera)
  • ThinkShutter on 720p HD Camera
  • Smart Card Reader (Optional)
  • Kensington® lock slot
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box-
  • Surface Book 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty-One-year limited hardware warranty
More-Supports Surface Dial
Supports both on-screen and off-screen interaction.

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2
At Glance
Released in
2018
16:9 4K UHD
15.6”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
3.76 lb
1.71 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-8850H
6C/12T, 2.60 → 4.30 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,006
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,497
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
Up to
64GB
2666 MHz DDR4
NVIDIA GeForce
GTX 1050Ti
4GB GDDR5
Released in
2017
3:2 3.2K
13.5”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
3.38 lb
1.53 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 Book 2 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 1060
6GB GDDR5

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 vs. Surface Book 2

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1, a 15.6-inch machine, in 2018. It is powered by up to a hexa-core Intel Core i7-8850H with a boost clock speed up to 4.30 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti with 4GB GDDR5.

On the other hand, we have the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 was introduced by Microsoft about a year earlier in 2017. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U with a boost clock speed up to 4.20 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 11
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8400H96587.25%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H97588.16%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8850H1,00690.96%
Surface Book 21
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U81573.69%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U86277.94%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U1,106100.00%
01,106

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 11
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8400H3,47077.16%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H4,47099.40%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8850H4,497100.00%
Surface Book 21
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U1,77739.52%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U2,98266.31%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U3,87986.26%
04,497

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 has a 15.6-inch display which is considerably larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2. In addition, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 weighs 3.76 lbs. about 11% heavier than the 3.38 lbs. Surface Book 2. Moreover, measured at 14.24” x 9.67” x 0.72”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 is slightly more portable than the Surface Book 2 at 12.3” x 9.14” x 0.9”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1Surface Book 2

Moving over to upgradability, Lenovo claims that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1 supports up to 64GB 2666 MHz DDR4 memory. It also comes with two M.2 slots that users can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

For Surface Book 2, it supports up to 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Unlike Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 1, 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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