Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold vs. Surface Duo: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold and Surface Duo specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is better than Surface Duo.

Supports larger memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Duo. It supports up to 8GB versus 6GB of system memory on the Surface Duo.

Max system memory size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
8 GB
Surface Duo
6 GB
64% larger display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold has a 13.3-inch screen size 64% larger than the 8.1-inch Surface Duo.

Display size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
13.3-inch
Surface Duo
8.1-inch

Surface Duo Pros

Reasons that Surface Duo is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold.

About 75% lighter

Surface Duo weighed 0.55 pounds, 75% lighter than the 2.2 pounds Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Pound
2.2 lbs.
0.55 lbs.
Kilogram
1.00 kg
0.25 kg

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Price
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga Gen 1 20QA005LUS 13.5" Touchscreen Convertible 2 in 1 Notebook - QHD - 2256 x 1504 - Intel Core i7 11th Gen i7-1160G7 Quad-core (4 Core) 2.10 GHz - 16 GB RAM - 512 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga Gen 1 20QA005LUS 13.5" Touchscreen Convertible 2 in 1 Notebook - QHD - 2256 x 1504 - Intel Core i7 11th Gen i7-1160G7 Quad-core (4 Core) 2.10 GHz - 16 GB RAM - 512 GB
By Lenovo
$848.88
$919.00 8% OFF
LENOVO Latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 14" FHD+ Ultrabook IPS Touchscreen 400 nits,11th gen i7-1165G7, 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Fingerprint Reader, Thunderbolt 4, Win 10 Pro, Black
LENOVO Latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 14" FHD+ Ultrabook IPS Touchscreen 400 nits,11th gen i7-1165G7, 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Fingerprint Reader, Thunderbolt 4, Win 10 Pro, Black
By LENOVO
$1,159.77
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 13.5" 2-in-1 Laptop (Intel Core i7-1160G7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, QHD Touchscreen) Precision Pen, Lightweight 2.54lbs, 3-Year Warranty, Business PC, Win 11 Pro, Titanium
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 13.5" 2-in-1 Laptop (Intel Core i7-1160G7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, QHD Touchscreen) Precision Pen, Lightweight 2.54lbs, 3-Year Warranty, Business PC, Win 11 Pro, Titanium
By Lenovo
$999.98
$1,049.98 5% OFF
Surface Duo Price
Microsoft Surface Duo 256GB (Unlocked) - Glacier
Microsoft Surface Duo 256GB (Unlocked) - Glacier
By Microsoft
$750.00
$1,094.99 32% OFF
Microsoft Surface Duo 128GB AT&T Locked, Glacier
Microsoft Surface Duo 128GB AT&T Locked, Glacier
By Microsoft
$349.99
Microsoft 8WV-00001 Surface Slim Pen 2, Black (8WV00001)
Microsoft 8WV-00001 Surface Slim Pen 2, Black (8WV00001)
By Microsoft
$83.89
$129.99 35% OFF

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Released20202020
Release Date
  • Unveiled at CES 2020
  • Announced on September 29, 2020.
  • Available for order on September 29, 2020.
  • Introduced: Microsoft October Event (October 2, 2019)
  • Pre-ordered: August 12, 2020
  • Released: September 10, 2020
PricingStarting at $2,499.
  • $1,399 - 128 GB
  • $1,499 - 256 GB

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Dimensions
  • Folded: 6.23" x 9.29" x 1.09" (27.8mm x 158.2mm x 236mm)
  • Unfolded: 11.79” x 9.29” x 0.45” (11.5mm x 299.4mm x 236mm)
  • 7.35 x 5.71 x 0.18 (186.9 mm x 145.2 mm x 4.8 mm)
    Open
  • 3.67 x 5.71 x 0.38 (93.3 mm x 145.2 mm x 9.9 mm) 
    Closed
WeightStarting at 2.2 lbs (0.99 kg)0.55 lbs (250 g)
ColorsAuthentic black leather folio cover
Glacier
Keyboard and TrackpadOptional Lenovo Fold Mini Keyboard
Bluetooth and wirelessly charged.
-

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Size13.3 Inches8.1 Inches
Info
  • 13.3” Touch 2K (2048 x 1536)
    Flexible QXGA OLED, 4:3, 300nit, DCI-P3 95% Touch with Dolby® Vision™.
  • Dual PixelSense™ Fusion Displays open: 8.1” AMOLED, 2700x1800 (3:2), 401 PPI
  • Single PixelSense™ Display: 5.6” AMOLED, 1800x1350 (4:3), 401 PPI
  • Display Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
  • 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
    Supports data transfer up to 10Gbps. 1 port can be used as DisplayPort. (1 can be used as DP).
  • Optional nano-SIM slot
Surface Duo Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Right (1)
  • 1 x nanoSIM card slot
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x USB-C

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Processor
  1. Intel® Core™ i5-L16G7 with Intel® Hybrid Technology
    5 cores, 5 threads, 1.40 → 3.00 GHz, 4MB Cache, 7W
  1. Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855
    8 cores, 8 threads, 2.84 GHz, 5MB Cache, 5W
Integrated Graphics
  1. Intel® Core™ i5-L16G7 with Intel® Hybrid Technology
    Intel® UHD Graphics for 10th Gen Intel® Processors
    64 Execution Units, 200 → 500 MHz
  1. Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855
    Qualcomm® Adreno™ 640 GPU
    585 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB
    4267 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR4x SRAM.
6GB DRAM
StorageUp to 1TB PCIe SSD
  • 128GB 256GB
    UFS 3.0 of internal storage

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Wi-Fi
  • Intel® Wi-Fi 6™ 802.11AX (2 x 2)
    Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
WiFi-5 802.11ac (2.4/5GHz)
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
MoreOptional WWAN: Integrated Global Mobile Broadband CAT20 (5G/LTE).
  • LTE: 4x4 MIMO, Cat.18 DL / Cat 5 UL, 5CA, LAA.
    Up to 1.2Gbps Download / Up to 150Mbps Upload
  • Bands Supported:
    • FDD-LTE: 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14,19,20,25,26,28,29,30,66
    • TD-LTE: 38,39,40,41,46
    • WCDMA: 1,2,5,8
    • GSM/GPRS: GSM-850, E-GSM-900, DCS-1800, PCS-1900
    • Location: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS
  • One eSIM and one Nano SIM
    Note: AT&T locked device will not support eSIM

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Size50 Wh3577 mAh
Battery Life
  • Up to 8.5 hours
    Tested with MobileMark 2014.
  • Up to 10.4 hours
    Video Playback.
  • Up to 15.5 hours of Local Video Playback
  • Up to 10 days of Standby Time
  • Up to 27 hours of Talk Time
Power SupplyPremium Slim 65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.
  • 18W USB-C PD charger

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
OS
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Android™ 10
3-years of software updates.
Built-in Apps
  • Lenovo Vantage
  • Microsoft built-in applications:
    • Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Office Lens, PDF Reader, and more
    • Microsoft Outlook
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Microsoft OneDrive
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Microsoft OneNote
    • Microsoft To Do
    • Microsoft News
    • Microsoft Authenticator
    • Microsoft Bing Search
    • Intune Company Portal
    • LinkedIn
    • Microsoft Solitaire Collection
    • Surface Audio
  • Microsoft Surface Duo UI core features:
    • Dual screen windowing
    • Adaptive modes
    • App Groups
    • Microsoft 365 Feed
    • Dynamic dock
    • Universal Search
    • Adaptive Camera
    • Microsoft SwiftKey Adaptive Keyboard
    • Your Phone Companion - Link to Windows
  • Other preinstalled apps:
    • Google Search
    • Google Assistant
    • Google Calendar
    • Google Drive
    • Google Duo
    • Google Photos
    • Google Play Movies & TV
    • Google Play Store
    • Google Maps
    • Chrome
    • Gmail
    • YouTube
    • YouTube Music
    • Contacts
    • Messages
    • Phone
    • Files
    • Clock
    • Calculator
    • Sound recorder
    • Spotify (Unlocked)
    • HBO MAX (AT&T)
    • AT&T TV (AT&T)
    • My AT&T (AT&T)
    • Call Protect (AT&T)
    • Amazon Shopping (AT&T)
    • NBA (AT&T)

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    5MP camera.
  • Infrared (IR) Camera for Windows Hello
  • Adaptive camera 11MP, f/2.0, 1.0 µm, PDAF and 84.0° diagonal FOV optimized with AI for front and rear
  • Photos:
    • Auto mode with low-light & HDR multi-frame photo capture and dynamic range scene detection
    • Super-resolution zoom, and super zoom up to 7x
    • Portrait mode with adjustable depth control
    • Panorama mode
    • Burst mode
  • Video recording:
    • 4K video recording at 30 fps and 60 fps
    • 1080p video recording at 30 fps and 60 fps
    • HEVC and H.264 video recording formats
    • Gyro-based digital video stabilization
  • Video Conferencing
    • Microsoft Teams and Skype video conferencing up to 1080p at 30fps
    • High CRI LED Flash for both front and world facing photo and video scenarios
Audio
  • Dolby Atmos™ Speaker System
  • 4 x 360-degree Microphones
  • Mono speaker
  • Dual Mic noise suppression and echo cancellation optimized for productive use in all postures
  • Best-in-class Full Duplex communication for voice calls in hands-free mode
  • Audio formats supported: 3GP, MP3, MP4, MKV, WAV, OGG, M4A, AAC, TS, AMR, FLAC, MID, MIDI, RTTL, RTX, OTA, IMY
  • Qualcomm® aptX™ Adaptive

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
Inking-Supports all in market generations of Surface Slim Pen, Surface Pen and Surface Hub 2 Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
magnetic storage
Sensors
  • IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Dual Accelerometer
  • Dual Gyroscope
  • Dual Magnetometer
  • Dual Ambient Light Sensor
  • Proximity Sensor
  • Hall Sensor
  • Fingerprint Sensor
Security
  • Discrete Trusted Platform Module (dTPM) 2.0
  • IR camera
  • Biometric lock type: Fingerprint reader (1:100K FAR <3% FRR)
  • Lock type: Swipe, PIN, password
  • Security applications pre-loaded on the device: Microsoft Authenticator
In the box
  • ThinkPad X1 Fold
  • Premium Slim USB-C 65W AC adapter
  • 50Wh Internal battery
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Lenovo Mod Pen (Optional / Select models)
  • Lenovo Mini Bluetooth Keyboard (Optional / Select models)
  • Surface Duo
  • Surface Duo Bumper (Color: Glacier)
  • Surface Duo USB-C® Power Supply (18w)
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Warranty and Compliance Guide
  • SIM Ejector tool
Warranty1-year Depot or Carry-in
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
More-
  • Exterior Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo
At Glance
Released in
2020
4:3 2K
13.3”
1536p 60Hz
Weight
2.2 lb
1.00 kg
Powered By
Intel Core i5-L16G7
5C/5T, 1.40 → 3.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
773
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,703
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics for 10th Gen Intel® Processors
64 Execution Units, 200 → 500 MHz
8GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Released in
2020
3:2 2.7K
8.1”
1800p 60Hz
Weight
0.55 lb
0.25 kg
Powered By
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855
8C/8T, 2.84 GHz
With integrated
Qualcomm® Adreno™ 640 GPU
585 MHz
6GB
Memory
Surface Duo Ports

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold vs. Surface Duo

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X1 Fold, a 13.3-inch machine, in 2020. It is powered by 5-core Intel Core i5-L16G7 with a boost clock speed up to 3.00 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics for 10th Gen Intel® Processors (64 Execution Units, 200 → 500 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 8.1-inch Surface Duo was introduced by Microsoft around the same time in 2020. It comes with an octa-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855. It has an integrated graphics option up to Qualcomm® Adreno™ 640 GPU (585 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold1
Intel® Core™ i5-L16G7 with Intel® Hybrid Technology773100.00%
Surface Duo0773

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold1
Intel® Core™ i5-L16G7 with Intel® Hybrid Technology1,703100.00%
Surface Duo01,703

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold has a 13.3-inch display which is way larger than the 8.1-inch Surface Duo. In addition, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold weighs 2.2 lbs. about 300% heavier than the 0.55 lbs. Surface Duo. Moreover, measured at 11.79” x 9.29” x 0.45”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is much bulkier than the Surface Duo at 7.35” x 5.71” x 0.18”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 FoldSurface Duo

Moving over to upgradability, you can't make any upgrades on both devices. All major components including memory and storage are soldered on to the motherboard. So make sure you get the specs that work best for your current and future workload.

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