Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 vs. Surface Book 2: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 and Surface Book 2 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 is better than Surface Book 2.

Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Book 2. It supports up to 2133MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Book 2.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
Surface Book 2 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
About 9% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 weighed 3.08 pounds, 9% lighter than the 3.38 pounds Surface Book 2.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Pound
3.08 lbs.
3.38 lbs.
Kilogram
1.40 kg
1.53 kg

Surface Book 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface Book 2 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3.

Newer manufacturing

2017 vs. 2018

Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 vs. integrated

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 and Surface Book 2.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3
16 GB
Surface Book 2
16 GB

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 Price
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (3rd Gen) i7 8650U 1.9Ghz 14" 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop, 16GB RAM, 2TB NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD, FHD 1080p, Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, Webcam, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (3rd Gen) i7 8650U 1.9Ghz 14" 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop, 16GB RAM, 2TB NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD, FHD 1080p, Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, Webcam, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$399.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (3rd Gen) 14" FHD Touchscreen Laptop Computer, 8th Gen Intel Quad-Core i7-8650U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, HDMI, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (3rd Gen) 14" FHD Touchscreen Laptop Computer, 8th Gen Intel Quad-Core i7-8650U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, HDMI, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$365.90
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (3rd Gen) i7 8650U 1.9Ghz 14" 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD, FHD 1080p, Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, Webcam, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (3rd Gen) i7 8650U 1.9Ghz 14" 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD, FHD 1080p, Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, Webcam, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$319.99
$404.35 21% OFF
Surface Book 2 Price
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
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
$495.99
$574.95 14% OFF

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Released20182017
Release Date
  • Announced at CES 2018 (January 2018)
  • 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 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Dimensions13.11" x 9.01" x 0.67" (333 x 229 x 17.05 mm)
Width: 13.11” (333 mm)
Depth: 9.01” (229 mm)
Height: 0.67” (17.05 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).
WeightStarting at 3.08 lbs (1.4 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 with color-coded hinges
  • Silver with color-coded hinges
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • 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 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Size14 Inches13.5 Inches
Info
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS anti-reflective anti-smudge multi-touch, 300 nits.
  • 14” WQHD (2560 x 1440)
    IPS anti-reflective anti-smudge multi-touch, 300 nits.
  • 14” HDR WQHD (2560 x 1440)
    IPS anti-reflective anti-smudge multi-touch with Dolby Vision, 500 nits.
* All supports inking capability.
  • 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 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports Power Delivery & DisplayPort.
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
    Full-size USB-A ports (1 always on).
  • 1 x Network extension for Ethernet/side mechanical docking
  • 1 x HDMI 1.4
  • 1 x Headphone / mic combo
  • 1 x MicroSD card reader
  • 1 x WWAN slot (Fibocom L850-GL 4G LTE-A cat 9) (optional)
  • 1 x Power button
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot
  • 1 x Ethernet Extension Connector (Dongle for Native Ethernet sold separately)
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 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Processor
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.60 → 3.40 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.90 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  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™ i5-8250U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 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
    2133 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Discrete Graphics-
  • 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 SSD.
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Wi-Fi
  • Intel® Dual-Band 8265 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 4.1
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
More
  • NFC
  • WWAN: Fibocom L850-GL 4G LTE-A cat 9
  • Surface Book 2 15” Only: Xbox Wireless built-in

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Size
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 54 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 15.4 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
  • Up to 17 hours of video playback
  • Up to 5 hours in tablet mode
Power Supply65 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 Yoga Gen 3Surface 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 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • Optional: IR camera - required for facial recognition. ThinkShutter is not available on configurations with the IR Camera.
  • 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
  • Noise-cancelling dual-array far-field microphones
  • Dolby Atmos® for headphones
  • 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 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
Inking
  • Supports ThinkPad Active Pen (included)
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
  • Windows Hello with facial recognition software (requires optional IR camera)
  • ThinkShutter camera cover
  • 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-
  • 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 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2
At Glance
Released in
2018
16:9 WQHD
14”
1440p 60Hz
Weight
3.08 lb
1.40 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
2133 MHz LPDDR3
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 Yoga Gen 3 vs. Surface Book 2

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3, a 14-inch machine, in 2018. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U with a boost clock speed up to 4.20 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics 620 (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz).

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 Yoga Gen 31
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U77169.71%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U1,106100.00%
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 Yoga Gen 31
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U1,97150.81%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U3,879100.00%
Surface Book 21
7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U1,77745.81%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U2,98276.88%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U3,879100.00%
03,879

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 has a 14-inch display which is slightly larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2. In addition, The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 weighs 3.08 lbs. about 9% lighter than the 3.38 lbs. Surface Book 2. Moreover, measured at 13.11” x 9.01” x 0.67”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 is much more portable than the Surface Book 2 at 12.3” x 9.14” x 0.9”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3Surface Book 2

Moving over to upgradability, Lenovo claims that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 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 Book 2, it supports up to 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Like Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3, 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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