Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 vs. Surface Go 3: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 and Surface Go 3 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 is better than Surface Go 3.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-10610U inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 has a 93% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i3-10100Y inside Surface Go 3.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-10610U
3,042
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-10310U
2,992
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-10510U
2,942
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-10210U
2,933
Surface Go 3 - Intel Core i3-10100Y
1,570
Surface Go 3 - Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y
1,510
Supports larger memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Go 3. It supports up to 16GB versus 8GB of system memory on the Surface Go 3.

Max system memory size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5
16 GB
Surface Go 3
8 GB
Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Go 3. It supports up to 2133MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Go 3.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
Surface Go 3 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
Upgradable storage

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that you can replace and upgrade in the future.

SlotsLenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
M.2
Yes x1
Onboard
33% larger display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 has a 14-inch screen size 33% larger than the 10.5-inch Surface Go 3.

Display size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5
14-inch
Surface Go 3
10.5-inch

Surface Go 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Go 3 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2020

About 60% lighter

Surface Go 3 weighed 1.2 pounds, 60% lighter than the 2.99 pounds Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
Pound
2.99 lbs.
1.2 lbs.
Kilogram
1.36 kg
0.54 kg

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 Price
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 5) i7-10610U 1.8Ghz 14" 2-in-1 Laptop, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD,1080p, Thunderbolt 3, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 5) i7-10610U 1.8Ghz 14" 2-in-1 Laptop, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD,1080p, Thunderbolt 3, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$504.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 5) i7-10610U 1.8Ghz 14" 2-in-1 Laptop, 16GB RAM, 2TB NVMe SSD,1080p, Thunderbolt 3, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 5) i7-10610U 1.8Ghz 14" 2-in-1 Laptop, 16GB RAM, 2TB NVMe SSD,1080p, Thunderbolt 3, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$594.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 20UB001FUS 14" Touchscreen 2 in 1 Notebook - 1920 x 1080 - Core i5 i5-10210U - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Iron Gray - Windows 10 Pro 64-bit - Intel UHD Graphics - in-pl
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 20UB001FUS 14" Touchscreen 2 in 1 Notebook - 1920 x 1080 - Core i5 i5-10210U - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Iron Gray - Windows 10 Pro 64-bit - Intel UHD Graphics - in-pl
By Lenovo
$499.00
$649.77 23% OFF
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5” Price
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$513.00
$629.99 19% OFF
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Black (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Black (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$499.99
$629.99 21% OFF
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Pentium® Gold - 4GB Memory - 64GB eMMC - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Pentium® Gold - 4GB Memory - 64GB eMMC - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$390.00

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
Released20202021
Release Date
  • Announced at CES 2020 (January 2020)
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 5, 2021
Pricing-
  • $399 
    Gold 6500Y 4 GB 64 GB WiFi
  • $549
    Gold 6500Y 8 GB 128 GB WiFi
  • $629
    i3-10100Y 8 GB 128 GB WiFi
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
Dimensions12” x 8.5” x 0.59” (323 x 218 x 15.2 mm)
Width: 12” (323 mm)
Depth: 8.5” (218 mm)
Height: 0.59” (15.2 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 2.99 lbs (1.35 kg)
  • Surface Go 3: 1.2 lbs (544 g)
  • Surface Go 3 Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 g)
Colors
Iron Grey
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard:
    • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
    • New UC functions for 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 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
Size14 Inches10.5 Inches
Info
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, low power, anti-reflection, anti-smudge, touchscreen, 400 nits.
  • 14” WQHD (2560 x 1440)
    IPS, anti-reflection, anti-smudge, touchscreen, 300 nits.
  • 14” 4K UHD (3840 x 2160)
    IPS, anti-reflection, anti-smudge, touchscreen, with Dolby Vision™ HDR400, 500 nits.
* All supports inking capability.
  • 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 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
  • 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 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)
  • 1 x Pen Storage
Surface Go 3 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 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
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. 10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 5W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 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. 10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y
    Intel® UHD Graphics 615
    23 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y
    Intel® UHD Graphics 615
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 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 SSD.
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128GB
    SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
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.
Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
More
  • NFC
  • Optional WWAN: Integrated Global Mobile Broadband 4G LTE-A
LTE version coming soon.

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
Size
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 51 Wh
  • 28Wh 
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 26.8Wh 
    Minimum battery capacity.
Battery Life
  • Up to 19.3 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
Up to 11 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 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Windows 11 Home in S-mode
Built-in Apps-
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one month trial
  • Microsoft 365 Family one month trial

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    HD 720p with ThinkShutter privacy cover.
  • 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
  • Enhanced dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
Inking
  • Supports ThinkPad Pen Pro (included)
Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
magnetic storage
Sensors
  • Windows Hello compliant Match-on-Chip fingerprint reader on the palm rest
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • NFC
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
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 (required IR Camera)
  • 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 Yoga Gen 5
  • 65W AC adapter
  • ThinkPad Pen Pro
  • 4 Cell 51Wh Internal battery
  • Quick start guide
  • Surface Go 3
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty-
  • 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 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3
At Glance
Released in
2020
16:9 4K UHD
14”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
2.99 lb
1.36 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 Late
2021
3:2 FHD+
10.5”
1280p 60Hz
Weight
1.2 lb
0.54 kg
Up to
Intel Core i3-10100Y
2C/4T, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
799
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,570
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 615
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Configurable up to
8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Go 3 Ports
Starting at
$399
Gold 6500Y, 4GB, 64GB eMMC
Supports
Surface Pen
4096 Levels, Tilt sensing, Magnetic Storage.
Up to
11 Hours
Battery Life
Built-in
IR Camera
For Face Unlock
Optional
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 6

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 vs. Surface Go 3

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5, 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 10.5-inch Surface Go 3 was introduced by Microsoft about a year later in late-2021. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i3-10100Y with a boost clock speed up to 3.90 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics 615 (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 51
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U94497.52%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U95798.86%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™94697.73%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™968100.00%
Surface Go 31
10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y77880.37%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y79982.54%
0968

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 51
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U2,93396.42%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U2,94296.71%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™2,99298.36%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™3,042100.00%
Surface Go 31
10th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y1,51049.64%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-10100Y1,57051.61%
03,042

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 has a 14-inch display which is considerably larger than the 10.5-inch Surface Go 3. In addition, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 weighs 2.99 lbs. about 149% heavier than the 1.2 lbs. Surface Go 3. Moreover, measured at 12” x 8.5” x 0.59”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 is much bulkier than the Surface Go 3 at 9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5Surface Go 3

Moving over to upgradability, Lenovo claims that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 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 Go 3, it supports up to 8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Like Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Furthermore, it also has an integrated storage module and has no M.2 slots for replacement.

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