Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 vs. Surface Go 3: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 and Surface Go 3 models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 is better than Surface Go 3.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1180G7 inside Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 has a 184% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i3-10100Y inside Surface Go 3.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 - Intel Core i7-1180G7
4,474
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 - Intel Core i5-1140G7
4,085
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 - Intel Core i5-1130G7
4,079
Surface Go 3 - Intel Core i3-10100Y
1,570
Surface Go 3 - Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y
1,510
Supports larger memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 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 X12 Detachable Gen 1
16 GB
Surface Go 3
8 GB
Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Go 3. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Go 3.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Surface Go 3 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
17% larger display

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 has a 12.3-inch screen size 17% larger than the 10.5-inch Surface Go 3.

Display size
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1
12.3-inch
Surface Go 3
10.5-inch

Surface Go 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Go 3 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1.

About 36% lighter

Surface Go 3 weighed 1.2 pounds, 36% lighter than the 1.85 pounds Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
Pound
1.85 lbs.
1.2 lbs.
Kilogram
0.84 kg
0.54 kg

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 Price
ThinkPad X12 Case
ThinkPad X12 Case
By Lenovo
$41.63
$46.11 10% OFF
Puccy 3 Pack Screen Protector, compatible with Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2 12.3" Laptop TPU Film Guard ( Not Tempered Glass Protectors)
Puccy 3 Pack Screen Protector, compatible with Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2 12.3" Laptop TPU Film Guard ( Not Tempered Glass Protectors)
By Puccy Film for Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2
$16.98
Lenovo - ThinkPad C13 - Yoga 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise - AMD Ryzen 3 3250C Dual-Core 2.60 GHz - 13.3" FHD Touchscreen - 4 GB RAM - 128 GB SSD Storage - Chrome OS - Abyss Blue
Lenovo - ThinkPad C13 - Yoga 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise - AMD Ryzen 3 3250C Dual-Core 2.60 GHz - 13.3" FHD Touchscreen - 4 GB RAM - 128 GB SSD Storage - Chrome OS - Abyss Blue
By Lenovo
$355.00
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
$488.00
$629.99 23% 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
$384.22
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
$500.00
$629.99 21% OFF

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
Released20212021
Release Date
  • Announced on January 11, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Available starting January 2021
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 5, 2021
PricingStarting at $1,149
  • $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 X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
Dimensions
  • 11.15” x 8.01” x 0.35” (283.3 x 203.5 x 8.8 mm)
    Tablet Only
  • 11.15” x 8.01” x 0.57” (283.3 x 203.5 x 14.5 mm)
    With Keyboard
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)
Weight
  • Starting at 1.85 lbs (840 g)
    Tablet Only
  • Starting at 2.65 lbs (1.2 kg)
    With Keyboard
  • Surface Go 3: 1.2 lbs (544 g)
  • Surface Go 3 Keyboard: 0.55 lbs (249 g)
Colors
Black
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Detachable Keyboard:
    • Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • 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 X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
Size12.3 Inches10.5 Inches
Info12.3" FHD+
1920 x 1280 3:2 IPS Anti-Reflective Anti-Smudge 400 nits Corning Gorilla® Glass 5
  • 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 X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
  • 1 x Thunderbolt™ 4
    Supports USB 4, Power Delivery, and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x USB-C
    Supports USB 3.2 Gen 2, Power Delivery, and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Headphone / mic combo
  • 1 x Optional Nano SIM slot
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot
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 X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.80 → 4.00 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1140G7 with vPro™
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.80 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.20 → 4.60 GHz, 12MB 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. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1140G7 with vPro™
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 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
4267 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR4x Memory.
4GB 8GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128GB
    SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
Wi-FiIntel® 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.
BluetoothBluetooth 5.1Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
MoreOptional WWAN: 4x4 MIMO 4G (LTE CAT9)LTE version coming soon.

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
Size42 Wh
  • 28Wh 
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 26.8Wh 
    Minimum battery capacity.
Battery LifeUp to 10.18 hours
Based on MobileMark® 2018 battery-life benchmark test
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 X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Windows 11 Home in S-mode
Built-in Apps
Lenovo Vantage
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one month trial
  • Microsoft 365 Family one month trial

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
Camera
  • Front-facing camera with ThinkShutter privacy shutter
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • Hybrid Infrared (IR)
  • 8MP rear-facing camera
  • 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® Premium
  • Dual-array mics
  • Enhanced dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
InkingSupports Active Pen:
  • Lenovo Precision Pen (optional included)
  • Lenovo Digital Pen
Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
magnetic storage
Sensors-
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • Discrete Trusted Platform Module (dTPM) 2.0
  • Windows Hello & IR camera for facial recognition login
  • The fingerprint reader on the optional keyboard
  • Webcam privacy cover
  • Kensington lock slot
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • ThinkPad X12 Detachable
  • 65W AC Adapter (Supports Rapid Charge)
  • 4 Cell 42Whr Internal Battery
  • Keyboard (Select Models)
  • Pen (Select Models)
  • 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 X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Go 3
At Glance
Released in
2021
3:2 FHD+
12.3”
1280p 60Hz
Weight
1.85 lb
0.84 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1180G7
4C/8T, 2.20 → 4.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,364
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,474
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
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

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