Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 vs. Surface Laptop Go: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 and Surface Laptop Go specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 Pros

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

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1180G7 inside Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 has a 55% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i5-1035G1 inside Surface Laptop Go.

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 Laptop Go - Intel Core i5-1035G1
2,878
Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Laptop Go. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 3733MHz of system memory on the Surface Laptop Go.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Surface Laptop Go - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
About 25% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 weighed 1.85 pounds, 25% lighter than the 2.45 pounds Surface Laptop Go.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
Pound
1.85 lbs.
2.45 lbs.
Kilogram
0.84 kg
1.11 kg

Surface Laptop Go Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of Surface Laptop Go over Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1.

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 and Surface Laptop Go.

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 X12 Detachable Gen 1
16 GB
Surface Laptop Go
16 GB

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 Price
ThinkPad X12 Tablet Case 4X41A08251, Cover, Lenovo, W126087812 (4X41A08251, Cover, Lenovo, ThinkPad X12 Detachable, 30.5 cm (12), 175 g)
ThinkPad X12 Tablet Case 4X41A08251, Cover, Lenovo, W126087812 (4X41A08251, Cover, Lenovo, ThinkPad X12 Detachable, 30.5 cm (12), 175 g)
By Lenovo
$33.29
$45.31 27% OFF
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 2 13.3" WUXGA 2-in-1 Touchscreen (Intel 4-Core i5-1145G7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Business Laptop, Thunderbolt 4, Backlit, Fingerprint, 3-Yr Warranty, IST Cable, Win 11 Pro
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 2 13.3" WUXGA 2-in-1 Touchscreen (Intel 4-Core i5-1145G7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Business Laptop, Thunderbolt 4, Backlit, Fingerprint, 3-Yr Warranty, IST Cable, Win 11 Pro
By Lenovo
$899.98
5M11A36977 12.3" FHD+ 1920×1280 eDP 30 Pins Connector LCD Touch Screen with Bezel Frame Assembly for Thinkpad X12 Detachable Gen 1 Type 20UW 20UV
5M11A36977 12.3" FHD+ 1920×1280 eDP 30 Pins Connector LCD Touch Screen with Bezel Frame Assembly for Thinkpad X12 Detachable Gen 1 Type 20UW 20UV
By For Lenovo
$219.99
Surface Laptop Go Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Sandstone Color Copilot
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Sandstone Color Copilot
By Microsoft
$699.99
$799.99 13% OFF
MICROSOFT Surface Laptop GO 2, 12.4" PIXELSENSE Touchscreen, 11TH GEN Intel: i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD W10H-S Platinum (Renewed Premium),Silver
MICROSOFT Surface Laptop GO 2, 12.4" PIXELSENSE Touchscreen, 11TH GEN Intel: i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD W10H-S Platinum (Renewed Premium),Silver
By Microsoft
$380.99
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2-12.4" Touchscreen - Intel Core i5 8GB Memory - 128 SSD - Ice Blue (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2-12.4" Touchscreen - Intel Core i5 8GB Memory - 128 SSD - Ice Blue (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$508.46

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
Released20212020
Release Date
  • Announced on January 11, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Available starting January 2021
  • Introduced: October 1, 2020
  • Pre-ordered: October 1, 2020
  • Released: October 13, 2020
PricingStarting at $1,149
  • For Consumer (Windows 10 Home):
    • $549.99 - i5 | 4GB | 64GB eMMC | No Fingerprint | Platinum only
    • $699.99 - i5 | 8GB | 128GB SSD
    • $899.99 - i5 | 8GB | 256GB SSD
  • For Commercial (Windows 10 Pro):
    • $799.99 - i5 | 8GB | 128GB SSD
    • $999.99 - i5 | 8GB | 256GB SSD
    • $1,199.99 - i5 | 16GB | 256GB SSD | Platinum Only
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
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
10.95” x 8.1” x 0.62” (278.18mm x 205.67 mm x 15.69 mm)
Weight
  • Starting at 1.85 lbs (840 g)
    Tablet Only
  • Starting at 2.65 lbs (1.2 kg)
    With Keyboard
  • 2.45 lb (1,110 g)
Colors
Black
Ice Blue Sandstone Platium
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Detachable Keyboard:
    • Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size keyboard with a soft-touch feel and full 1.3mm travel.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 115 mm x 76.66 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
Size12.3 Inches12.45 Inches
Info12.3" FHD+
1920 x 1280 3:2 IPS Anti-Reflective Anti-Smudge 400 nits Corning Gorilla® Glass 5
  • Resolution: 1536 x 1024 (148 PPI)
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
  • 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 Laptop Go Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery, DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (1)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Magnet Charging, Docking

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
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® Core™ i5-1035G1
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.00 → 3.60 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
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® Core™ i5-1035G1
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB
4267 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR4x Memory.
4GB 8GB 16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD
  • 64GB
    eMMC
  • 128 GB 256 GB
    SSD

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
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 5.1
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
MoreOptional WWAN: 4x4 MIMO 4G (LTE CAT9)-

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
Size42 Wh39.7 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 10.18 hours
Based on MobileMark® 2018 battery-life benchmark test
Up to 13 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.
  • 39W power supply
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in just over one hour)

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home in S-mode
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
Lenovo Vantage
Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
Camera
  • Front-facing camera with ThinkShutter privacy shutter
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • Hybrid Infrared (IR)
  • 8MP rear-facing camera
  • 720p HD f2.0 front-facing video camera
Audio
  • Dolby® Premium
  • Dual-array mics
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
InkingSupports Active Pen:
  • Lenovo Precision Pen (optional included)
  • Lenovo Digital Pen
Not Support
Sensors-
  • Ambient light sensor
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
  • Firmware TPM
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello sign-in
  • One-Touch sign in with FingerPrint Reader Power button
Note Surface Laptop Go i5/4GB/64GB does not include Fingerprint Power Button.
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 Laptop Go
  • 39W Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty-
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
More-
Best-in-class support from Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store Promise for Surface:
  • 60-day return policy
  • 90 days of free technical phone support
  • Free virtual workshops and training
  • Surface price promise

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go
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
2020
3:2 1.5K
12.45”
1024p 60Hz
Weight
2.45 lb
1.11 kg
Powered By
Intel Core i5-1035G1
4C/8T, 1.00 → 3.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
979
Single Core
Geekbench 5
2,878
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Laptop Go Ports
Starting at
$550
i5, 4GB, 64GB eMMC, No Fingerprint
Up to
13 Hours
Battery Life
Optional
Fingerprint Reader
On Power Button
Single
USB-A
USB 3.0
Single
USB-C
w/ DP & PD
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 vs. Surface Laptop Go

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1, a 12.3-inch machine, in 2021. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1180G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.60 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 12.45-inch Surface Laptop Go was introduced by Microsoft about a year earlier in late-2020. It comes with a quad-core Intel Core i5-1035G1 with a boost clock speed up to 3.60 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics (32 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 11
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G71,23890.76%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1140G7 with vPro™1,21789.22%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™1,364100.00%
Surface Laptop Go1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G197971.77%
01,364

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 11
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G74,07991.17%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1140G7 with vPro™4,08591.31%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™4,474100.00%
Surface Laptop Go1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G12,87864.33%
04,474

The Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 has a 12.3-inch display which is quite similar size to the 12.45-inch Surface Laptop Go. In addition, The Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 weighs 1.85 lbs. about 32% lighter than the 2.45 lbs. Surface Laptop Go. Moreover, measured at 11.15” x 8.01” x 0.35”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 is much more portable than the Surface Laptop Go at 10.95” x 8.1” x 0.62”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1Surface Laptop Go

Moving over to upgradability, Lenovo claims that the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 supports up to 16GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users.

For Surface Laptop Go, it supports up to 16GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X memory. Like Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable 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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