Surface Book 2 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Book 2 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Book 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface Book 2 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6.

Newer manufacturing

2017 vs. 2018

Supports discrete graphics

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 is better than Surface Book 2.

Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 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 Carbon Gen 6 - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
Surface Book 2 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
About 27% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 weighed 2.49 pounds, 27% lighter than the 3.38 pounds Surface Book 2.

WeightSurface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
Pound
3.38 lbs.
2.49 lbs.
Kilogram
1.53 kg
1.13 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Surface Book 2 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Surface Book 2
16 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
16 GB

Prices

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

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
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 Price
Lenovo X1 Carbon 6th Generation Ultrabook: Core i7-8550U, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 14inch Full HD Display, Backlit Keyboard (Renewed)
Lenovo X1 Carbon 6th Generation Ultrabook: Core i7-8550U, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 14inch Full HD Display, Backlit Keyboard (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$349.89
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6th Gen) 14-inch FHD Laptop, Intel Quad Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 256GB NVMe-PCIe SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10 Pro, Black (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6th Gen) 14-inch FHD Laptop, Intel Quad Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 256GB NVMe-PCIe SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10 Pro, Black (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$360.80
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen Ultrabook 14" FHD Laptop, Intel Core i5-8350U 8GB RAM 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen Ultrabook 14" FHD Laptop, Intel Core i5-8350U 8GB RAM 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$252.00
$268.00 6% OFF

Availability

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
Released20172018
Release Date
  • 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

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
Dimensions
  • 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).
12.73” x 8.54” x 0.62” (323.5 x 217.1 x 15.95 mm)
Width: 12.73” (323.5 mm)
Depth: 8.54” (217.1 mm)
Height: 0.62” (15.95 mm)
Weight
  • 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)
Starting at 2.49 lbs (1.13 kg)
Colors
Platinum
BlackBlack with color coded hinges
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • 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.
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.

Display

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
Size13.5 Inches14 Inches
Info
  • 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
  • 14” FHD
    1920 x 1080, IPS, 60Hz, anti-glare, 300 nits, multi-touch.
  • 14” WQHD
    2560 x 1440, IPS, 60Hz, anti-glare, 300 nits, multi-touch.
  • 14” HDR WQHD
    2560 x 1440, IPS, 60Hz, glossy, Dolby Vision™ HDR, 500 nits, multi-touch.

Ports

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
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
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports Power Delivery & DisplayPort.
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
    Full-size USB-A ports 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

Internal Specs

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
Processor
  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
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.60 → 3.40 GHz, 6MB 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. 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
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U
    Intel® UHD 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
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
  • 8GB 16GB
    2133 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
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
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).

Connectivity

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
  • Intel® Dual-Band Wireless-AC(2x2) 8265
    Up to 867 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
  • Bluetooth 4.1
More
  • Surface Book 2 15” Only: Xbox Wireless built-in
  • WWAN: Fibocom L850-GL 4G LTE-A cat 9

Battery

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
Size
  • 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
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 57 Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 17 hours of video playback
  • Up to 5 hours in tablet mode
  • Up to 15 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
Power Supply
  • 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.
65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.

Software

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
OSWindows 10 Pro (Creators Update)
Free upgrade to Windows 11
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial
  • Lenovo Vantage

Camera & Audio

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
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
  • Front-facing camera
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • IR Facial Authentication (optional)
Audio
  • Dual microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Support for Windows Sonic for Headphones
  • Support for Dolby® Atmos for Headphones
  • Dolby Audio™ Premium
  • Dolby Atmos® for headphones
  • Noise-cancelling dual-array far-field microphones

Misc

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader on the palm rest
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Fast Identity Online (FIDO) authentication capabilities
  • Match-on-Chip Fingerprint Reader
  • dTPM 2.0 chip
  • ThinkShutter camera cover
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Kensington lock slot
In the box
  • Surface Book 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
-
WarrantyOne-year limited hardware warranty-
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports both on-screen and off-screen interaction.
-

Key Features

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6
At Glance
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
Released in
2018
16:9 WQHD
14”
1440p 60Hz
Weight
2.49 lb
1.13 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

Comparison Summary

Surface Book 2 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6

Microsoft has released the Surface Book 2, a 13.5-inch machine, in 2017. 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 a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5.

On the other hand, we have the 14-inch ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 was introduced by Lenovo about a year later in 2018. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U with a boost clock speed up to 4.20 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics 620 (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

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%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 61
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U77169.71%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U86277.94%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U1,106100.00%
01,106

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

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%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 61
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U1,97150.81%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U2,98276.88%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U3,879100.00%
03,879

The Surface Book 2 has a 13.5-inch display which is slightly smaller than the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6. In addition, the Surface Book 2 weighs 3.38 lbs. about 35% heavier than the 2.49 lbs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6. Moreover, measured at 12.3” x 9.14” x 0.9”, the Surface Book 2 is much bulkier than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6 at 12.73” x 8.54” x 0.62”.

Surface Book 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Book 2 supports up to 16GB 1866 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 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 6, it supports up to 16GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Like Surface Book 2, 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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