Surface Laptop 2 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Surface Laptop 2 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Surface Laptop 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 2 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Newer manufacturing

2018 vs. 2017

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-8650U inside Surface Laptop 2 has a 106% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-7600U inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Laptop 2 - Intel Core i7-8650U
3,879
Surface Laptop 2 - Intel Core i5-8350U
2,982
Surface Laptop 2 - Intel Core i5-8250U
1,971
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-7600U
1,883
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-7300U
1,777
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-7500U
1,744
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-7200U
1,611
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i7-6500U
1,500
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - Intel Core i5-6200U
1,333

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 is better than Surface Laptop 2.

About 10% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 weighed 2.49 pounds, 10% lighter than the 2.76 pounds Surface Laptop 2.

WeightSurface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Pound
2.76 lbs.
2.49 lbs.
Kilogram
1.25 kg
1.13 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Surface Laptop 2 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Surface Laptop 2
16 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
16 GB
Uses the same memory type and speed

Both laptops supports the same 1866MHz LPDDR3 RAM.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 2 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 - LPDDR3
1,866 MHz

Prices

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

Surface Laptop 2 Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$279.00
$304.99 9% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$366.37
$434.00 16% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Tablet 13.5" (2256x1504) Touchscreen Laptop Intel Core i5-8350U 1.7GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Wi-Fi, Camera, Silver, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Tablet 13.5" (2256x1504) Touchscreen Laptop Intel Core i5-8350U 1.7GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Wi-Fi, Camera, Silver, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$312.00
$331.00 6% OFF
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5 Price
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) 14-inch Laptop Computer, Intel Core i7-7600U 2.80GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Type-C, Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) 14-inch Laptop Computer, Intel Core i7-7600U 2.80GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Type-C, Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$359.00
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) - 14" FHD (1920x1080) Display (Intel Core i5-7300U, 16GB Ram, 256GB PCIe SSD, HDMI, Camera, WiFi) Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th Gen) - 14" FHD (1920x1080) Display (Intel Core i5-7300U, 16GB Ram, 256GB PCIe SSD, HDMI, Camera, WiFi) Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$274.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop 5th Generation, Intel Core i7-7600U 3.90 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 14 WQHD IPS 2560x1440 Display, Fingerprint Reader, Supported Windows 10 Pro, Renewed 2018
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop 5th Generation, Intel Core i7-7600U 3.90 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 14 WQHD IPS 2560x1440 Display, Fingerprint Reader, Supported Windows 10 Pro, Renewed 2018
By Lenovo
$359.24

Availability

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Released20182017
Release Date
  • Introduced: October 2, 2018
  • Pre-ordered: October 2, 2018
  • Released: October 16 2018
-
PricingStarting at 999$-
Generations-

Exterior

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Dimensions12.13” x 8.79” x 0.39-0.57” (308.02 mm x 223.2 mm x 9.93 mm-14.47 mm)
Width: 12.13” (308.02 mm)
Depth: 8.79” (223.2 mm)
Height: 0.39 - 0.57” (9.93 - 14.47 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
  • Intel Core i5 › 2.76 lbs (1.26 kg)
  • Intel Core i7 › 2.83 lbs (1.28 kg)
Starting at 2.49 lbs (1.13 kg)
Colors
Black Platinum Burgundy Cobalt Blue
Black Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with the soft-touch feel and full 1.5mm travel.
    • Large palm rest with premium Alcantara® material for maximized typing comfort.
  • 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 Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Size13.5 Inches14 Inches
Info
  • Display Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (3.4M Pixels)
  • Display Density: 201 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • 100% sRGB color, individually calibrated
  • 14” FHD
    1920 x 1080, IPS, 60Hz, anti-glare, non-touch.
  • 14” WQHD
    2560 x 1440, IPS, 60Hz, anti-glare, non-touch.

Ports

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Surface Laptop 2 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 1 x Surface Connect™
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports Power Delivery & DisplayPort.
  • 1 x USB 3.0
    Full-size USB-A ports.
  • 1 x Native Network RJ45
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x Headphone / mic combo
  • 1 x MicroSD card reader
  • 1 x Micro SIM slot
  • 1 x Power button
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot

Internal Specs

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
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™ 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. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6200U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.30 → 2.80 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6500U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.50 → 3.10 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  4. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  5. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7500U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.70 → 3.50 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  6. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7600U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.80 → 3.90 GHz, 4MB 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™ 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. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6200U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6500U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  3. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  4. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  5. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7500U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  6. 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7600U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
  • 8GB 16GB
    1866 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
Storage
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Soldered BGA PCIe SSD
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).

Connectivity

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
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.
  • Intel® Dual-Band Wireless-AC(2x2) 8260
    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
Ethernet-
  • RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet port (10/100/1000)
More-
  • WWAN: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X7 LTE-A

Battery

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Size45.2 Wh
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 57 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 14.5 hours of typical device usage
  • Up to 15 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
Power Supply
  • 44W proprietary power supply
    USB-A output: 5W
    Surface Connect output: 39W
65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.

Software

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial-

Camera & Audio

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
  • Front-facing camera
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
Audio
  • Dual microphones
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Dolby Audio™ Premium
  •  Microphones

Misc

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Optional dedicated Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader.​​
  • Ambient light sensor
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Fingerprint Reader
  • dTPM 2.0 chip
  • Kensington lock slot
In the box
  • Surface Laptop 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
-
Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
-
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only
-

Key Features

Surface Laptop 2Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5
At Glance
Released in Late
2018
3:2 2.2K
13.5”
1504p 60Hz
Weight
2.76 lb
1.25 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 Laptop 2 Ports
Released in
2017
16:9 WQHD
14”
1440p 60Hz
Weight
2.49 lb
1.13 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-7600U
2C/4T, 2.80 → 3.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
885
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,883
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 620
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3

Comments

Ask questions or share your thought and experience about the comparison between Surface Laptop 2 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 5.

Loading Comments...