Surface Pro 8 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Pro 8 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Pro 8 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 8 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2020

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Pro 8 has a 59% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-10610U inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i7-1185G7
4,864
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i5-1135G7
3,980
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i7-10610U
3,042
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i5-10310U
2,992
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i7-10510U
2,942
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i5-10210U
2,933
Surface Pro 8 - Intel Core i3-1115G4
2,445
Supports larger memory

Surface Pro 8 supports a larger memory capacity than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Max system memory size
Surface Pro 8
32 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Pro 8 supports a faster memory speed than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 2133MHz of system memory on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Memory type and speed
Surface Pro 8 - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
About 19% lighter

Surface Pro 8 weighed 1.96 pounds, 19% lighter than the 2.40 pounds Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

WeightSurface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Pound
1.96 lbs.
2.40 lbs.
Kilogram
0.89 kg
1.09 kg

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is better than Surface Pro 8.

7% larger display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 has a 14-inch screen size 7% larger than the 13-inch Surface Pro 8.

Display size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
14-inch
Surface Pro 8
13-inch

Prices

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

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Price
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$719.99
$1,099.99 35% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i7-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i7-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$954.99
$1,050.01 9% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Graphite (Latest Model) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13" Touchscreen - Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i5-8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Device Only - Graphite (Latest Model) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$694.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Price
Lenovo Latest Gen 8 ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14" FHD Ultrabook (400 nits) with 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U Processor up to 4.90 GHz, 1 TB PCIe SSD, 16GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro
Lenovo Latest Gen 8 ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14" FHD Ultrabook (400 nits) with 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U Processor up to 4.90 GHz, 1 TB PCIe SSD, 16GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro
By Lenovo
$1,011.14
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14 Inch FHD 1080P Laptop, 8th Gen Intel 4-Core i7-8550U up to 4.0GHz, Intel UHD 620, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, Windows 10 (Renewed)
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14 Inch FHD 1080P Laptop, 8th Gen Intel 4-Core i7-8550U up to 4.0GHz, Intel UHD 620, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, Windows 10 (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$459.97
Lenovo 2022 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Ultrabook,14.0" FHD IPS 500 nits Touch,i7-10610U,16GB RAM,512G PCIe SSD,Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, USB-C,Win 10 Pro| 3 Yrs Warranty
Lenovo 2022 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Ultrabook,14.0" FHD IPS 500 nits Touch,i7-10610U,16GB RAM,512G PCIe SSD,Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, USB-C,Win 10 Pro| 3 Yrs Warranty
By Lenovo
$1,175.00

Availability

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Released20212020
Release Date
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 5, 2021
  • Announced at CES 2020
Pricing
  • $1,099.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 128GB
    Platinum only.
  • $1,199.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 256GB
  • $1,399.99 
    i5-1135G7 16GB 256GB
  • $1,399.99 
    i5-1135G7 8GB 512GB
  • $1,599.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 256GB
  • $1,899.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 512GB
  • $2,199.99 
    i7-1185G7 16GB 1TB
    Platinum only.
  • $2,599.99 
    i7-1185G7 32GB 1TB
    Platinum only.
Starting at $1,553.30
Generations-

Exterior

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Dimensions11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37” (287 mm x 208 mm x 9.3 mm)12.71” x 8.54” x 0.59” (323 x 217 x 14.95 mm)
Width: 12.71” (323 mm)
Depth: 8.54” (217 mm)
Height: 0.59” (14.95 mm)
Weight1.96 lb (889 g)Starting at 2.40 lbs (1.09 kg)
Colors
Matte Black Platinum
  • Black
  • Black with Woven Top Cover
    Available only on UHD displays.
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Not included.
  • Compatible with 
    Surface Pro Signature Keyboard Surface Pro X Keyboard
  • Type Cover Features:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm)
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Surface Slim Pen Storage
    • Magnetic dock
    • Automatically wireless charge Surface Slim Pen
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • New FN row F9-F11
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.

Display

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Size13 Inches14 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 2880 x 1920
    5.53M Pixels.
  • Density: 267 PPI
  • Refresh rate: 120Hz
    60Hz default.
  • PixelSense™ Flow Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: GPU Ink Acceleration
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • 14” UHD (3840 x 2160)
    IPS, glossy, Dolby Vision™ HDR 400, 500 nits.
  • 14” WQHD (2560 x 1440)
    IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, PrivacyGuard, anti-glare, 500 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, anti-glare, low power, touchscreen, 400 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, anti-glare, 400 nits.

Ports

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Surface Pro 8 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Type Cover
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x SSD slot
    M.2 2230 NVMe slot
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports Power Delivery & DisplayPort.
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
    Full-size USB-A ports (1 port is 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
  • 1 x Power button
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot

Internal Specs

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
    2 cores, 4 threads, 3.00 → 4.10 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 28W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.40 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
  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
Integrated Graphics
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    48 Execution Units, 400 → 1250 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
  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
Memory
8GB 16GB 32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
  • 8GB 16GB
    2133 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
Storage
128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB
Removable SSD.
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).

Connectivity

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
  • 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/ax.
BluetoothBluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology
  • Bluetooth 5.0
More-Optional WWAN: Integrated Global Mobile Broadband 4G LTE-A

Battery

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Size
  • 51.5Wh
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 50.2Wh
    Minimum battery capacity.
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 51 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 16 hours of typical device usage
  • Up to 19.5 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
Power Supply
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)
65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.

Software

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
OSWindows 11 Home
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Built-in Apps
  • Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps
  • Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial
  • Preloaded Xbox app
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one month trial
  • Lenovo Vantage

Camera & Audio

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 10.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD and 4K video
  • Front-facing camera with ThinkShutter privacy cover
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • Optional: Hybrid Infrared (IR) & HD 720p with ThinkShutter
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
  • Dolby Atmos™ Speaker System
  • 4 x 360-degree far-field microphones

Misc

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
Inking
  • Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)
    4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel 0.1mm precision magnetic storage
  • Supports Tactile signals with Surface Slim Pen 2
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient Color Sensor (brightness and color)
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader on the palm rest
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
Security
  • Firmware TPM chip for enterprise-grade security and BitLocker support
  • 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: ThinkPad PrivacyGuard
  • Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyAlert*
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Kensington lock slot
In the box
  • Surface Pro 8
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
  • 65W AC adapter
  • 4 Cell 51Wh Internal battery
  • Quick Start Guide
Warranty1-year limited hardware warranty1-year Depot or Carry-in

Key Features

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
At Glance
Released in Late
2021
3:2 2.8K
13”
1920p 60~120Hz
Weight
1.96 lb
0.89 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1185G7
4C/8T, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,404
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,864
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Pro 8 Ports
Released in
2020
16:9 4K UHD
14”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
2.40 lb
1.09 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

Comparison Summary

Surface Pro 8 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8

Microsoft has released the Surface Pro 8, a 13-inch machine, in late-2021. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.80 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 14-inch ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 was introduced by Lenovo about a year earlier in 2020. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-10610U with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Pro 81
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G41,16382.83%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G71,19585.11%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G71,404100.00%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 81
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U94467.24%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U95768.16%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™94667.38%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™96868.95%
01,404

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Pro 81
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G42,44550.27%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G73,98081.83%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G74,864100.00%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 81
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U2,93360.30%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U2,94260.49%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™2,99261.51%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™3,04262.54%
04,864

The Surface Pro 8 has a 13-inch display which is slightly smaller than the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. In addition, The Surface Pro 8 weighs 1.96 lbs. about 22% lighter than the 2.40 lbs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. Moreover, measured at 11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37”, the Surface Pro 8 is much more portable than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 at 12.71” x 8.54” x 0.59”.

Surface Pro 8Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Pro 8 supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X 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 8, it supports up to 16GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Like Surface Pro 8, 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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