The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is a more affordable choice with decent performance for everyday tasks and long battery life, making it suitable for general use. It has a larger screen and is lighter, which enhances its portability. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, on the other hand, is pricier but offers superior performance with a better processor, graphics card, and more memory, ideal for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering. It also features a higher quality display with better color accuracy and touch capability. However, its battery life is shorter and it's slightly heavier, which can impact portability. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, with a higher RAM, a more powerful CPU and GPU, and a superior screen quality including higher resolution and brightness, offers a significant performance edge for general use over the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15", which has a lower RAM and relies on integrated graphics. However, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is slightly heavier with a more creative design due to its flexible hinge, impacting portability compared to the lighter IdeaPad, which offers a decent battery life and portability for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a less powerful integrated AMD Vega GPU and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate which is adequate but not ideal for high-end gaming and 3D applications, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is equipped with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 dedicated GPU and a higher 120Hz screen refresh rate, enhancing gaming and 3D performance significantly.
Engineering and Design
6.6/10
8.7/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
12.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" with a mid-range CPU and integrated GPU, moderate RAM, and an average screen quality is fair for engineering and design, providing a balance between performance and cost. In contrast, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 packs a high-end CPU, dedicated powerful GPU, a large amount of RAM, and a high-resolution screen, making it very good for demanding engineering tasks but with less emphasis on portability and a higher price tag.
Content Creation
7.4/10
8.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
12.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.3/10
8.2/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
12.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
7.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering a laptop for general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 stands out for its higher resolution and panel quality, giving you clearer and more vibrant visuals than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15". For engineering and design tasks, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 provides a richer color range with better DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB coverage, making it superior for precise color work compared to the IdeaPad. However, while both laptops are not ideal for Gaming and 3D due to lower refresh rates, they still offer reasonable performance for casual or non-intensive gaming and 3D applications.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
6.0/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$741
$3,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a price of $741 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is affordable and pretty efficient. At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (15″, 2023) is one of the better affordable laptops money can buy right now. It has a decent performance, albeit coming from a CPU that is based on old architecture. Playing low-intensity games is possible but at low to medium settings. We are really happy with the cooling setup, but the main event here is the battery life. We got 9 hours of either Web browsing or video playback, which is a great result. Especially if you compare this device with the ASUS E410."
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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