The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is a budget-friendly option with moderate performance, suitable for general use like browsing or office applications. It isn't designed for intensive tasks and lacks a touchscreen, but it is lighter and offers longer battery life, enhancing its portability. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, on the other hand, is priced higher but offers significantly better performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. It includes a touchscreen with a higher refresh rate and better overall screen quality. It is heavier and has shorter battery life, which may affect portability. Consider the Lenovo if cost and portability are key, and the Microsoft if performance and screen features take precedence. 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 3 14"
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
6.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
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 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
7.3/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is better suited for engineering and design due to its more powerful Intel i7 processor, double the RAM, and a superior Nvidia RTX GPU, all of which offer improved performance for demanding applications, along with a higher resolution and brighter screen with touch capability that can benefit design work. Whereas, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a less powerful AMD Ryzen 5 processor and GPU, half the RAM, and a standard full HD screen without touch, making it less ideal for resource-intensive tasks but it offers better portability with its lightweight design.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
8.0/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
313.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize a crisp and vivid display for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio with its higher resolution and bright screen excels in clarity and color accuracy, which enhances both general use and professional design applications. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 may be more budget-friendly, but with a less outstanding screen, it provides sufficient quality for daily tasks and casual engineering use, albeit not as sharp or vibrant as the Surface. However, for gaming or 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, so if that's your main interest, consider looking for a device specifically tailored for gaming with a high refresh rate display.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has 10 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
6.5/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$490
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a price of $490 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio to be good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 has a weaker CPU and less RAM than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, which may lead to slower performance in demanding tasks. The Surface Laptop Studio also has a higher quality screen with better resolution, color coverage, and touch capability, adding to the improved general-use experience, while also being more versatile due to its folding design, albeit at a higher price and with a slight compromise on battery life compared to the IdeaPad 3.
Content Creation
7.1/10
7.4/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for content creation.
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
7.1/10
7.3/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for software development.
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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.4in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" to have very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
"The low-priced IdeaPad 3 14 delivers on core functionality. Lenovo's IdeaPad 3 14 meets all the basic requirements for an inexpensive office laptop. The matte IPS display is bright enough, the performance is high for the class, and the input devices are rock solid. In addition, the mostly quiet operation including the useful performance modes, cool surface temperatures, easy maintainability as well as expandable working and mass storage all contribute to the IdeaPad 3 14's value proposition."
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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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