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Updated January 10, 2024·
In choosing between the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, consider that the Lenovo offers a lower price with substantial performance for general use and is suitable for gaming, with a decently sized screen and good port selection. It lacks a touchscreen but has a higher battery capacity for longer use on the go. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 features a smaller, higher-resolution touchscreen display and increased portability with a lighter build. It comes with much more storage and memory, making it a premium choice for intensive work like 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering tasks, but this comes at a higher cost and with a shorter battery life. If budget is a concern and you don't need the touchscreen or the highest specifications for demanding tasks, the Lenovo is a strong choice; if performance for specialized tasks and a premium build are priorities, and cost is less of an issue, consider the Microsoft. 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 Pro 5i
- The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has no clear advantages over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.7
8.3
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
409.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 surpasses the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i in general use primarily due to its significantly greater RAM, doubling the storage capacity, and possessing a higher resolution touchscreen which can be used as a drawing tablet, contributing to superior screen quality. While both laptops have similar CPUs and quality GPUs, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 also offers a longer battery life and slightly better portability, despite having a marginally smaller screen.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.7
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both very good for engineering and design, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 both boast a powerful Intel i7-13700H processor and high-end Nvidia RTX GPUs, making them well-suited for engineering and design tasks that require significant CPU and GPU resources. However, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a higher RAM capacity, which can be crucial for more complex tasks, and a touchscreen display that can be advantageous for design work, although it has less battery capacity than the IdeaPad Pro 5i.
Content Creation
7.7
8.4
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 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 Pro 5i 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.
Screen Quality
7.8
7.9
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
409.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i for engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i provides a clear, bright display with sufficient resolution, making it easy on the eyes during everyday tasks, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers similar benefits but with potentially higher brightness and clarity. Both laptops serve well for engineering and design due to their wide color gamuts, ensuring accurate color reproduction for detailed projects. However, for gaming and 3D applications where fast-paced visuals are key, neither laptop's screen offers the high refresh rates needed for the smoothest experience, although they still maintain enough resolution and panel quality for moderate use.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 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
7.6
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$880
$2,900
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a price of $880 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $2,900.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
7.4
7.7
6.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both good for gaming and AI.
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.
Software Development
7.7
8.2
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$880 | $2,900 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | September 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.9'' x 0.75'' | 12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.3 lbs | 4.41 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.88" | 9.06" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700H | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 75 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 409 nits | 503 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Brandon Hill | January 2024
"Lenovo’s IdeaPad Pro 5i represents an impressive opening salvo for Meteor Lake in the ultraportable space against familiar foes from AMD and Apple. Not only does the Core Ultra 5 125H processor provide good performance across the board, but battery life remains a strong point against the Acer Swift Edge 16 with its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor. It can’t quite match the endurance of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the gap is shrinking."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"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 Pro 5i 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.
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