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IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
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Surface Laptop Go 3
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

Selecting between the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 depends on your priorities. The Lenovo has a larger, higher-resolution screen, more powerful processor, better graphics capabilities, and longer battery life, making it suitable for more intensive tasks like light gaming, photo editing, and multitasking. However, it's heavier and less portable than the lighter and more compact Surface Laptop Go 3, which offers convenience for basic tasks and better mobility at the cost of lower storage capacity, less RAM, and a lower-specification processor. The Surface is usually cheaper and has a taller 3:2 aspect ratio screen that's advantageous for browsing or document work, but the Lenovo's performance advantage can be crucial if you need it for more demanding applications. 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 Slim 7i Pro
  • Good for engineering and design
  • Good overall display quality
  • Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
  • Excellent portability
  • Very good speakers

Key differences

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Screen Quality

7.7
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.8
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.3
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.2
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
8.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for general use.

Gaming and AI

6.1
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.1
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.

Engineering and Design

7.0
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.8
5.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro to be good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.

Content Creation

7.4
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.3
5.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.3
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.1
5.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for software development.

Battery

8.5 Hours
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has 8.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has 8 hours of battery life.

Portability

Very Good
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
Excellent
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 to have excellent portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.8
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.8
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 both have good build quality.

Cost

$799
IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Surface Laptop Go 3
$797
Product imageProduct image

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has a price of $799 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $797.

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How the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i ProMicrosoft Surface Laptop Go 3
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i ProMicrosoft Surface Laptop Go 3

GENERAL

Price
$799
$797
Release Date
October 1, 2021October 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.62''11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62''
Weight
3.04 lbs2.49 lbs
Width
12.29"10.95"
Depth
8.74"8.12"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i5-11300HIntel i5-1235U
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
00
Storage
512 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8.5 Hours8 Hours
Battery Capacity
60.7 Wh41 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14"12.4"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2880 x 18001536 x 1024
Refresh Rate
90Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
395 nits337 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.8/107.8/10
Portability Score
8.8/109.3/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
7.5/107.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
8/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
7.5/108.4/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesNo
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
11
USB-C ports
21
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
21
Thunderbolt Version
4N/A

Shopping

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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Allen Ngo | October 2021
"The main selling point of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro versus a regular IdeaPad Slim 7 is its faster Core H-series CPU. In reality, the Core i7-11370H is only marginally faster than the U-series Core i7-1165G7 to the point where most users are not likely to notice the benefits. The slight performance uptick comes at the cost of slightly higher power consumption as well meaning owners will have to deal with potentially warmer temperatures or louder fans to compensate. Unless if you happen to be a power user, then the regular non-Pro model will be more than enough. Once you go 90 Hz, you can't go back."

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Joe Osborne | October 2023
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."

Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

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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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

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Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
127,095
Recommendations made
27,538
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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