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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
Given your needs, if high performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming is crucial and you don't mind a bulkier and heavier laptop with a larger screen and more powerful graphics, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is a strong choice. However, if portability and a higher battery life are priorities, along with a touch screen and a more business-oriented design, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio would be more suitable, although it has a smaller screen and less powerful graphics than the Lenovo. The Lenovo is more expensive but may justify its cost with better performance in 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 Legion Pro 5
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.4
6.6
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5, with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and a higher 165Hz screen refresh rate, is superior for gaming and 3D applications compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, which has a less capable Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card and a lower 120Hz screen refresh rate. While both have quality CPUs and screens, the GPU and refresh rate are crucial for these activities, giving the Lenovo a distinct advantage.
Engineering and Design
8.5
7.3
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
8.0
8.0
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
340.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation.
When considering laptops for general use, both the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offer clear, high-resolution displays with ample brightness, making them excellent choices for everyday tasks like browsing, streaming, and productivity. For engineering and design work, these laptops boast wide color gamuts, providing accurate color representation essential for professionals in these fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both models fall short as they lack the high refresh rates that are crucial for smooth visuals and gameplay, with the emphasis instead placed on color accuracy and resolution, which are less critical for this use case.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has 3.5 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.
Portability
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,170
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a price of $1,170 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.4
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
340.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro offers a large screen with high refresh rate and solid CPU and GPU horsepower, making it a versatile option for a variety of general use scenarios, though it is heavier and has shorter battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, with its unique flexible hinge for laptop and tablet use, also provides a quality CPU and GPU, a higher resolution touchscreen display, and longer battery life in a more portable form factor.
Content Creation
7.8
7.4
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
7.6
7.3
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.
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How the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,170 | $1,700 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | September 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10.3'' x 0.97'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.6 lbs | 4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.31" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.25" | 8.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX | Intel i7-11370H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 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 | 165Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 340 nits | 491 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.6/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 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 | 4 | 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 | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion Pro 5
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | July 2023
"It doesn't quite match its Legion Pro 7i sibling as an Editors' Choice winner, but Lenovo's AMD-powered Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 is a stylish, well-built gaming laptop with solid performance at both 1080p and its sharper native resolution. It's cheaper than some comparably equipped machines and better than some similarly priced ones. That's a recipe for success, even without its frequent availability of discounts or sales. A brighter screen and longer battery life would be nice, but even as is the Legion Pro 5 earns a solid recommendation."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Tom Brant | October 2021
"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 Legion Pro 5 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.
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