The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is a powerhouse for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks, thanks to its Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and AMD Ryzen 7 processor, but it's bulkier and pricier than the Surface Laptop 6. It's also better suited for engineering tasks with its higher performance score in that area. However, its battery life is shorter, and it lacks the touchscreen and sleek design of the Surface Laptop 6.
On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" offers a more portable and stylish design with a touchscreen display, longer battery life, and a keyboard with a number pad, making it excellent for general use and business environments. Its Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and Intel Arc GPU provide good performance for everyday tasks, but it falls short for intensive gaming and specialized engineering applications. It also has a lower portability score due to its larger screen size and aspect ratio, which might not be as convenient for on-the-go use compared to smaller, lighter laptops.
Ultimately, if you prioritize performance for gaming and demanding applications and don't mind a heavier, less portable device, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is the way to go. However, if you value portability, battery life, and a premium build for general use and business tasks, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is the better choice. 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
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
Good portability
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.4/10
6.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is only fair.
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
8.5/10
7.8/10
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" 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
8.0/10
8.1/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
340.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has a better screen for general use, and engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
3.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has 9 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
15.0in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,320
$1,200
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
$2,000
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a price of $1,320 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" costs $1,200.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.8/10
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" 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
7.6/10
7.8/10
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" compare to other laptops
"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."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
131,595
Recommendations made
28,513
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.