The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro offers high performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, thanks to a powerful processor and graphics card, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is lighter and boasts a longer battery life for increased portability, along with a touchscreen display, but it is less powerful, with less storage and RAM, making it better suited for general use rather than intensive tasks. Choose the Legion 5i Pro for performance-demanding tasks and the Surface Laptop Go 2 for portability and regular use. 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 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
7.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro outperforms the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 in CPU and RAM, which translates to faster and more efficient handling of demanding tasks, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less convenient for on-the-go usage. While the Surface Laptop Go 2 excels in portability and longer battery life, making it an excellent choice for travelling and longer off-charge periods, the trade-off comes with lesser performance and storage capacity, which may limit its use in more intensive applications.
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
6.0/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is superior for gaming and 3D applications because it has a high-performance Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and a high refresh rate screen, which are crucial for smooth visuals and fast-paced action. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, with its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and standard refresh rate screen, offers fair gaming and 3D capabilities that are sufficient for less demanding tasks but not optimal for intensive gaming or professional 3D work.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
6.5/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is better suited for engineering and design due to its higher RAM, more advanced CPU and GPU, and a larger, higher quality display, making it well-equipped to handle resource-intensive tasks. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while offering better portability and quieter operation, has less RAM, a less powerful CPU and GPU, and a smaller, lower resolution screen, which limits its performance in demanding engineering and design applications.
Software Development
7.5/10
7.0/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
6.9/10
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i excels in screen quality for general use and engineering tasks due to its high resolution and brightness, along with a wide color gamut that ensures accurate color representation, which is crucial for design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, it falls short because of a lower refresh rate that can't deliver the smooth visuals required for fast-paced action. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers sufficient resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and the precision needed for engineering but also lacks the high refresh rate necessary for optimal gaming and 3D experiences.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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.
Portability
Fair
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$999
$774
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a price of $999 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $774.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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.
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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