The Lenovo Legion 7i Pro is ideal for users who need high performance for tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or intense engineering work due to its powerful processor and graphics card, but it comes with a higher price and is less portable. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is more affordable and portable, making it a better choice for general usage and everyday tasks, plus it offers a touchscreen; however, it has less storage, less RAM, and a less powerful processor and graphics card, limiting its capabilities for 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 7i
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
469.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 7i Pro stands out for general use with a high-performing CPU, abundant RAM, and a quality IPS screen, although it is less portable and has lower battery life than some alternatives. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers greater portability and longer battery life, but is less suited for demanding tasks due to its less powerful CPU, less RAM, and smaller storage capacity.
Gaming and AI
9.1/10
6.0/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
240Hz
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 7i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
9.3/10
6.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is excellent for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i outperforms the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for engineering and design use due to its much stronger CPU, more RAM, and superior GPU, which are crucial for demanding software and multitasking; additionally, its screen has a higher resolution, refresh rate, and brightness, all beneficial for detailed visual work. However, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is significantly more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, alongside having a touchscreen which may be advantageous for certain design tasks, but its lower-tier CPU, less RAM, and integrated graphics limit its usefulness for complex engineering applications.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.1/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Software Development
8.2/10
7.0/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Screen Quality
8.7/10
6.9/10
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
469.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 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.
If you prioritize a clear, sharp display for everyday tasks like browsing, watching videos, and working with text, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i's high resolution and brightness provide an excellent viewing experience, which may be more appealing than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. For engineering and design tasks where color accuracy is vital, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i's wider color gamut ensures that colors are represented more faithfully, making it a superior choice to the Surface Laptop Go 2 for professionals in these fields. However, for gaming or 3D work, the Lenovo's lower refresh rate might result in less fluid motion compared to what you'd expect from gaming-specific laptops, while the Surface Laptop Go 2’s modest specs, too, will not satisfy those needs, making both less suitable for high-end gaming or 3D rendering.
Battery
5.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has 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
6.1 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.8/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,000
$774
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has a price of $2,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $774.
"Passionate gamers who want to play demanding modern titles with maximum details and don't mind spending the moolah will find the Lenovo Legion 7 Pro to be the right choice. The bright, sharp, and color-accurate 16:10 QHD 240 Hz display makes for an immersive viewing experience. The hardware is housed in a stylish chassis that feels premium and scores well in terms of workmanship and stability. Other aspects such as sound quality, input devices, and connectivity also seem to be near-perfect."
"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 7i 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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