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Updated January 10, 2024·
If performance is a top priority and tasks like intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning are routine, the Lenovo Legion 9i excels with high-end components and a screen made for fast motion, but it's more expensive and less portable. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, on the other hand, offers better portability, a touchscreen, and is significantly lighter, making it suitable for general use and daily tasks at a lower price, but falls short in performance for demanding applications. Consider also that the Lenovo has a larger screen and battery, but has a much shorter battery life due to its powerful hardware. 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 9i
- Very good for general use
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Best in class 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
7.0
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
682.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 9i excels in general use thanks to a superior CPU, abundant RAM, high quality Mini LED screen, and advanced GPU, but it is heavier and has shorter battery life compared to the more portable Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, which offers modest performance due to a less powerful CPU, less RAM, and a standard IPS screen, but benefits from longer battery life and enhanced portability.
Gaming and AI
9.2
6.0
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3200 x 2000
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 9i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 9i, equipped with a high-performance Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a screen with a high refresh rate, offers superior gaming and 3D experiences compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, which has a less powerful Intel Iris Xe GPU and a standard refresh rate screen.
Engineering and Design
9.6
6.5
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 9i is best in class for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 9i stands out for engineering and design because it has a powerful Intel i9 processor and a high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, supplemented by a high-resolution Mini LED screen, which are critical for demanding tasks and detailed visual work.
Content Creation
8.7
7.1
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 9i 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
8.3
7.0
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i 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
9.7
6.9
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
682.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 9i 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 9i offers a high-resolution display with impressive brightness and color coverage, making it excellent for engineering and general use due to its ability to render fine details and accurate colors. In contrast, its lower refresh rate hampers its performance for gaming and 3D applications, where smooth motion is crucial. The Surface Laptop Go 2 delivers good screen quality for everyday tasks and engineering with respectable resolution and brightness, but like the Lenovo, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to a modest refresh rate.
Battery
3.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 9i has 3 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
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion 9i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.8
The Lenovo Legion 9i 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
$3,420
$774
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a price of $3,420 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $774.
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How the Lenovo Legion 9i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 9i | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$3,420 | $774 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2023 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.9'' x 1.01'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.64 lbs | 2.48 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.08" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.93" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13980HX | Intel i5-1135G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 128 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3200 x 2000 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 682 nits | 401 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 9.3/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.8/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion 9i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | December 2023
"The Lenovo Legion 9i is meant as a top-end flagship showcase for enthusiasts, and on that, it delivers. You'll find flashier designs in this price tier—Razer’s all-metal build in a similarly sized laptop like the Blade 16, or monstrous 18-inch machines—but this is a well-thought-out laptop. The chassis is trim for a 16-inch powerhouse, the lid is unique, and bespoke liquid cooling takes performance to the next level."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | August 2022
"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 9i 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.
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