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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion 9i offers top-notch performance which makes it ideal for engineering tasks, 3D modeling, and gaming due to its powerful processor and graphics card; however, this also makes it more expensive, heavier, and it has a shorter battery life. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is more affordable, portable, and has longer battery life but is less powerful, so it's well-suited for general use and moderate creative tasks. The Surface also features a touchscreen which can be a plus for design work, while the Legion does not have this feature but compensates with a higher quality display for color-sensitive work. 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
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.4
7.4
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
682.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The Lenovo Legion 9i excels for general use with a powerful CPU, abundant RAM, a high-quality Mini LED screen, and impressive heat management, but its larger size and shorter battery life reduce portability. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, while not as powerful, offers good performance, a high-quality IPS touchscreen that can double as a drawing tablet, better portability with longer battery life, but less RAM and lower screen resolution.
Gaming and AI
9.2
6.6
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
3200 x 2000
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 9i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
9.6
7.3
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 9i is best in class for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The Lenovo Legion 9i stands out for engineering and design due to its superior CPU, double the RAM, and more powerful GPU compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, making it able to handle more demanding tasks efficiently. However, the Surface Laptop Studio offers greater portability and a unique flexible display hinge for drawing or design work, at the cost of lesser performance and screen quality compared to the Legion 9i.
Content Creation
8.7
7.4
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
7.3
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
8.0
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
682.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo Legion 9i excels in screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display, superior brightness, and wide color gamut coverage, ensuring sharp images and vibrant color accuracy required for precise design work. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio also offers a high-resolution and bright display and covers a wide color gamut, making it suitable for both general tasks and engineering applications, where detail and color precision matter. However, both may fall short for gaming and 3D tasks because they prioritize resolution and color fidelity over the higher refresh rates that provide smoother motion and better responsiveness needed in fast-paced interactive environments.
Battery
3.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 9i has 3 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
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 9i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$3,420
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a price of $3,420 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The Lenovo Legion 9i and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio both have very 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 9i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 9i | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$3,420 | $1,700 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2023 | September 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.9'' x 1.01'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.64 lbs | 4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.08" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.93" | 8.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13980HX | Intel i7-11370H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 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 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3200 x 2000 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 682 nits | 491 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 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 | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.8/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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 Studio
See more
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."
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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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