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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·
For a balance of performance and portability with a touch of gaming prowess, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i stands out with its high-performance CPU and GPU, making it ideal for demanding tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. However, it's heavier, pricier, and has a shorter battery life, which might not be the best for frequent travelers. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is a lightweight, compact device with a long battery life, touchscreen, and excellent keyboard, perfect for everyday tasks and general use on the go. It's more affordable but won't handle intensive tasks as well as the Lenovo. Consider the Legion for performance and the Surface for portability and everyday 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 7i (2024)
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- 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 3
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.1
7.2
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
469.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 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 (2024) is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is good.
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.
Gaming and AI
9.1
6.1
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 (2024) is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
9.0
6.8
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is excellent for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
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.
Content Creation
8.3
7.3
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
7.9
7.1
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 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 (2024) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) 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
8.7
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
469.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
5.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has 5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.8
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,000
$789
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) has a price of $2,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $789.
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How the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,000 | $789 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2024 | October 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10.3'' x 1.02'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.78 lbs | 2.49 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.31" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.32" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-14900HX | Intel i5-1235U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 99.9 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 469 nits | 337 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 | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 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 Pro 7i (2024)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | February 2023
"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."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Joe Osborne | October 2023
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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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