When choosing between the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, consider your primary needs. The Lenovo is more budget-friendly and may offer satisfactory performance for general use like web browsing, office tasks, and media consumption. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop Studio 2, although pricier, typically delivers higher performance suitable for more intensive tasks such as 3D modeling, machine learning, and gaming. Its unique design with a touchscreen also makes it versatile for creative professionals who may benefit from using a stylus for design work. However, if portability is a priority, the Slim Pro is usually lighter and may be easier to carry around, while the Surface Laptop Studio 2 could offer longer battery life, an advantage for extended use without a charger. Consider these tradeoffs against your specific use case and budget to make the right decision. 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 Slim Pro 7 14
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.7/10
4.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a screen that can refresh 90 times per second, suitable for gaming and 3D applications, though less powerful compared to Microsoft's offering. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 boasts a more robust Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 120 times per second, providing smoother visuals and effectively better performance for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.7/10
8.7/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is better suited for engineering and design than the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 because it has a more powerful CPU and GPU, as well as substantially more RAM and a higher contrast display, which are very important for such tasks. On the other hand, the Lenovo offers a larger battery capacity and is lighter, which contributes to better portability and could benefit users who require mobility but might accept slightly less performance.
Screen Quality
7.4/10
7.9/10
14.5in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
334.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14's screen offers a balance of clarity and brightness suitable for everyday tasks, but the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2's higher resolution and superior brightness provide sharper and more vivid images, enhancing the viewing experience. When it comes to engineering and design work, both laptops have quality displays with good color accuracy and range, but the Surface's adherence to professional color standards makes it more suitable for color-critical tasks. For gaming and 3D applications, however, both machines fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can't deliver as smooth an experience as displays designed specifically for high-paced, visually demanding content.
Battery
12.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 has 12 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
Very Good
Good
14.5in
SIZE
14.4in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 has very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,200
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 has a price of $1,200 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 are both very good for general use.
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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.4/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 are both very 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.
Software Development
7.8/10
8.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 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.
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How the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 is an attractive, portable laptop that’s ideal if you need a combination of CPU and GPU performance. It also nails the fundamentals with solid connectivity, an enjoyable keyboard, a large touchpad, and top-notch webcam. Display quality is a weakness, but it’s an acceptable compromise for the laptop’s extremely competitive $1,199 MSRP. The Slim Pro 7 is a versatile, affordable laptop and hard to beat for the price."
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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