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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize performance for engineering or 3D/machine learning tasks and premium build quality, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an excellent choice, though it comes at a higher cost and has lesser portability due to its weight. On the contrary, if portability and better battery life are major concerns and you are looking for a device mainly for general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 might be suitable for you, and it's more budget-friendly. However, it has less storage, RAM, and a lower-powered processor, making it less ideal for intensive tasks and gaming. Both laptops have touchscreen capabilities, but the Lenovo offers a better screen and a more powerful GPU for tasks that require high graphical performance. 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 9i
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good 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
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
- Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
8.5
7.2
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
618.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is good.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i offers superior performance with more RAM and a high-end CPU, paired with a top-tier graphics card and a high-resolution Mini LED screen, but it has less battery life and is less portable than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, which is highly portable with excellent battery life, though it has a lower-resolution IPS screen, less RAM, and a less powerful CPU, making it less suited for demanding applications.
Gaming and AI
7.6
6.1
6.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 165, which are great for gaming and 3D applications, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has a less capable Intel Iris Xe GPU and a standard refresh rate of 60, making it less suitable for demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.9
6.8
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels in engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i7 processor, abundant 32GB of RAM, advanced Nvidia RTX GPU, and high-resolution Mini LED screen, which provide the necessary performance and excellent visual quality for demanding tasks.
Content Creation
8.5
7.3
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
8.3
7.1
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
9.6
6.8
14.5in
SIZE
12.4in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
618.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels in screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high resolution, brightness, and expansive color gamuts, ensuring sharp images and accurate color reproduction. For similar reasons, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 also offers good screen quality, but it may not match the Lenovo in terms of color precision and brightness, making it slightly less ideal for professional design work. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D tasks as they lack high refresh rates, leading to less fluid motion and responsiveness which are crucial for such applications.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has 6 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
Good
Excellent
14.5in
SIZE
12.4in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,500
$797
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a price of $1,500 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $797.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
8.0
7.8
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Slim Pro 9i to have 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Slim Pro 9i | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,500 | $797 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | October 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 9.6'' x 0.85'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.7 lbs | 2.49 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.64" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13705H | Intel i5-1235U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 75 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.5" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3072 x 1920 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 618 nits | 337 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 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 | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 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 Slim Pro 9i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | August 2023
"The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
See more
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 Slim Pro 9i 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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