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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·
For a balance of performance and portability with a high-quality display suitable for engineering tasks, consider the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i. It offers a powerful processor and dedicated graphics card, which are beneficial for demanding applications, albeit at a higher price point and slightly heavier design. The Mini LED screen with a high refresh rate and resolution is excellent for detailed work and smooth visuals. However, if you prioritize a longer battery life, a more business-oriented design, and a lower price while still needing a capable machine for general use and light gaming, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is a strong contender. It has a efficient processor, a sharp and color-accurate IPS display, and Windows 11 Pro for enhanced security and business features. Keep in mind that its gaming and engineering performance won't match that of the Lenovo due to the less powerful integrated graphics. 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 6 15"
- The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i.
Key differences
General Use
8.5
7.7
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
618.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" 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
7.6
6.6
6.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" 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
8.9
7.8
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
6.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" is good.
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
8.5
7.8
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" 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
7.8
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
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 6 15" 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
8.1
14.5in
SIZE
15.0in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
618.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" 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
6.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has 6 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has 9 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.
Build Quality
8.0
7.4
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,600
$1,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a price of $1,600 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
Portability
Good
Good
14.5in
SIZE
15.0in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Slim Pro 9i | Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,600 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | June 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 9.6'' x 0.85'' | 13.4'' x 9.6'' x 0.67'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.7 lbs | 3.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 13.39" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.64" | 9.61" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13705H | Intel Core Ultra 7 165H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 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 | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 75 Wh | 47 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.5" | 15" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3072 x 1920 | 2496 x 1664 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 618 nits | 400 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
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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