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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 focus on engineering tasks, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 with its higher RAM capacity and AMD Ryzen processor is a solid choice, offering better multitasking capabilities and a slightly better GPU for moderate graphics work. Its screen has a higher pixel density and better color accuracy, which is great for detailed visual work. However, if you prioritize a larger screen with higher resolution for more visual real estate, and you're okay with less RAM, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" with its 3:2 aspect ratio display is excellent for general use and has a more powerful Intel Core Ultra processor. It also has a faster refresh rate for smoother visuals, though it falls short on battery life compared to the Lenovo. Consider the Lenovo for its superior keyboard, durability, and better suitability for demanding software, while the Surface offers a more immersive visual experience and a touchscreen for those who value interface interactivity. 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 ThinkPad X13
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
8.4
7.7
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
321.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
8.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 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.
Screen Quality
6.9
8.1
13.3in
SIZE
15.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
321.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" for software development, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Portability
Very Good
Good
13.3in
SIZE
15.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.4
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 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.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.7
6.6
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
8.0
7.8
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad X13 to be 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
8.2
7.8
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad X13 to be 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
8.1
7.8
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad X13 to be 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.
Battery
8.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has 8.5 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.
Cost
$1,241
$1,200
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
$2,000
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has a price of $1,241 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" costs $1,200.
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How the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,241 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | September 1, 2023 | June 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.63'' | 13.4'' x 9.6'' x 0.67'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.87 lbs | 3.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.88" | 13.39" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.46" | 9.61" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | 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 | 8.5 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 47 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 15" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 2496 x 1664 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 321 nits | 400 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1440p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | 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 | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo ThinkPad X13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Benjamin Herzig | September 2023
"The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 has very good input devices, a wide array of security features and ports as well as 5G in the tested configuration. It is more compact and lightweight compared with its predecessor, and it has improved speakers and a slightly better webcam. On the other hand, the fan is more annoying and the performance is barely improved. The battery is worse as well, but this is primarily attributable to the OLED screen - if this aspect is important, buyers should choose the IPS Low Power LCD."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 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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