The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has a better screen than the Lenovo Yoga 6 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Lenovo Yoga 6's screen offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks but may not deliver the wide color spectrum needed for precision in engineering and design, while its refresh rate is insufficient for smooth 3D rendering in gaming. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13", with a similar focus on resolution and brightness, also provides a high-quality visual experience for general and engineering use, boasting better color accuracy crucial for design work. However, like the Yoga, it falls short for gaming and 3D applications due to a refresh rate that isn't designed to keep up with the fast-paced visuals required by these activities.
Battery
12.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Lenovo Yoga 6 has 12.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" has 7.5 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
$1,045
$1,200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Lenovo Yoga 6 has a price of $1,045 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" costs $1,200.
The Lenovo Yoga 6 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both 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.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
6.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Yoga 6 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo Yoga 6 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both fair for gaming and 3D tasks primarily because they have integrated GPUs that are less powerful than dedicated gaming GPUs and standard screen refresh rates, which are adequate but not ideal for the smoothest gaming experiences. The Yoga 6 employs an AMD Ryzen integrated Vega GPU, while the Surface Laptop 5 uses an Intel Iris Xe GPU; both typically offer lower performance than dedicated gaming GPUs, and while both devices feature high-quality screens, their CPUs and the quality of their displays, though sufficient for general use and professional tasks, won't provide the highest gaming performance.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
7.1/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and Lenovo Yoga 6 are both good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Yoga 6 with an AMD Ryzen processor and integrated Vega graphics, provides substantial power for engineering and design tasks, while its convertible 2-in-1 form offers versatility; however, despite having a bright IPS screen, it falls behind in color coverage compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" which boasts a higher resolution and better contrast ratio for finer details and visual clarity, along with a lightweight, portable design and quieter operation for an enhanced work environment.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Yoga 6 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both 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
7.4/10
7.2/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Yoga 6 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" are both good for software development.
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.
Portability
Very Good
Excellent
13.3in
SIZE
13.5in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.5in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" to have excellent portability, while the Lenovo Yoga 6 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" and Lenovo Yoga 6 both have 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 Yoga 6 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" compare to other laptops
"The AMD R7-7730U in the Lenovo Yoga 6 13 provides a suitable answer to the limited cooling capabilities of a convertible - especially in tablet mode. It draws high computing power from a comparatively limited power supply so that less heat has to be dissipated at the same time."
"The Surface Laptop 5 remains afloat as a solid machine. It's just not one that stands out in any particular way. Just like the last one. The biggest upgrade were some new components, but they perform in the same range as other laptops with them, and frequently at the bottom of that range. I suspect Microsoft's settings are very conservative to help keep cooling and battery life within reason in the older chassis design."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Yoga 6 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13"
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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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