Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
56
out of 100
VS
50
out of 100
Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Review
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Value for money (Beta)
Key Differences
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Pro 9
- Higher screen refresh rate: 120 versus 60 Hz
- Easier to carry: weighs 220 grams less (around 0.49 lbs)
- 64% sharper screen – 266 versus 162 pixels per inch (PPI)
- Smaller footprint: 11% more compact case (93 vs 104.2 square inches)
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
- Includes an old-school USB-A port
- Can run popular games at about 88-120% higher FPS
- Around 2x better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
- Features a bigger (~19%) battery – 57 against 47.7 watt-hours
- Provides 11% higher max. screen brightness: 500 vs 450 nits
Tests and Specifications
Comparison table of test results and technical specsCase
| Weight | 0.87 kg (1.92 lbs) | 1.09 kg (2.4 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 287 x 209 x 9.3 mm 11.3 x 8.23 x 0.37 inches |
312.8 x 214.75 x 14.96 mm 12.31 x 8.45 x 0.59 inches |
| Area | 600 cm2 (93 inches2) | 672 cm2 (104 inches2) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~83.9% | ~84.6% |
| Side bezels | 6.2 mm | 5.7 mm |
| Colors | Black, Silver, Blue, Green | Black |
| Material | Top: Aluminum |
Top: Carbon fiber Middle: Aluminum Bottom: Aluminum |
| Transformer | Yes | No |
| Opening angle | 360° | 180° |
Size comparison
| Cooling system | Active | Active |
| Vapor chamber | No | No |
| Liquid metal | - | No |
| Number of fans | 1 | 2 |
| Noise level (max. load) | - | 37.8 dB |
Display
| Size | 13 inches | 14 inches |
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | - | No |
| PPI | 266 ppi | 162 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 2880 x 1920 pixels | 1920 x 1200 pixels |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | No |
| Sync technology | No | No |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Coating | Glossy | Matte |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
Screen space comparison
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
14″ (16:10 ratio) = 88.1 in2
Surface Pro 9
13″ (3:2 ratio) = 78 in2
~12% more screen space
| Contrast | 1200:1 | - |
| sRGB color space | 106.1% | 100% |
| Adobe RGB profile | 75.1% | - |
Max. brightness
Battery
Capacity
| Full charging time | 1:30 hr | 2:00 hr |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes | Yes |
| Charging port position | Left, Right | Left |
| Charge power | 39 W | 45 / 65 W |
| Weight of AC adapter | - | 252 grams |
CPU
CPU name
| Base frequency | 1.3 GHz | 1.2 GHz |
| Turbo frequency | 4.4 GHz | 4.5 GHz |
| Cores | 10 (2P + 8E) | 14 (4P + 10E) |
| Threads | 12 | 18 |
| L3 Cache | 12 MB | 18 MB |
| Integrated GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU) | Arc Graphics (7-Cores) |
| Fabrication process | 10 nm | 7 nm |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
Graphics Card
GPU name
| TGP | 15 W | 28 W |
| Type | Integrated | Integrated |
| Fabrication process | 10 nm | 5 nm |
| GPU base clock | 300 MHz | 300 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1200 MHz | 2200 MHz |
| FLOPS | 1.5 TFLOPS | 3.9 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | System Shared | System Shared |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5X |
| Memory speed | 5.2 Gbps | 6.4 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 640 | 896 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 40 | 56 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 20 | 24 |
| GPU performance | 1.5 TFLOPS | 3.9 TFLOPS |
Expected FPS based on average performance across 9 popular games. Details
RAM
RAM size
| Channels | 2x4 GB | 2x8 GB |
| Clock | 5200 MHz | 6400 MHz |
| Type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5X |
| Upgradable | No | No |
Storage
Storage size
| Bus | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 1x128 GB | 1x256 GB |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| Total slots | 1 | 1 |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Audio chip | - | Realtek ALC3306 |
| Speakers | 2.0 | 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) |
| Power | 2x2W | 2x2W |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Loudness | - | ~86 dB |
| Microphones | 2 | 4 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | v6E | v7 |
| Bluetooth | v5.1 | v5.4 |
| Fingerprint | No | Yes |
| Infrared sensor | Yes | Optional |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| USB-A | No | 2x USB 3.2 |
| USB Type-C | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | No | 1x HDMI 2.1 |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | No | Yes |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | No | No |
| SD card reader | No | No |
| Proprietary charging port | Yes | No |
Input
| Keyboard type | - | Island |
| Numpad | - | No |
| Backlight | - | Yes |
| Key travel | - | 1.5 mm |
| Size | - | 12.0 x 5.7 cm |
| Surface | - | Glass |
| Windows Precision | - | Yes |
Further details
Notes on Surface Pro 9:
- Depending on the 5G/WiFi support, LPDDR4X/LPDDR5 memory is installed.
- The Surface Pro 9 SQ® 3/5G model does not have Thunderbolt 4.
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.
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