Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) vs ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
VS
63chipPerformancechip60.9
41.6Display38.4
54.7Battery44
65.9Portability88.5
3 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition)2 spec wins — ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
InnoReviews verdict
This one is close to a dead heat: Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) scores 56.4 against 56.5 for ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition. Pick by the categories that matter to you — ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition edges ahead in portability, or by price.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition)
- Stronger display score: 42 vs 38
- Stronger battery score: 55 vs 44
- 20% higher Peak brightness: 600 nits vs 500 nits
- 14% higher capacity: 66 Wh vs 58 Wh
- Lower launch price: $1,700 vs $1,999
Reasons to pick the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
- Stronger portability score: 89 vs 66
- 41% lower weight: 0.98 kg vs 1.66 kg
Display
| Spec | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 15 ″+7% | 14 ″ |
| Panel type | PixelSense Flow HDR LCD (touchscreen) | OLED |
| Resolution | 3270x2180 | 2880x1800 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 600 nits+20% | 500 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-78-100 | Intel Core Ultra X7 358H |
| Graphics | Qualcomm Adreno X2-85 | Intel Arc B390 (integrated, 12 Xe3 cores) |
| RAM | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| RAM type | LPDDR5x | LPDDR5X-9600 (soldered) |
| Storage | 1,024 GB | 1,024 GB |
| Storage type | SSD (removable, Gen 4) | NVMe SSD (M.2 2280, PCIe 4.0 / 5.0) |
Battery
| Spec | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 66 Wh+14% | 58 Wh |
| Charging | 65 W | 65 W |
Design
| Spec | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.66 kg | 0.98 kg+41% |
| Thickness | 18.3 mm | 16.9 mm+8% |
| Material | Anodized aluminum | Carbon fiber (top), magnesium (bottom) |
Connectivity
| Spec | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x USB-C/USB4, USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm headphone jack, Surface Connect, MicroSDXC Express card reader | 3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB PD 15-65W, DisplayPort 2.1), 1x USB-A (5Gbps, always on), HDMI 2.1 (up to 4K/60Hz), 3.5mm combo audio jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Webcam | 1080p Full HD | 10MP IR camera (ultrawide) with ToF sensor and privacy shutter |
| Biometrics | Face recognition (Windows Hello) | Fingerprint reader in the power button, IR camera for Windows Hello face recognition |
Software
| Spec | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home (Arm) | Windows 11 Pro |
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