Lenovo ThinkPad X280 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13″ (1st Edition)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

ThinkPad X280 compared with Surface Laptop 13″ (1st Edition)

	LenovoThinkPad X280	MicrosoftSurface Laptop 13″ (1st Edition)
Overview
Released
Released	January 2018	May 2025
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12.5″	13″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	1920 × 1280 (better)
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	60 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	300 nits	400 nits (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes
Display type
Display type	Listed FHD IPS ten-point touch panel; FHD non-touch and HD 1366 × 768 options also offered; non-touch FHD not offered in US	PixelSense touchscreen LCD, 3:2, 1000:1 contrast; strengthened glass; 10-point multi-touch
Pixel density
Pixel density	–	178 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	–	sRGB and Enhanced colour profiles; individually colour-calibrated
Display features
Display features	–	Adaptive colour and contrast
Screen finish
Screen finish	Anti-glare	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-8250U	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	8
CPU threads
CPU threads	8	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 620	Qualcomm Adreno X1-45
AI engine (NPU)
AI engine (NPU)	–	45 TOPS
Memory
Memory	8 GB	8 GB or 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	512 GB	256 GB to 512 GB
CPU
CPU	7th- or 8th-generation Intel Core processors; listed configuration verified by Windows Central	Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100, 8 cores
GPU
GPU	Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 or UHD Graphics 620, depending on processor	Qualcomm Adreno GPU
AI engine
AI engine	–	Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, 45 TOPS; Copilot+ PC features need 16 GB of memory
Memory type
Memory type	DDR4-2400 soldered to system board; no sockets, up to 16 GB; 4 GB option not offered in US or EMEA	LPDDR5x, 8 or 16 GB
Storage type
Storage type	Replaceable M.2 SATA or PCIe 3.0 ×4 NVMe SSD; listed configuration has a 512 GB PCIe SSD (Windows Central)	Removable; 256 GB or 512 GB UFS, or 1 TB Gen 4 SSD
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 16.6 hours	Up to 23 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	48 Wh	50 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	1.27 kg	1.22 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	17.8 mm	15.6 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	307.7 × 209.8 mm	285.65 × 214.14 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Integrated 48 Wh battery; up to 16.6 hours in MobileMark 2014; Rapid Charge up to 80% in one hour with 65 W adapter; weight shown for touch configuration, non-touch FHD starts at 1.13 kg, HD at 1.26 kg; body thickness 17.4–17.8 mm	Up to 23 hours of local video playback or 16 hours of active web use (Microsoft tests); 50 Wh nominal, 48 Wh minimum
Charger
Charger	45 W or 65 W USB-C adapter	None in the UK box; Surface 45W USB-C Wall Charger sold separately
Fast charging
Fast charging	–	With a USB-C charger of at least 60 W
Materials
Materials	Glass-fibre display cover on HD and FHD touch models; carbon-fibre cover on FHD non-touch; magnesium/aluminium bottom	Anodised aluminium; 100% recycled cobalt in the battery cell, 100% recycled rare earth metals in the magnets
Colours
Colours	Black	Platinum, Violet, Ocean
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, 2 × USB-C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, microSD slot, headphone jack	2 × USB-C, USB-A, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Intel Wireless-AC 8265, 2×2 802.11ac	Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.1	5.4
Webcam
Webcam	Optional 720p with ThinkShutter, or IR plus 720p without shutter	1080p Full HD
Operating system
Operating system	Windows	Windows
Port detail
Port detail	Two USB-A 3.1 Gen 1, USB-C Gen 1 with PD/DisplayPort, USB-C Gen 2/Thunderbolt 3 with PD/DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4b, Ethernet extension connector, microSD/nano-SIM combo slot, combo audio and side dock; optional smart card reader; RJ-45 requires ThinkPad Ethernet Extension Adapter Gen 2	2 × USB-C USB 3.2 (charging, data, DisplayPort 1.4a); USB-A 3.1 Gen 2; 3.5 mm headphone jack
External displays
External displays	Up to three independent displays; USB-C up to 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz, HDMI up to 4096 × 2160 at 30 Hz	Up to two 4K monitors at 60 Hz
Keyboard
Keyboard	Six-row spill-resistant keyboard with optional LED backlight	Backlit, full row of function keys, Copilot key
Trackpad
Trackpad	Buttonless Mylar multi-touch touchpad and TrackPoint	Precision touchpad
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers, 2 W × 2, Dolby Audio Premium	Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio
Microphones
Microphones	Dual-array microphones	Dual Studio Mics with enhanced voice focus
Biometrics
Biometrics	Optional touch fingerprint reader or IR camera; discrete TPM 2.0	Windows Hello fingerprint reader in the power button
In the box
In the box	–	Surface Laptop, USB-C charging cable, Quick Start Guide, safety and warranty documents