Surface Pro 6 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet: Which should you buy?

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Surface Pro vi vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet: Which should you lot purchase?

We're a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. We alive and breathe Windows laptops, whether from Microsoft or third-party manufacturers, and we employ and review plenty to find the all-time picks for yous.

Latest Surface 2-in-i

Surface Pro 6

Business-oriented 2-in-ane

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet

The Surface Pro half-dozen has been refreshed with 8th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors (CPU), plus information technology'due south now bachelor in a black color finish alongside the standard platinum. It has a lower starting cost but doesn't include a Type Cover or Surface Pen.

From $899 at Microsoft

Pros

• Black and platinum colors available.
• Longer battery life.
• Smaller overall footprint.
• Lower starting cost for tablet.

Cons

• Type Cover and Surface Pen sold separately.
• Non yet any LTE connectivity.

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet might come with a higher starting price, but you get a keyboard and ThinkPad Pen Pro included. You can as well toss in 8th Gen Intel Cadre i5 or i7 CPUs, LTE connectivity, and a touch display with higher resolution than what the Surface Pro 6 offers.

From $1,163 at Lenovo

Pros

• Fingerprint reader and IR photographic camera.
• College resolution display than Surface Pro 6.
• LTE connectivity available.
• Two Thunderbolt 3 ports.
• Keyboard and ThinkPad Pen Pro included.

Cons

• Just black color available.
• Higher starting price.
• No USB-A.

Though these devices are about the aforementioned size and offer the same perks— like a kickstand, touch display, pen back up, IR camera, and removable keyboard — there are some big differences that volition no doubt sway you one way or the other when making a final decision.

Surface Pro six vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet tech specs

	Surface Pro vi	ThinkPad X1 Tablet
Processor	8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Cadre i7-8650U	eighth Gen Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Cadre i5-8350U Intel Cadre i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8650U
RAM	8, 16 GB	8, xvi GB
Storage	Solid-land drive 128, 256, 512 GB 1 TB	Solid-state drive 256, 512 GB 1 TB
Display size	12.3 inches Touch on	xiii inches Bear on
Display resolution	ii,736 x ane,824 3:2 attribute ratio	iii,000 x 2,000 3:2 attribute ratio
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 620	Intel UHD Graphics 620
Ports	USB-A three.0 Mini DisplayPort 3.five mm audio Surface Connect MicroSD card reader	Two Thunderbolt iii MicroSD card reader iii.5 mm audio NanoSIM slot
Biometrics	IR camera for Windows Hello	IR photographic camera (optional) Fingerprint reader
Security	TPM 2.0 chip	FIDO certification dTPM 2.0 fleck
Battery	Up to 13.5 hours	Up to 9.5 hours
Dimensions	11.5 inches x 7.9 inches 10 0.33 inches (292 mm ten 201 mm x eight.five mm)	xi.96 inches x 8.88 inches x 0.35 inches (304 mm ten 225.56 mm x eight.9 mm)
Weight	From one.71 pounds (775 k)	From 1.69 pounds (890 chiliad)

Design and features

These are both 2-in-i devices, meaning they have an available keyboard that can exist removed or folded effectually to sit flush against the back when non in employ. Both tablets have a kickstand on the back — the X1 Tablet has 170 degrees of motion while the Surface Pro six has 165 degrees — that props up the display, turning it into a notebook with the keyboard attached. You can become the Surface Pro 6 in either a platinum or black finish, while the X1 Tablet comes only in blackness. For general appearance, the Pro half dozen certainly looks more than coincidental while the X1 Tablet is evidently a ThinkPad.

The Pro 6'due south 12.3-inch display is slightly smaller than that on the X1 Tablet (thirteen inches), which lends itself to an overall smaller footprint. Without the keyboard attached, both tablets essentially weigh the same, and both will make great portable devices. Still, only the X1 Tablet has LTE connectivity options bachelor now. The Pro 6 might see a model with LTE sometime later, but if you need to stay connected everywhere, the X1 Tablet is, for now, your all-time option.

Much to the chagrin of many fans, the Pro half-dozen has not seen an evolution in ports. You're still getting a single USB-A, Mini DisplayPort, and Surface Connect, which don't necessarily prepare information technology for the future. The X1 Tablet doesn't have USB-A (definitely a sore point), but it does have two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Both tablets take MicroSD card readers, and both have 3.v mm sound jacks.

All Pro half-dozen models come with an IR camera for Windows Hello, while information technology's an optional feature that costs more on the X1 Tablet. Lenovo'southward device does, still, come standard with a fingerprint reader, something the Pro 6 does not offering at all. Both tablets have TPM ii.0 security, and the X1 tablet tacks on Fast Identity Online (FIDO) certification for good measure.

The Pro vi starts at $899, merely that cost doesn't include a Blazon Cover keyboard or Surface Pen and also only has a 128 GB solid-state drive (SSD). That's for the tablet only, but it's still a way for many people to go their easily on a Surface device for less. The X1 Tablet, which starts at a college price of about $one,163, includes a keyboard, touchpad, a ThinkPad Pen Pro, and a 256 GB SSD. Adding the same accessories to the Pro 6 and going with a 256 GB SSD, it's going to cost considerably more than the X1 Tablet.

The keyboard on the X1 Tablet is designed to emulate as shut as possible the legendary ThinkPad Ultrabooks, consummate with TrackPoint system and concrete buttons above the touchpad. Comparing this keyboard with the Pro half dozen's Type Comprehend, I really can't choose, though I'm kind of partial to the Alcantara fabric finish on the Surface rather than the rubberized grip stuff on the X1 Tablet.

Display

If you need a touch display with pen support, either laptop is going to practise. The xiii-inch X1 Tablet display has a 3:2 aspect ratio and corresponding 3000x2000 resolution, and hits 99 percent sRGB color reproduction for a total film. Information technology goes up to 400 nits effulgence and has dynamic brightness control, cutting downwards the issues unremarkably found with a glossy end. The ThinkPad Pen Pro that comes with it has 4,096 level of pressure level sensitivity and tilt sensing, giving you a great inking experience. The but downside is the pen clip for attaching it to the tablet when not in employ, which, compared to the Surface Pen'due south magnetic hold organisation, looks outdated.

The Pro 6 has a slightly smaller 12.3-inch display with iii:2 aspect ratio, and it has a lower resolution at 2736x1824. Information technology's still going to deliver an excellent picture show that should hit about the same sRGB reproduction every bit the X1 Tablet, and you have the Surface Pen (sold separately) for inking. Here you'll get iv,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt support, with magnets within that let the pen to easily snap onto the side of the tablet when not in apply.

Operation

Similar the displays, performance is similar in these ii tablets. You're getting 8th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 CPU options, upwards to sixteen GB of RAM, and up to a 1 TB SSD in either model, and y'all're stuck with integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620. In one case we run benchmarks on the Pro 6 we'll have a better thought of exactly how these 2 stack upwardly, simply either mode you lot'll have a laptop that tin handle everyday productivity tasks.

The battery in the X1 Tablet is a chip of a letdown, netting only about six or seven hours from a charge. This doesn't permit you go out your charger backside when headed to piece of work for the day. If the Surface Pro half dozen is annihilation like 2022'south Pro model, you can expect to get about eight hours from a charge.

Stick with Surface Pro half-dozen for meliorate starting price and premium build

If you'd like to save some money at present and can get away with just using the tablet without keyboard and pen, the Pro 6 tin save you a couple hundred dollars. You're all the same getting a loftier-quality device, and it's available in platinum or black colors.

Latest Surface two-in-one

Surface Pro 6

Cheaper starting price.

Available with 8th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 CPUs, the Surface Pro 6 is a versatile device that can handle some design, medium gaming, and everyday productivity tasks. It's built extremely well, and you lot can get it for a cheaper starting price than the X1 Tablet.

Choose the X1 Tablet for a more feature-rich enterprise device

Consummate with Thunderbolt 3 ports, LTE connectivity, fingerprint reader, and including a keyboard and active pen in the cost you lot come across, the X1 Tablet is a fine 2-in-one for both business-oriented and casual users.

Business-oriented ii-in-1

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet

A well-rounded prepare of features.

You're going to get almost the same operation hither every bit with the Pro vi, just the X1 Tablet has a more mature set of features that will cater to more than people. It costs more and you won't be able to only buy the tablet on its ain, but birthday it is a formidable device.

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Cale Hunt

Cale Chase is a staff writer at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on PC, laptop, and accessory coverage, every bit well as the emerging world of VR. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user, and spends nearly of his time either tinkering with or writing virtually tech.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/surface-pro-6-vs-lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet

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