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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (2020) vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (2020)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Feb 23, 2024 02:14 PM
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Updated Aug 14, 2024 02:30 PM
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Size14"
Operating SystemWindows 10
Size13"
Operating SystemWindows 11
Variants
- IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (81X2000HUS) (Graphite Gray - Ryzen 3 4300U/4GB/128GB)
- IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (81X20005US) (Graphite Gray - Ryzen 5 4500U/16GB/256GB)
- IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (81X200C8US) (Graphite Gray - Ryzen 5 4500U/8GB/128GB)
- IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (81X1004RUS) (Graphite Gray - i5-1035G1/8GB/128GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (8PT-00017) (Graphite - i5/16GB/256GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (8PQ-00017) (Graphite - i5/8GB/256GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (EBP-00017) (Graphite - i5/8GB/512GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (8PV-00017) (Graphite - i7/16GB/256GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (8PX-00017) (Graphite - i7/16GB/512GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (8PN-00001) (Platinum - i5/8GB/128GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (8PQ-00001) (Platinum - i5/8GB/256GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (EBP-00001) (Platinum - i5/8GB/512GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (EEB-00001) (Platinum - i7/16GB/1TB)
- Surface Pro 8 (8PV-00001) (Platinum - i7/16GB/256GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (8PX-00001) (Platinum - i7/16GB/512GB)
- Surface Pro 8 (EFH-00001) (Platinum - i7/32GB/1TB)
Our Verdict
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (2020)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021)
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (2020) is a convertible with a 360-degree hinge, while the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021) is a tablet with a detachable keyboard. The Surface is better for most uses, with a high refresh rate 120Hz display that's sharper, brighter, and more color accurate, a much better touchpad, and a far superior webcam and microphone that are better for video conferences. Additionally, it's much more portable since it's lighter and more compact. On the other hand, the Lenovo has a more flexible port selection, its battery lasts much longer, and you can get it with a dedicated NVIDIA MX330 GPU.
Main Differences forSchool
School
Threshold
School
7.6
7.7
Battery
8.7
6.3
Build Quality
7.0
8.5
Portability
8.2
8.9
Webcam & Microphone
6.2
8.7
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
2 in 1
Tablet
Build Quality
7.0
8.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
8.9
6.9
Hinge Photo
Range
360°
170°
Stability
Decent
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
No
Portability
8.2
8.9
Dimensions Photo
Size
14"
13"
Thickness
0.9" (2.3 cm)
0.7" (1.8 cm)
Width
12.7" (32.3 cm)
11.5" (29.1 cm)
Depth
8.5" (21.5 cm)
8.5" (21.7 cm)
Volume
96.2 in³ (1,576.4 cm³)
67.4 in³ (1,105.1 cm³)
Weight
3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)
2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)
Charger Size
10.4 in³ (169.7 cm³)
6.9 in³ (112.5 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
0.6 lbs (0.3 kg)
Serviceability
6.5
1.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
8.0
0
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
1
1
Replaceable Battery
Yes
No
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
Yes
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
1920 x 1080
2880 x 1920
Aspect Ratio
16:9
3:2
Pixel Density
157 PPI
266 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
Yes
Yes
Screen-To-Body Ratio
79%
80%
Refresh Rate
5.9
8.7
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
Dynamic Refresh Rate
Contrast
6.9
7.4
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,070 : 1
1,375 : 1
Brightness
6.5
8.3
Maximum Brightness
258 cd/m²
432 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
7 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
6.0
7.3
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
6.158%
4.31%
Indirect Reflections
0.476%
0.69%
Calculated Direct Reflections
5.68%
3.62%
Black Uniformity
6.0
7.7
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.966%
0.933%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
6.7
6.4
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
23°
25°
Color Washout From Right
26°
26°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
50°
28°
Color Shift From Right
51°
35°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
26°
26°
Brightness Loss From Right
29°
27°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
25°
24°
Gamma Shift From Right
28°
26°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.5
6.4
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
26°
26°
Color Washout From Above
26°
27°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
41°
30°
Color Shift From Above
29°
36°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
27°
28°
Brightness Loss From Above
25°
29°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
29°
22°
Gamma Shift From Above
30°
25°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
6.7
7.6
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
2
3.06
Avg. Gamma
2.03
2.09
Avg. Color dE
5.37
2.87
Avg. Color Temperature
6,486 K
6,150 K
Color Gamut
4.0
8.8
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
64.9%
99.89%
sRGB uv
53.14%
99.62%
Adobe RGB xy
49.12%
80.08%
Adobe RGB uv
45.96%
88.07%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
48.84%
84.95%
DCI P3 uv
42.74%
88.99%
Rec. 2020 xy
35.04%
60.96%
Rec. 2020 uv
31.12%
64.85%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
Yes
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
0%
N/A
Interface
Keyboard
8.2
8.2
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.0
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
63 gf
65 gf
Actuation Force
36 gf
38 gf
Pre-Travel
1.04 mm
1.05 mm
Total Travel
1.50 mm
1.56 mm
Touchpad
6.9
7.6
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
7.0
8.0
Size
11.3 in² (73.2 cm²)
10.1 in² (65.0 cm²)
Material
Plastic
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
7.5
7.5
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
72 dB SPL
72 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
4.3 dB
5.8 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
0.3
2.3
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
293 Hz
143 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.2 dB
1.7 dB
Webcam & Microphone
6.2
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
5.5
9.0
Resolution
720p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
Yes
No
Face Unlock
No
Yes
Connectivity
Ports
7.5
5.5
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
2
0
USB-C Ports
1
2
Thunderbolt
No
Thunderbolt 4
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
No
Yes
HDMI
1.4
No
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
SD UHS 1
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
No
Surface Connect
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.0
5.1
Configuration
CPU
Brand
AMD
Intel
Model
Ryzen 5 4500U
Core i7-1185G7
Core Count
6
4
Thread Count
6
8
GPU
Brand
AMD
Intel
Model
Radeon Graphics 384SP
Iris Xe Graphics G7
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
16 GB
16 GB
Modules
2 (Soldered)
8 (Soldered)
Type
DDR4
LP-DDR4X
Speed
3,200 MHz
4,267 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
256 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
208 GB
208 GB
Drive 1
SK Hynix_HFM256GDHTNI-87A0B
SK Hynix HFM256GD3GX013N
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
7.1
8.1
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,114 points
1,317 points
CPU Multi-Thread
4,457 points
5,089 points
GPU Compute
10,429 points
19,125 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
8.1
8.2
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,152 points
1,243 points
Multi-Thread
5,595 points
5,213 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
4.8
5.8
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
7.0 min
7.8 min
GPU Render Time
12.4 min
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
3.9
5.4
Basemark Image
Overall Score
9,699
19,134
Storage Drive Performance
8.8
9.2
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
718.2 MB/s
1,195.4 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
1,496.1 MB/s
2,262.0 MB/s
Random Write Speed
64.9 MB/s
76.9 MB/s
Random Read Speed
43.1 MB/s
56.5 MB/s
Battery
8.7
6.3
Capacity
53 Wh
50 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
11.4 hrs
7.3 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
9.0 hrs
5.7 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
1.5 hrs
2.4 hrs
Charge Time
2.5 hrs
2.5 hrs
Borderlands 3
1.6
1.9
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
10 fps
12 fps
1% Low
7 fps
6 fps
0.1% Low
4 fps
2 fps
1% Low Delta
49 ms
94 ms
0.1% Low Delta
141 ms
341 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
27 fps
25 fps
Civilization VI
4.2
4.8
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
21 fps
24 fps
1% Low
14 fps
17 fps
0.1% Low
13 fps
16 fps
1% Low Delta
23 ms
18 ms
0.1% Low Delta
31 ms
21 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
72 fps
93 fps
Avg. Turn Time
8.7 s
8.31 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
5.2
7.7
Avg. FPS
56 fps
93 fps
1% Low
23 fps
51 fps
0.1% Low
19 fps
42 fps
1% Low Delta
26 ms
9 ms
0.1% Low Delta
35 ms
13 ms
Avg. FPS On Low
121 fps
161 fps
Counter-Strike 2
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
1% Low
0.1% Low
1% Low Delta
0.1% Low Delta
Avg. FPS On Low
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
2.6
3.4
Avg. FPS
15 fps
22 fps
1% Low
11 fps
12 fps
0.1% Low
7 fps
4 fps
1% Low Delta
26 ms
41 ms
0.1% Low Delta
85 ms
180 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
27 fps
40 fps
Thermals And Noise
6.8
9.5
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
32 °C (90 °F)
32 °C (90 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
51 °C (124 °F)
32 °C (90 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
43.0 dBA
25.0 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
10
7.9
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
87 °C
63 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
0% loss
10% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
60 °C
61 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
2% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 10
Windows 11
Additional Software
Yes
None
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
Yes
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
Face Recognition
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Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (2020)
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021)
Comments
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (2020) vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021): Main Discussion
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