I know what you're saying on the snapdragon. Not to mention the fact that the 12 is fanless and throttles. That said, I do a fair amount of video compression and I can't tell a big difference between my surface and the Lenovo.
I haven't picked up my iPad after getting the surface 12. It feels great in the hand, and that built-in kickstand is super handy!
I prefer a traditional clamshell rather than something with a support as it's easier to use on a hospital bed, recliner or even on the floor. I have tried a few things with my iPad and it is useful in some circumstance but I have been reaching for the Yoga.
One of the main programs I use runs poorly on Apple Silicon and I'm sure it would have the same problems on Snapdragon too. One of the other main programs I use doesn't support Snapdragon and I've heard that it's unusable on Snapdragon systems. I'm not averse to looking at Surface hardware - I've just not seen anything that I'm interested in.