The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) offers strong build quality, high screen resolution, and excellent battery life, making it suitable for professionals needing performance and longevity. Its higher cost is balanced by a more robust performance for engineering tasks due to its powerful processor. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a larger screen at a more affordable price, offers a touchscreen, and has higher storage capacity, but with a shorter battery life. This makes the Lenovo a good option for general use and light engineering work without heavy financial investment but falls behind the MacBook Pro in terms of display quality and battery endurance. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020)
Good for engineering and design
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020).
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
6.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
6.4/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13, with its high resolution and superior panel technology, delivers crisp and vibrant visuals that are ideal for general use and design work, further enhanced by excellent color coverage essential for precision in engineering tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1, while offering adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and design spreadsheets, lacks the color fidelity needed for professional design work. For 3D applications, the MacBook Pro is limited by its standard refresh rate, not optimizing the smoothness required by gaming or animation, an area where both laptops do not excel, as they are not designed with high refresh rates in mind.
Battery
20.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$741
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" costs $741.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a high-quality display with a higher screen resolution, making for a sharper image and very accurate colors, along with an efficient Apple M1 CPU that provides silent operation and up to 20 hours of battery life, which is ideal for portability and all-day use.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
6.1/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.8/10
7.3/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" compare to other laptops
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is affordable and pretty efficient. At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (15″, 2023) is one of the better affordable laptops money can buy right now. It has a decent performance, albeit coming from a CPU that is based on old architecture. Playing low-intensity games is possible but at low to medium settings. We are really happy with the cooling setup, but the main event here is the battery life. We got 9 hours of either Web browsing or video playback, which is a great result. Especially if you compare this device with the ASUS E410."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.