For general use that requires portability and longer battery life, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with its lightweight design and fanless operation would serve well. However, if your focus is on intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering tasks and you value a more powerful graphics card, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is better equipped with higher performance components for those activities. The Lenovo's weight is higher, impacting its portability, and it may not match the MacBook's battery efficiency or silent operation. The choice depends on whether performance or portability and battery life are your priority. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020)
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 Legion Slim 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
7.7/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a decent integrated GPU for moderate 3D tasks, but its lower refresh rate and the fact that many popular games don't run on macOS limit its gaming capabilities. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is equipped with a powerful Nvidia GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, making it better suited for gaming and more demanding 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.0/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 stands out for engineering and design due to its higher-end GPU, more RAM, and more powerful CPU, which contribute to better performance in demanding applications compared to the Apple MacBook Pro 13 with its own M1 GPU, lower RAM, and Apple M1 CPU. Additionally, the Legion's larger, high-refresh-rate screen caters to design precision, though it sacrifices some portability and has a louder operating noise compared to the MacBook Pro's smaller, high-resolution screen and silent operation.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
7.2/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Pro 13's Retina display offers high resolution and brightness, making it sharp and clear for general use, while its wide color gamut supports detailed design work. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5's screen, while good for general tasks and design due to its adequate resolution and color reproduction, falls short in gaming and 3D environments because it lacks a high refresh rate needed for smooth motion. For both engineering and 3D tasks, although the MacBook Pro offers superior color accuracy, its standard refresh rate isn't suited for high-speed 3D rendering compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
20.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has 7 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
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is known for its outstanding battery life and portability, featuring a high-quality screen and a fanless design for silent operation, making it highly suitable for general use. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers a larger screen, more RAM, and a discrete graphics card, which, along with its higher performance processor, makes it well-suited for more demanding tasks and general use, at the cost of reduced battery life and portability.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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