If portability and battery life are important to you, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its longer battery life and lighter weight is a better option. However, if you require higher performance for activities such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering tasks, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, with its more powerful processor and dedicated graphics card, will handle these demands better. The Lenovo also has a higher RAM capacity out of the box, potentially improving multitasking and performance in memory-intensive applications. Keep in mind that the MacBook Pro might offer a brighter display with wider color coverage, which can be advantageous for creative work. The MacBook Pro generally costs more, so if budget is a concern, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro provides a cost-effective alternative with its generally lower price point. 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 14 (Late 2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) excels in portability, screen quality, and battery life, making it an excellent choice for general use, especially if constant mobility and long usage away from power sources are priorities. Conversely, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro offers superior CPU and RAM, which can be more advantageous for demanding tasks but at the expense of reduced battery life and portability.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
8.0/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is only fair.
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
8.4/10
7.6/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is good.
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
8.2/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is good.
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.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.1/10
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the MacBook Pro shines with its high-resolution Retina display, offering stunning visuals and bright, vibrant images, which are key factors for everyday tasks like web browsing and video streaming. The MacBook Pro also excels in engineering and design due to its wide color gamut coverage, crucial for accurate color work in professional editing and modeling. However, the Lenovo Legion Pro, while also having a good display for general tasks and color-sensitive work, falls short for gaming and 3D applications where a high refresh rate is vital for smooth motion and gameplay, a feature the MacBook Pro also lacks.
Battery
17.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,499
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i costs $1,000.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i excels in engineering and design use with its powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, doubled RAM, and a higher refresh rate screen; however, it's heavier and thicker, which affects portability compared to the sleeker Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its high screen quality and Apple's integrated CPU/GPU, which is less powerful but offers better portability due to its lighter weight and compactness.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i compare to other laptops
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
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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