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 Slim 5 14"
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" is 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.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.5/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.5in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
17.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
Good
14.2in
SIZE
14.5in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,649
$1,295
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,649 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" costs $1,295.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
8.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
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.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" 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
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14" 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 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 14 (Late 2023) or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14"
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
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13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
125,595
Recommendations made
27,213
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.