In that case, let's consider your needs. The Apple MacBook Pro is generally favored for its build quality, ecosystem, and creative software optimization. It is excellent for tasks like graphic design, video editing, and music production, due to the high-quality display and robust software support. However, if you're interested in gaming or running Windows-exclusive software, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is likely a better fit; it's designed with gaming in mind, offering a high-performance graphics card and faster refresh rates. The Lenovo also may have better options for ports and upgrades. Keep in mind that the MacBook Pro may offer better resale value and battery life, but the Legion Slim 5 brings more power and customization for specialized tasks like gaming or 3D modeling. 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 16 (Late 2019)
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Very good 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
6.4/10
7.7/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
7.8/10
7.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
477.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is revered for its exceptional Retina display that offers high resolution and brightness, which is ideal for everyday tasks and ensures sharpness and clarity in visuals, while its wide color gamut suits professional design and engineering tasks requiring precise color accuracy. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, while offering a decent resolution and brightness, doesn't match the MacBook in terms of color reproduction, making it less optimal for work where color fidelity is critical. For gaming and 3D work, however, both laptops fall short due to their standard refresh rates, which can't provide the smooth visuals required for such high-speed applications.
Battery
12.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 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
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has 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 16 (Late 2019) 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
$540
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a price of $540 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) excels in general use due to its high screen quality, substantial battery life, and ample CPU and RAM, providing a smooth experience for everyday tasks; however, it carries a premium on portability given its size and weight. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, while also equipped with good CPU and RAM for general use, offers a balance between performance and portability, though it has a lower battery life and screen resolution which might affect longer work sessions and detailed visual tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.0/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a solid Intel i7 processor and an AMD Radeon Pro GPU, which is capable for engineering and design tasks, coupled with high screen quality and excellent speaker and keyboard quality. However, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, while less portable, offers a newer and robust AMD Ryzen CPU along with a more powerful Nvidia GPU, bettering performance for demanding engineering software and design work that benefit from recent technological advancements.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) to be very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.9/10
7.4/10
4.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3072 x 1920
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"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 16 (Late 2019) 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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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
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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.
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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.