The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 offers better performance for intensive engineering tasks, 3D work, or gaming due to its powerful processor and graphics card, and it has a high refresh rate display which is good for fast-paced visuals, but it is heavier and less portable than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15". The Lenovo is more affordable, offers a touchscreen, and has excellent battery life, making it suitable for general use and good for on-the-go tasks. Both have sufficient storage and memory for most applications, but the ASUS stands out if top-tier performance is a necessity. 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 ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
627.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for general use, though the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is somewhat better.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 offers a high-end CPU and plenty of RAM combined with a high-quality screen, making it responsive and visually impressive for general use, albeit with less portability and battery life. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" delivers adequate performance with a decent screen and a lighter build for better portability and battery life, making it a practical choice for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
8.5/10
6.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16, with its NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU and high screen refresh rate of 240Hz, offers superior gaming and 3D performance, essential for handling graphically intensive tasks smoothly. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" uses an integrated AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Vega 8 GPU and has a lower screen refresh rate of 60Hz, rendering it satisfactory for less demanding games and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
6.6/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 excels in engineering and design due to its high-end CPU, RAM, and GPU, all critical for demanding software, paired with superior screen quality that boasts a high resolution, brightness, and color accuracy suitable for precision tasks. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 has more modest specifications in these areas, which can affect performance and visual fidelity, making it less ideal for intensive engineering applications despite being more portable and having better battery life.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.4/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" 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.
Screen Quality
9.0/10
6.4/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
627.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 boasts a high-resolution display with bright and vibrant colors, making it suitable for everyday tasks and precision work required in engineering and design due to its wide color gamut coverage. However, its lower refresh rate compared to gaming-specific laptops affects its ability to deliver the smooth visuals critical for high-speed gaming and 3D applications. Conversely, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" offers an adequate display for general tasks and entry-level design work but doesn't provide the superior color accuracy or smoothness for gaming and advanced design tasks, reflecting its position as a budget-friendly option with balanced but not exceptional screen attributes.
Battery
4.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has 4.5 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
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 both have good portability, though the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
6.0/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has very good 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
$2,059
$741
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a price of $2,059 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" costs $741.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 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.
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How the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" compare to other laptops
"The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is not yet as optimised as its predecessor. Compared to the previous gen, performance and efficiency have improved significantly. What's more, the wonderful, Mini-LED Nebula display is a contender for the main highlight and almost manages to put the CPU and GPU in the shade. We already found its predecessor to be a well-rounded and well-optimised gaming machine. Generally, but not unequivocally, that also applies to the new Asus M16. Similar to most of the current, new laptops, we are dealing with a double generational leap in terms of the CPU and GPU. However, this change doesn't always run smoothly."
"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 ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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