If you prioritize gaming or doing intensive engineering tasks and are willing to invest more, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is the better choice, offering high-end performance and color accuracy but with less portability and shorter battery life. Alternatively, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is more affordable and still suitable for gaming and engineering, with considerably longer battery life and slightly higher portability, though it provides less storage and its display isn't as color accurate or bright as the ASUS. Both have similar size and weight, making them relatively portable for their power level. 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 gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
Good battery life
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.5/10
7.7/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
8.0/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both very good for engineering and design, though the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is somewhat better.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 stands out for engineering and design with its more powerful Intel i9 CPU and higher-tier Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, complemented by a superior screen with higher resolution and color accuracy, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, though very good, offers a slightly less powerful AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU paired with a screen that delivers lower resolution and color space coverage. The Zephyrus M16's specs make it better suited for demanding tasks with performance-intensive applications, whereas the Legion Slim 5, being lighter with longer battery life, offers greater portability at the cost of some performance and screen quality.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.5/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is 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.
Screen Quality
9.0/10
7.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
627.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 provides a crisp and vibrant display due to its higher resolution and brightness, which enhance the viewing experience for everyday tasks and media consumption. In engineering and design, the ASUS outperforms due to its superior color coverage, ensuring a wider range of accurately represented colors which is crucial for professionals in these fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the lower refresh rate on the ASUS makes it less ideal as it could lead to less fluid motion compared to laptops with higher refresh rates.
Battery
4.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has 4.5 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
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.4/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has very good 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
$2,059
$1,000
$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 Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 stands out for general use with its more powerful Intel CPU, higher screen resolution, and greater color accuracy, making it suitable for tasks that demand strong processing and visual clarity, but with a shorter battery life and less portability than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, which balances a solid AMD CPU, sufficient screen quality for everyday tasks, and longer battery life, offering a more convenient option for on-the-go use despite slightly lower performance and display fidelity. Both laptops feature equal amounts of RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking, with the ASUS leaning towards performance and Lenovo towards mobility.
Software Development
7.7/10
7.4/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 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 ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 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 ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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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