The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has no clear advantages over the ASUS Zenbook 14.
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3/10
7.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook 14's superior screen quality for general use and engineering stems from its higher resolution and brightness coupled with wider color gamuts, enabling finer detail and more accurate colors essential for detailed design work. Although both laptops lack high refresh rates crucial for smoother visuals in gaming and 3D applications, the Zenbook's stronger overall display attributes still provide an edge in non-gaming-related tasks. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, while offering good screen quality across the board, falls a bit short in color reproduction and peak brightness, making it less ideal for professional design but still serviceable for day-to-day activities.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.2/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have good build quality, though the ASUS Zenbook 14 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$300
$549
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 costs $549.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 offers a high-resolution OLED screen that promises vivid colors and sharpness with lightweight design for portability, but its general use ranking is impacted by its less powerful processor and lower storage capacity compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3. The IdeaPad Gaming 3, with its more robust CPU and GPU plus higher storage, is rated better for general use and gaming, but it is bulkier and has a heavier design, which may affect its portability.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
6.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
7.2/10
7.2/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 is equipped with integrated graphics and an OLED screen with high color accuracy, making it suitable for design tasks that need precise colors, while its lightweight build enhances its portability for engineering work on the go. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 provides a dedicated GPU and a robust processor for computational-heavy engineering tasks, but with a slightly lower screen color accuracy and a heavier build, which could be less convenient to transport.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.4/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for content creation.
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
7.2/10
7.3/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 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.
Battery
8.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 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.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 compare to other laptops
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is one of the most powerful RTX 3050 Ti laptops. If you disregard the mediocre quality of the case in terms of the material and workmanship, Lenovo has created a successful budget gaming laptop with the IdeaPad Gaming. Thanks to high TDPs and constant performance development, the Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 3050 Ti are able to show their full power, while in contrast, the (mostly slower) competitors deliver a better battery life. However, hardly any of the alternative laptops are able to reach the image quality of the Gaming 3. Most of the competitors are left behind in terms of the color space and brightness."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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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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
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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.