If you prioritize saving money and don't need top-tier performance, the ASUS Zenbook 14 offers good value with a sharper OLED screen and lighter weight, making it more portable and pleasant for everyday tasks and media consumption. However, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i, while more expensive, comes with higher specs including better graphics and a faster processor, making it more suitable for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming. Additionally, the Lenovo has a larger screen which could be beneficial for multitasking and productivity, but it is also heavier, which could impact portability. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14
Very good overall display quality
Very good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
7.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
339.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
409.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is somewhat better.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i generally excels over the ASUS Zenbook 14 due to a combination of higher RAM, more powerful CPU, and superior screen quality that includes better brightness and higher refresh rate. Despite the IdeaPad's larger screen size and weight making it less portable than the lighter and more compact Zenbook, the IdeaPad also offers a larger storage capacity and better keyboard and speaker quality, contributing to the overall better suitability for general use.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
7.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
8.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i outperforms the ASUS Zenbook 14 in engineering and design applications due to its more powerful Intel i7-13700H CPU, double the RAM, and a superior Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, which are crucial for such demanding tasks. Although the Zenbook 14 has an excellent OLED screen, the IdeaPad Pro 5i's higher RAM, better GPU, and IPS display with higher brightness and refresh rate offer significant advantages for performance-intensive engineering software and detailed design work.
Software Development
7.2/10
7.7/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
7.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
409.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i for general use, and engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 offers an excellent combination of resolution, panel type, and brightness well-suited for daily tasks and professional design work, offering a broad color spectrum that appeals to engineers and creatives needing precision. Meanwhile, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i provides a similarly high-quality viewing experience for everyday use with a display that respects color accuracy, though it may not cover color spaces as extensively as the Zenbook which is vital for nuanced design tasks. For gaming and 3D applications, however, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can limit the smoothness and responsiveness during fast-paced visual experiences, even though they both have adequate resolution and panel types.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 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
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$300
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i costs $1,500.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.6/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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."
"Lenovo’s IdeaPad Pro 5i represents an impressive opening salvo for Meteor Lake in the ultraportable space against familiar foes from AMD and Apple. Not only does the Core Ultra 5 125H processor provide good performance across the board, but battery life remains a strong point against the Acer Swift Edge 16 with its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor. It can’t quite match the endurance of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the gap is shrinking."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
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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