The ASUS Zenbook 14 is generally more budget-friendly and offers good performance for everyday tasks, making it suitable for general use and productivity. If you prioritize a balance of cost and capability for typical computing needs, it's a solid choice. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, while more expensive, is designed for gaming and more intensive tasks such as 3D rendering or machine learning due to its higher-end graphics and processing power. This comes at the cost of reduced portability compared to the Zenbook due to its weight and size. If your work or hobbies involve heavy-duty applications, the extra investment in the Legion Slim 5i might be worthwhile despite the increased cost and decreased ease of carrying it around. 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 Zenbook 14
Very good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
7.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
339.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
343.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is somewhat better.
The ASUS Zenbook 14, with its mid-range CPU and average RAM capacity, offers a satisfactory level of performance for general use, complemented by an excellent OLED screen which enhances visual quality, though it has a relatively average battery life and is quite portable. Conversely, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i boasts a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, with a high-quality IPS screen, resulting in better performance for general use; however, it is less portable due to its larger size and weight, though it compensates with a robust battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
8.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 offers decent GPU performance suitable for casual gaming and basic 3D tasks; however, it's outperformed by the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i which has a more powerful GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, enhancing gaming and 3D experiences noticeably. While both have quality displays and capable CPUs, the Legion Slim 5i's advantages make it a better fit for those prioritizing gaming and graphic-intensive activities.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
8.4/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for engineering and design, as it has a more powerful main processor and graphics card along with double the RAM and storage of the ASUS Zenbook 14, which greatly enhances tasks that are intensive such as 3D rendering and computations. While both laptops have high-quality screens, the ASUS is lighter and more portable, but for heavy-duty engineering and design work, the more robust Legion Slim 5i with its superior specs will provide smoother and more efficient performance.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.0/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.2/10
7.8/10
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
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Slim 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
8.0/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
343.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i for general use, and engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 provides a crisp, bright display with high resolution, making it suitable for activities like browsing and video streaming, and it covers a wide color gamut which benefits precision tasks in engineering and design. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i also offers high resolution and adequate brightness for everyday tasks, while providing decent color coverage, which is good for design work, but may not match the ASUS for color-sensitive jobs. However, neither are ideal for gaming or 3D applications, as they lack the high refresh rates required for smooth visuals in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$300
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i costs $1,000.
"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 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 Zenbook 14 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
98,595
Recommendations made
21,363
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
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.