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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell XPS 15 offers a balance of performance and portability, with a midrange price, decent battery life, and a premium business look. It's suitable for general use, engineering tasks, and some light gaming, thanks to its capable processor and discrete GPU. The high-resolution screen is smaller and not as colorful or bright as some gaming-focused models, but it's sharp and suitable for productivity. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" leans more toward gaming and intensive tasks, with a powerful GPU suitable for 3D, machine learning, and higher engineering demands. It has a larger screen with a higher refresh rate, providing smoother visuals, which benefits gaming and fast-moving content. However, it's heavier, less portable, and has a shorter battery life. Both laptops are similarly priced, but choosing between them depends on whether you prioritize portability and battery life (Dell XPS 15) or gaming performance and screen size (Lenovo Legion 5 17"). 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 Dell XPS 15
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.2
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
606.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
The Dell XPS 15 offers a blend of portability with performance, boasting a superior screen quality and battery life ideal for more mobile general use, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" focuses on robust performance features like a larger screen and dedicated gaming graphics, which trade off against battery life and portability but excel in visually intensive tasks. Although both have comparable CPU and RAM, the difference lies in the XPS 15's emphasis on a balance suitable for productivity on-the-go, and the Legion's leaning towards stationary, high-performance computing needs.
Gaming and AI
6.8
7.4
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.1/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 15 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.
Content Creation
8.3
7.2
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
8.1
7.0
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
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
7.4
7.3
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
606.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The Dell XPS 15 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Dell XPS 15 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" both boast panels with ample resolution and brightness, making colors pop and details sharp for general tasks like web browsing and video watching. Engineering and design work demand precise color representation, and although these laptops may cover a decent color range, professionals requiring high accuracy in DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB might find them insufficient. However, for 3D applications and gaming, the lack of a high refresh rate can make fast-paced visuals appear less smooth, an area where other devices specialized in gaming might excel.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Dell XPS 15 has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 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
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.2 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Dell XPS 15 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.4
The Dell XPS 15 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Dell XPS 15 has a price of $1,000 and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.1
7.6
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell XPS 15 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
The Dell XPS 15 offers a balance of performance and portability for engineering and design with its high-resolution screen and capable CPU and GPU, making it suitable for tasks requiring color accuracy and computing power while being relatively easy to carry. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" delivers powerful graphics with a higher-performance GPU and a larger screen, making it more suitable for design tasks that demand a vast visual workspace and intense graphical processing, yet it is less portable due to its larger size and weight.
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How the Dell XPS 15 and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell XPS 15 | Lenovo Legion 5 17" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.6'' x 9.1'' x 0.71'' | 15.7'' x 11.4'' x 1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.21 lbs | 6.57 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.57" | 15.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.06" | 11.41" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700H | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 606 nits | 305 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.8/10 | 5.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.1/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell XPS 15
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | May 2023
"The 2023 Dell XPS 15 is more or less exactly what you'd expect from the company flagship. Its fresh components deliver measurably superior power and longevity, while the machine's premium build and design remain intact. It may not be overly exciting, but XPS loyalists and upgraders should be more than happy."
Lenovo Legion 5 17"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | February 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Get a great deal on the Dell XPS 15 or the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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.
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Why trust us
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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Recommendations made
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