The Dell XPS 15 offers a balance between performance and portability, suitable for general use and some engineering tasks with its mid-range dedicated GPU. It's lighter with longer battery life, making it more convenient for carrying around, and has a higher brightness display, which is good for a variety of lighting conditions.
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, on the other hand, has a more powerful GPU and a higher resolution and refresh rate display, which translates to better 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming experiences, but it's heavier and has significantly shorter battery life, making it less portable. If you frequently engage in activities that require high graphics performance, like gaming or advanced engineering software, and don't mind the tradeoff in battery life and portability, the Lenovo might be the better option. 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 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 Pro 5i
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
7.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
606.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.6/10
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
8.0/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.1/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very 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
8.3/10
7.6/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 Pro 5i 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
8.1/10
7.5/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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
7.4/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
606.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Dell XPS 15 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i for software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Dell XPS 15 has a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and professional design work, but its lower refresh rate limits its ability to smoothly render fast-paced action in gaming or 3D environments. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i also offers a display with crisp resolution and excellent color coverage which benefits both general use and precision tasks needed in engineering and design, yet suffers the same setback in gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate not geared towards those activities. For non-gaming purposes, both laptops excel with their display attributes; however, serious gamers or 3D developers would benefit from a laptop with a higher refresh rate to ensure fluid motion clarity.
Battery
10.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Dell XPS 15 has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
4.2 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell XPS 15 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.4/10
The Dell XPS 15 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Dell XPS 15 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i stands out for engineering and design work mainly due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, which is better suited for graphically intensive tasks, and a higher resolution and refresh rate screen which provides a clearer and smoother visual experience compared to the Dell XPS 15's Intel Arc A370M GPU and lower resolution display. While the XPS 15 is lighter and therefore more portable, the Legion Pro 5i's superior keyboard and speaker quality add to its edge for prolonged and immersive work sessions, although it's less portable and has a shorter battery life.
Cost
$1,000
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Dell XPS 15 has a price of $1,000 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i costs $1,000.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell XPS 15 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i compare to other laptops
"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."
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Dell XPS 15 or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
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.
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
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.