If you prioritize portability and are looking for a more budget-friendly option, the Gateway 11.6" laptop is much less expensive and lighter, making it easy to carry around. However, it has modest performance capabilities with lower storage and memory, making it suitable for basic tasks like web browsing and document editing. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" comes at a higher price but offers much better performance with a more powerful processor, higher storage, and memory, which would be beneficial for more demanding tasks like photo editing or multitasking. It also features a larger, higher-resolution screen which is better for media consumption and productivity, although this does impact its portability due to increased size and weight. Both have decent build quality and keyboards, but the Lenovo has a longer battery life, which can be a significant advantage if you need to work on the go without frequent charging. 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 Gateway 11.6"
Excellent portability
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
Good for general use
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
7.3/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" has a less powerful CPU, less RAM, a lower-quality screen, and a smaller screen size compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15", making it less suitable for general use. Although the Gateway is lighter and thus more portable, the Lenovo offers higher screen resolution, a larger screen, significantly more storage, and a better battery life, which overall enhances the user experience for general tasks.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
6.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.4/10
6.6/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" is equipped with a less powerful Intel Celeron processor and basic Intel UHD Graphics, along with a smaller amount of RAM and a lower-resolution screen, making it less suited for engineering and design tasks that require significant processing power and detailed visuals.
Content Creation
5.7/10
7.4/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good for content creation, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7/10
7.3/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
4.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good for software development, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7/10
6.4/10
11.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gateway 11.6" likely suffers from a low resolution or dull display, making it less ideal for any tasks where screen clarity is key. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" offers a larger screen with fair resolution and brightness, making it more suitable for general and engineering use, while still lacking the advanced color gamut necessary for professional design work. However, neither are optimal for Gaming and 3D, as they probably don't have the high refresh rates required for smooth visuals in those applications.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Gateway 11.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 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
Excellent
Good
11.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
6.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has only fair build quality, while the Gateway 11.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$89
$741
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Gateway 11.6" has a price of $89 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" costs $741.
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is affordable and pretty efficient. At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (15″, 2023) is one of the better affordable laptops money can buy right now. It has a decent performance, albeit coming from a CPU that is based on old architecture. Playing low-intensity games is possible but at low to medium settings. We are really happy with the cooling setup, but the main event here is the battery life. We got 9 hours of either Web browsing or video playback, which is a great result. Especially if you compare this device with the ASUS E410."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 11.6" or the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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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