The Gateway 11.6" is a budget-friendly option suitable for basic tasks like web browsing and light document editing, thanks to its less powerful processor and simpler integrated graphics. Its smaller screen size makes it more portable, but the lower resolution display might not be ideal for detailed visual work. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" costs more but offers a high-performance processor and advanced dedicated graphics, making it well-suited for demanding engineering applications, 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. It also has a larger, higher resolution display which enhances the experience for visual tasks, but it is heavier and less portable. Decide based on your primary use case: if portability and basic tasks are key, the Gateway may suffice, but if you need higher performance for complex tasks, the Lenovo is the better choice. 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
Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
7.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" has lesser RAM, a weaker Celeron processor, a low-resolution screen, and is rated poorly for general tasks such as multitasking and intensive applications, although it is lightweight and has excellent portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 offers a powerful AMD Ryzen processor, ample RAM, a high-resolution screen, and comprehensive features suited for demanding tasks, but it has a shorter battery life and is bulkier, reducing its portability.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
7.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good 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
8.2/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" has a weaker processor (Intel Celeron N4020), less memory, and a lower resolution screen, which hampers its performance for engineering and design tasks, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" comes equipped with a powerful AMD Ryzen processor, more RAM, and a high-resolution display, along with a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, providing substantial computational power and better visuals. Portability and keyboard quality are also factors; the Gateway is lighter and has a higher portability score, but the Lenovo has a superior keyboard, important for prolonged work sessions, albeit less convenient for on-the-go use.
Content Creation
5.7/10
7.4/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 5 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
8.0/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 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
8.0/10
11.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 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" laptop likely has a lower resolution and dimmer display which makes it less suitable for general tasks, engineering, design work, and gaming that often benefit from sharper and brighter screens. The Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers a very good display with higher resolution and brightness, enhancing the experience for general use and providing decent color representation for engineering and design tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the Legion's screen may fall short due to a lower refresh rate which is crucial for a smoother visual experience in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Gateway 11.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 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
Fair
11.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has good 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
$999
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gateway 11.6" has a price of $89 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" costs $999.
"The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 11.6" or the Lenovo Legion 5 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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