If you prioritize portability and are looking for a budget-friendly option for basic tasks, the Gateway 11.6" is suitable, but its lower performance and smaller screen size may not be ideal for more demanding activities. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 7, while more expensive, offers high performance, better screen quality, and features suited for gaming, engineering, and intensive 3D/machine learning tasks. However, it is heavier and has lower battery life, making it less portable than the Gateway. Consider what you value more: the Gateway's affordability and portability, or the Lenovo's superior performance and screen for advanced uses. 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 Legion 7
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
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
7.9/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 is good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" laptop, with basic CPU and RAM, lower screen resolution, and a smaller screen, is less capable for a variety of tasks and less enjoyable for media consumption than the Lenovo Legion 7, which offers a powerful CPU, ample RAM, higher resolution, and larger screen ideal for both work and entertainment.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
7.8/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 7 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
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" has basic specifications like an Intel Celeron processor and Intel UHD Graphics which are not suited for demanding tasks in engineering and design, and its screen quality is limited to a lower resolution, while the Lenovo Legion 7, with its high-end AMD Ryzen 7 processor, Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics, and superior screen resolution, caters excellently to these intensive applications.
Content Creation
5.7/10
7.9/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 7 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
7.6/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 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
8.3/10
11.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you value a crisp, clear display for everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos, the Lenovo Legion 7’s higher resolution and brightness make it stand out. For engineering and design work where accurate color representation is key, the Lenovo's screen covers a wider color gamut, providing more precise hues critical for these fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications that benefit from smoother motion, the Lenovo Legion 7 might fall short due to its lower refresh rate compared to other laptops designed specifically for these purposes.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Gateway 11.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 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
Excellent
Good
11.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion 7 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 has very 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
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Gateway 11.6" has a price of $89 and the Lenovo Legion 7 costs $1,500.
"The Lenovo Legion 7 is a fast 16-inch gamer with 165 Hz display. The new Lenovo Legion 7 is a very good gaming notebook that, despite its comparatively compact compact 16-inch case, does not have to do without the most powerful components. Thanks to good cooling, no compromises are made in terms of performance. Both the Core i9-12900HX and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti perform at a very high level."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 11.6" or the Lenovo Legion 7
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
98,295
Recommendations made
21,298
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.