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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Gateway 11.6" is a budget-friendly option, ideal for basic tasks with its modest storage and RAM, and an Intel Celeron processor. Conversely, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is much more expensive but offers high-end features suitable for intensive tasks such as engineering, 3D rendering, and even light gaming, with a powerful Intel i7 processor, ample storage and RAM, and a high-quality display. The Lenovo also has a touchscreen and is generally better built. If portability is a concern, both are relatively lightweight and compact, but the Gateway is slightly lighter. You'll have to consider whether the Lenovo's enhanced capabilities are worth the higher cost for your needs. 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 Slim Pro 9i
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Best in class overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6
8.5
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Gateway 11.6" has a basic Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and an entry-level screen, making it less suitable for demanding tasks, whereas the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i boasts a powerful Intel i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a high-resolution Mini LED screen, ensuring a smooth and high-quality experience for general use. Additionally, the Lenovo offers better portability and longer battery life, which are crucial for on-the-go productivity, unlike the Gateway which has an excellent portability score but no available data on battery life.
Gaming and AI
5.4
7.6
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
8.9
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i outshines the Gateway 11.6" for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i7 CPU, abundant RAM, and cutting-edge Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, delivering robust performance and high-quality graphics essential for such tasks, in contrast to the Gateway's modest Intel Celeron processor and basic Intel UHD Graphics. Furthermore, the Lenovo's superior screen with higher resolution and color accuracy provides detailed visuals critical for design work, while the Gateway's lower resolution and color coverage are not ideal for precise engineering and design activities.
Content Creation
5.7
8.5
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very 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
8.3
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very 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
9.6
11.6in
SIZE
14.5in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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, making it less sharp and harder to see, which reduces its quality across all usage scenarios. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels in screen quality for general use and engineering design because it probably has a high-resolution, bright display with wide color gamuts, ensuring sharp, vivid, and accurate color reproduction. However, for gaming and 3D applications where high refresh rates are crucial, the Lenovo's screen may fall short if it doesn't offer a fast enough refresh rate, despite its resolution and color accuracy.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gateway 11.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has 6 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
14.5in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1
8.0
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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 Slim Pro 9i costs $1,500.
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How the Gateway 11.6" and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gateway 11.6" | Lenovo Slim Pro 9i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$89 | $1,500 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | August 1, 2021 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11'' x 7.5'' x 0.7'' | 12.9'' x 9.6'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.6 lbs | 3.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11" | 12.9" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.5" | 9.64" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4020 | Intel i7-13705H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 64 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | Unknown | 75 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 11.6" | 14.5" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 3072 x 1920 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 200 nits | 618 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.1/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.2/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 5.3/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | August 2023
"The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 11.6" or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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.
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