The Gateway 14.1" is a budget-friendly option and lighter in weight, making it more portable, but it has less storage, memory, and a less powerful processor compared to the Lenovo Flex 5 16, which is more expensive yet offers a larger, higher-resolution touchscreen display and a significantly stronger performance for engineering tasks, 3D rendering, machine learning, and general use. The Lenovo also has a better battery life, but it is heavier, which could affect portability. If you require a laptop for demanding tasks and a higher-quality display, the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is a better choice, whereas if you need something for basic tasks and prioritize saving money and portability, the Gateway might be sufficient. 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 14.1"
Very good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo Flex 5 16
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
7.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
208.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.5 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.4/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" laptop's Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of RAM limit its performance for general use, while its lack of a touchscreen and lower screen brightness also affect user experience compared to the Lenovo Flex 5 16, which boasts a more powerful Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a higher-resolution touchscreen, and better overall build quality, alongside a convertible design that increases usability.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
6.2/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" 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
5.5/10
7.2/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" falls short for engineering and design use due to its less powerful Intel Celeron processor, limited 4 GB of RAM, and basic GPU, which collectively aren't suitable for intensive tasks requiring high computing power. Conversely, the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is more capable with a robust Intel i7 processor, ample 16 GB of RAM, and superior integrated graphics, plus its higher resolution and better screen quality support more demanding engineering and design applications.
Content Creation
5.8/10
7.6/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" 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
5.8/10
7.5/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" 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
6.0/10
7.3/10
14.1in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
208.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gateway 14.1" offers an adequate display for everyday tasks like browsing and document editing with decent resolution and brightness but may lack the sharper image and color precision needed for more detailed engineering work and design tasks. The Lenovo Flex 5 16, with its better screen quality, provides more vivid colors and sharper details, which is beneficial for engineering and design professionals who require accuracy for things like CAD work or photo editing. However, for gaming or 3D rendering, neither laptop's display is ideal, as they both lack the high refresh rates required to deliver the smooth visuals that are critical in fast-paced games or intricate 3D simulations.
Battery
8.0 Hours
11.5 Hours
The Gateway 14.1" has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 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
Very Good
Good
14.1in
SIZE
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 14.1" has very good portability, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$99
$740
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Gateway 14.1" has a price of $99 and the Lenovo Flex 5 16 costs $740.
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a solidly equipped, 2-in-1 in the lower price segment. Performance is definitely sufficient for everyday tasks and in tests the battery proved itself to be very economical. That aside, there is a lot of standard fare on show and a search for real highlights ends in vain. The low color coverage and reflective display can be avoided by going for an optional 2.5K display but this also presumably results in poorer battery life. The cooling uses only one fan and leads to a raised temperature on one side of the device under load. Additionally, there is very loud fan noise, also under load or when gaming. On top of that, we also occasionally noticed electronic noises."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 14.1" or the Lenovo Flex 5 16
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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