A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·
The Gateway 14.1" offers considerable savings, making it an attractive choice for those on a strict budget. However, this cost advantage comes with tradeoffs: it has less storage and memory, a lower-powered processor, and integrated graphics that may not be suitable for demanding tasks. Its smaller screen might make it more portable, but its display quality is higher with a full HD resolution. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" presents better performance with a more powerful processor and double the memory and storage, which can be essential for smoother multitasking and more substantial software requirements. The Lenovo also has a larger screen, albeit with lower resolution, which could be better for productivity but may affect the sharpness of the display. It is less portable due to its larger size and slightly heavier weight. Thus, if price is your primary concern and your tasks are relatively light, the Gateway might suffice, but if performance and a larger screen size are key, the Lenovo could be a better fit despite its higher cost. 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
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
- The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has no clear advantages over the Gateway 14.1".
Key differences
General Use
5.6
6.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
208.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" has a weaker CPU and less RAM than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15", making it less capable of handling multitasking and demanding applications smoothly. Additionally, while the Gateway has a higher resolution IPS screen, it suffers from significant limitations in battery life and keyboard quality, hindering its overall usability for general tasks compared to the Lenovo, which offers a more balanced experience despite its lower-resolution TN display.
Content Creation
5.8
6.3
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair 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
6.3
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair 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
5.2
14.1in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
208.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Gateway 14.1" has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
Even though the Gateway has a fair screen for general use, its higher resolution and brightness provide a crisper, clearer display compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3, which has a poorer quality display that may appear less sharp and dimmer. The Gateway's fair rating for engineering and design stems from its better color reproduction, crucial for tasks requiring color accuracy, whereas the Lenovo falls short in displaying a wide range of colors accurately. For 3D and gaming, the Gateway's screen is rated poor due to a lower refresh rate that results in less smooth visuals, but it still edges out the Lenovo IdeaPad 3, which also lacks in refresh rate and overall display quality.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gateway 14.1" has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 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.
Build Quality
5.1
6.5
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has only fair 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
$360
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
The Gateway 14.1" has a price of $99 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
5.4
5.8
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
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 3 15" and Gateway 14.1" are both poor for gaming and AI.
The Gateway 14.1" and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" are poor choices for gaming and 3D applications primarily because they come with very basic integrated graphics, the Intel UHD Graphics 600 and Intel UHD Xe G4 respectively, which lack the power needed for such demanding tasks. Additionally, both have screen refresh rates limited to 60Hz, which won't deliver the smooth visuals preferred by gamers or professionals working with 3D graphics.
Engineering and Design
5.5
5.8
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" and Gateway 14.1" are both poor for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.1in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gateway 14.1" to have very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Gateway 14.1" and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Gateway 14.1" | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$99 | $360 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | August 1, 2021 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.1'' x 8.8'' x 0.75'' | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.35 lbs | 3.75 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.1" | 14.26" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.78" | 9.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4020 | Intel i3-1115G4 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 64 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | Unknown | 35 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.1" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 208 nits | 220 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.1/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.1/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 5.3/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Gateway 14.1"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | September 2021
"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."
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | February 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 14.1" or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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.
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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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