The Gateway 14.1" is a budget-friendly option that offers basic performance suitable for general use, with a lighter weight for better portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is a more expensive choice with powerful performance for engineering tasks, 3D work, machine learning, and gaming. It has a higher-quality display, but it's heavier, which might affect its portability. The Lenovo's battery won't last as long as lighter laptops, but it supports a vast array of ports including Ethernet and Thunderbolt. If cost is a concern and your needs are modest, consider the Gateway, but if you require a high-performance laptop and can manage the extra weight and cost, the Lenovo would be the better fit. 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 Legion Slim 5i
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Very 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
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
208.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
343.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" laptop's less powerful Intel Celeron processor and lower amount of RAM make it less suitable for multitasking and demanding applications compared to the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, which has a high-performance Intel i7 processor and more RAM, enhancing its overall speed and responsiveness for general use. The Gateway also suffers from poorer screen quality and battery life, influencing its suitability for sustained use, as opposed to the Lenovo, which offers a higher resolution display and longer battery life, making it better for various general use scenarios.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
8.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
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 Slim 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" falls short in gaming and 3D because it uses an Intel Celeron processor and Intel UHD Graphics 600, which offer minimal performance, coupled with a screen refresh rate of only 60Hz, translating to less fluid motion on screen.
Engineering and Design
5.5/10
8.4/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" falls short for engineering and design due to its weaker Celeron CPU, minimal RAM, and basic integrated graphics, along with a lower quality screen, making it unsuitable for intensive tasks and detailed work required in these fields. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i excels with a powerful i7 processor, ample RAM, high-end discrete graphics, and a superior, high-resolution screen, which collectively provide the robust performance and visual clarity necessary for demanding engineering and design applications.
Content Creation
5.8/10
8.0/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very 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
7.8/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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
8.0/10
14.1in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
208.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
343.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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" likely has a screen with a basic resolution and adequate brightness, which is fine for tasks like browsing, but it lacks the color range needed for precise engineering work, and its refresh rate is too low to keep up with the demands of fast-paced 3D gaming. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, on the other hand, features a higher quality display that presents sharp visuals and good brightness for everyday tasks, more accurate colors for engineering and design, but doesn't offer the high refresh rate required for a smooth gaming experience with 3D graphics. For general use, both are acceptable, but for specialized tasks like design and gaming, the Lenovo is better for design and neither is ideal for high-end gaming.
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Gateway 14.1" has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has 7 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
Fair
14.1in
SIZE
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Gateway 14.1" has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gateway 14.1" has a price of $99 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i costs $1,000.
"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 Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 14.1" or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i
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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