If you prioritize a machine suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 with its dedicated Nvidia graphics card is a strong choice. However, keep in mind it's slightly heavier and less portable than the Lenovo Flex 5 16, which offers better battery life and a higher resolution display with touchscreen capabilities. The Flex 5 16 is also generally less expensive while still delivering solid general-use performance with its integrated graphics, making it a good fit for everyday tasks and some light creative work. Consider the Legion Slim 5 if performance in demanding applications is crucial, and the Flex 5 16 for better portability and longer battery life at a lower 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 Lenovo Flex 5 16
Good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is rated higher for gaming and 3D because it has a more capable Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate at 144Hz, compared to the Lenovo Flex 5 16's less powerful Intel Iris Xe graphics and a 60Hz refresh rate. While both laptops have comparable CPUs and screen quality, the superior GPU and refresh rate of the Legion Slim 5 make it a better fit for demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
8.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is rated very good for engineering and design due to its AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia RTX GPU, which provide strong performance for demanding tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo Flex 5 16, while still good for engineering and design, has an Intel CPU and integrated graphics, which may not handle intensive workloads as effectively as the Legion's dedicated GPU.
Screen Quality
7.3/10
7.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, and engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 both have panels with adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and productivity work, but they may lack higher color coverage required by professional designers and engineers for precise color work. Although their color reproduction might be sufficient for some engineering and design applications, the absence of wider color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB means they fall short for high-end color-critical tasks. For gaming and 3D purposes, their screens do not offer high refresh rates, which are crucial for a smooth and responsive visual experience, making them less ideal for fast-paced, graphic-intensive activities.
Battery
11.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$779
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a price of $779 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 offers a balance suitable for general use with a high-resolution touchscreen display, reasonable portability, and good battery life, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, though slightly less portable and having a lower battery life, provides a stronger CPU and dedicated GPU that can handle more intensive tasks, along with a higher screen refresh rate for smoother visuals.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both good for content creation.
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
7.5/10
7.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Lenovo Flex 5 16 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 compare to other laptops
"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."
"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 Lenovo Flex 5 16 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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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