The Lenovo Flex 5 16, being less expensive, is a versatile 2-in-1 convertible suitable for general use and offers good portability with decent battery life. Ultimately, choose the Flex 5 16 for everyday tasks and portability, or opt for the Legion Slim 5i if you need more power and high-refresh-rate screen for intensive applications and gaming. 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 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
8.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i offers a significantly more powerful dedicated Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 165, making it very good for gaming and 3D applications. In contrast, the Lenovo Flex 5 16 has an integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU and a lower refresh rate of 60, making it just fair for these tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
8.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is better for engineering and design due to its superior main processor and dedicated GPU, which offer increased performance for demanding tasks, although it's slightly heavier and thicker than the Lenovo Flex 5 16, which provides a balance between performance and portability with its efficient CPU and integrated graphics. Additionally, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a higher screen refresh rate and contrast ratio, resulting in smoother visuals and better display quality, but this also comes with a tradeoff in reduced portability and louder operating noise compared to the more portable and quieter Lenovo Flex 5 16.
Screen Quality
7.3/10
8.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
343.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a better screen than the Lenovo Flex 5 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 provides a balance in resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and has a decent color range, which explains its adequacy for general use and engineering design, but its lower refresh rate is a drawback for gaming and 3D rendering where smoother motion is crucial. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i's higher resolution and brightness make it more appealing for general use, and its color accuracy is beneficial for tasks like engineering and design, but similar to the Flex 5, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to a refresh rate that isn't optimized for high-paced visuals. Overall, while both laptops are competent for general and professional applications, neither is ideal for the high-refresh-rate demands of gaming and 3D work.
Battery
11.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 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
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 5i 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 5i costs $1,000.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16, with a good balance of processing power and RAM, an IPS touchscreen display for vibrant colors, a lean build, and moderate battery life, serves well for general tasks and offers the versatility of a 2-in-1 convertible design.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5i to be very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
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
7.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and Lenovo Flex 5 16 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 5i 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 5i 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 5i
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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